One of our favorite booths at this year’s ICFF was San Francisco-based Council with an elegant display of work by Arik Levy, Maaike And Mike, One & Co., Monica Forster, Khodi Feiz and Derek Chen. The sure conversation piece was the Periodic Table by One & Co., a silver-coated table of reclaimed wood. The technique used in the application allowed various knots in the grain to show through the silver and the piece was, without a doubt, a showstopper. The table is simply beautiful. But at the same time, among the rave reviews, as with anything, lurked hints of criticism. We asked Council’s founder, Derek Chen, what he thought of the naysaying.

Derek, although the Periodic Table was one of the hits at ICFF this year, there are those that point out it was, at the same time, controversial. Had you expected mixed reactions to this piece?
There’s no denying that it’s an expensive piece, and I suppose it’s fair to expect a few negative reactions to the price, but as a furniture company, our objective has been to produce pieces that appeal to a smaller number of people but which also hopefully resonate a bit deeper. Even within our own line, we expect different pieces to appeal to different people for different reasons - and in that way, i suppose we expect mixed reactions to all of our pieces.

Not only is the table a heavy piece, but it happens to weigh in at a steep price (upwards of $40 000). Do you think that high pricing automatically leads to grumbling?
I didn't really hear any grumbling, though I may have noticed a bit of head shaking. We were pleased to see a number of people enjoying the piece at the show, and hopefully one or two people will buy it, but it's not for most people. We certainly make no judgments of those who don’t choose to set aside that much money for a coffee table. I think that once we explain the process and materials, most people understand the reasons it costs so much. But we did it because we think it’s a beautiful piece, and to me the beauty comes in the subtlety of the tarnishing, the soul of the wood penetrating the finish, the imperfections. To describe it as a $42,000 silver piece of wood misses the point a bit – we weren’t trying to make something shiny and expensive as some sort of social commentary, or worse, some expression of arrogance. Really, we were just trying to make something beautiful.

The very nature of a table’s function makes it a useful piece of furniture and the aesthetics of this table allow it to take on a sculptural role. And yet there are those who question the usefulness of such an object, in terms of effort and materials. How then can the table’s role be explained?
All “designed” objects are pieces that (hopefully) serve a practical purpose, then provide something else to appreciate. Whether it’s the elegance of a chair, the geometric interest of a shelving unit, or coziness of a sofa, most furniture pieces have some feature or combination of features that people find pleasing in addition to their pure practical use. Frankly in terms of practicality, the bar is rather low for coffee tables – it’s quite easy to make something that will hold a cup of coffee. So, like all of our coffee tables, the role of this table is to be pleasing in some way, and to hold a cup of coffee. I know that sounds like a copout answer, but it’s not my place to tell anyone how and why to appreciate our pieces. I sincerely do hope they do appreciate the piece but that’s between them and the piece - all I can guarantee is that their cup of coffee won’t fall on the floor.