As well as digital design, I also enjoy getting my hands dirty in the workshop, designing products with leather, wood, cloth and other materials.

Physical products give immediate feedback as they’re turned over in the hand, making prototyping a natural part of the creative process.

See more product design on my blog where I document past projects.

For this table project, my starting point was drawing inspiration from 3 and 4-legged stools, and the textures and contrast of the leather and wood of iconic furniture such as the Eames Lounge Chair.

I played with the idea of fashioning rocket fin legs, but not wanting to over-complicate the design, I chose the clean lines of 1 1/4" dowel: a simple, durable material, paired with plywood for the top.

I decided early in the process that I wanted to combine materials and include a leather top to the table, partly function: a forgiving surface a device or drinkware could be placed without fear of damaging either object or tabletop, and partly aesthetic: the light tan leather color will age with use, eventually darkening to the red-brown hues of a well worn baseball glove.

To install the leather top flush with the plywood, I cut it roughly to shape, glued it to the wood, then carefully trimmed the leather with a razor once the glue was set, to achieve the clean edge.

Overall, I'm pleased with the result, the only changes I may add would be a protective finish to the wood, or some oil or beeswax to condition the leather.