Commissioned 2007 $16,000.00

A Tim Neun & Randy Weersing collaboration

The art deco conference table was commissioned by a leading video game developer here in the northwest. The client was set on using simulated wood grained, high pressure laminate, better known as plastic countertop, … Formica. Their reasoning was based on believing the material to be very tough and difficult to scratch. Apparently video game developers are wild and crazy destroyers of all that they encounter. The client did not warm to our cacophony of whining and pleading that authentic wood could be repaired if damaged, unlike the plastic or our sensitive egos. Trust us, as furniture makers we did our best to convince them authentic wood was a far more astute choice but to no avail. We chose to understand they produce, and are immersed in a fantasy world and simulated wood was just not that offensive to them. So with the joyous acceptance Randy and I rationalized it would be a technical challenge as opposed to a moral sellout and took it on.

Soon we realized achieving a flush, perfectly smooth surface with a material that varied in thickness by two to three thousands of an inch would prove to be just one of a number of tricky challenges. We asked the local laminate expert to stop by the shop and take a look at our design and offer any guidance or wisdom. He concluded in about 4 seconds that it was impossible and could not be done at which point Randyís and my interest in the project was piqued. He was good enough to stop by after we finished this project and was quite impressed to see how well it turned out. He said the only people in the world who could truly appreciate it were the three of us.
The design incorporates our interpretations of the style elements featured throughout the theater/conference room where the table will be the centerpiece. We integrated a flip up chrome section that reveals a brushed aluminum panel with every electronic and power connection currently in use with space allocated for new devices.

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