2022
Arabella is a wooden decor table that serves as a drink holder and also as an ornamental pedestal.
The design was focused on exploring wood joinery and looking at how the different parts could go together and form an interesting structure.
Top details
Base details
The making of...
Started with defining the design parameters and researching about my target user, and functions and aesthetics ideal for the table.
Followed by quick ideations with thumbnail sketches.
From the sketch explorations, 5 concepts were combined into 2 directions to refine.
Developed these concepts to refine the design from the thumbnail sketches.
Chose the highlighted design from concept 1 to continue developing for the final design.
Used CAD to explore variations of the selected direction from the refined sketches.
These models helped analyze the designs three-dimensionally.
Selected concepts 9 & 10 to do quick mockups and explore further.
Mockup 1 was developed from concept 10 of the CAD exploration. This concept has layered legs that join at the top and bottom of the piece.
Mockup 2 was developed from concept 9 of the CAD exploration. This concept is a more organic yet simple design focusing on the front view.
Chose Mockup 1 to follow for further development.
It showed to be a more detailed and thought-through design, plus was more interesting to look from all sides and angles. However, it needed more refinement.
Stability was an issue when developing the mockup.
Adding weight on the bottom third and adding a larger base were used to improve the stability.
Concept 9 was selected for the final design.
Construction refinement: explored different ways to join each part and how to cut them using the CNC.
Arabella was created by using the CNC machine to tailor cut each piece, and sanded and assembled in the shop.
The CNC made the corners more filleted than expected, so a dremel and sanding paper were used to refine the edges and make sure each piece fitted correctly into the other.
Varathane Honey wood stain and water based Polyurethane were used to achieve the final look.
