spade coffee table

I was disappointed by the selection of coffee tables in my price range so I decided to design and make my own. I wanted a distressed wood and industrial steel look that was very rectilinear in form. 

Like the protagonist in Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon, this coffee table is well-travelled, understated, and tough as nails. 

finished product

I coated the steel in the same water-based clear coat I used on my Jasmine chairs. I used lacquer on the wood. I wanted a coffee table that I didn't need to baby, and the ability to "heal" damage done to the finish by the application of denatured alcohol appealed to me. 

the feet

I dislike the look of sturdy square legs which terminate in dainty, adjustable screw feet. I built custom screw feet for leveling, using the same beefy 2"x2" square tube out of which the legs are made. 

the wood

The wood is old pine recovered from some shelves in the basement of a house undergoing renovation. The square nails still present in the wood were older than the house, making it clear that it had a previous life.