This piece was commissioned. The client requested a design that incorporated storage with the convenience of a writing surface. Having an interest in Japanese Tansu Cabinetry I chose a circular form while trying to maintain essential elements of Tansu cabinetry. The solution to the writing table was the use of a lift mechanism. A wedge of soapstone raises and lowers to an adjustable height accommodating either a writing or laptop surface with additional storage underneath. The top ring of drawers have sides made of walnut that angle toward the radius and are slip-dovetailed to the curved fronts. There are thirty eight drawers between the table and sofa, including 2 hidden drawers. There are also 2 hidden cavities in the sofa. All the drawer fronts and doors are veneered with Australian Lacewood. They were then dyed, stained, lacquered, and waxed. The hardware is hand cast bronze. The bottom ring portion of the table incorporates doors and drawers with storage area around the lift. The front section contains one set of curved sliding bypass doors. The sofa is in three sections with two “chairs” flanking the center section. Each section has nylon ball castors in the front and feet in the back allowing the client to lift the sofa from the back with two bronze ring pulls per unit and roll the sections around the table. The back of the sofa is constructed of curved walnut veneer and the spring-cushions are covered in distressed leather. The project took about 600 hours to complete.
  This shows the coffee table with the lift in the down position. It shows some of the bronze straps on the doors below.   Here's a shot of some of the drawers removed. Each drawer has a different configuration and depth.   This is a shot of the front of the sofa unit. There are 16 drawer cavities in the front of the sofa section.  
  An artsy shot of the drawers pulled out. It also shows off the soapstone top.   This is a downward shot of the table and sofa together.   A detail showing the strapping on the doors and the Hirute style drawer pulls.  
  Here's a detail of a drawer front with the "corner braces". In traditional Tansu these would be made of iron. I chose to make them out of Claro Walnut and scroll them in the shape of a bat.   It's a coffee table. Wait...
it's a laptop table! The lift
can be adjusted to any height.		  

This angle shows some of the curved walnut back, as well as the back cap with faceted pegs. The leather has a warm brown distressed feel. The lift cavity makes for nice glass storage.