“Play” Coffee Table

2025

This custom-designed coffee table responds to a set of client-driven criteria – it had to serve as a comfortable footrest, a playful surface for their first grandchild, and a functional centerpiece that invites light and levity into the space.

The table’s height was precisely calibrated to the client’s sofa, allowing for relaxed foot placement. Its generous surface area doubles as a stage for play—whether for building blocks or board games—making it a fixture of intergenerational connection.

Fabricated from translucent resin, the tabletop diffuses ambient light with a subtle luminosity that shifts throughout the day. The table’s form is visually weightless—achieved through the recessed support of a continuous bent steel rod, allowing ample clearance below for seated floor use and encouraging informal interaction, particularly for children. The table frame echoes the black steel of the sofa, creating a subtle dialogue between the pieces. Its geometry is a continuation of a series of studies from Yeh Design Lab’s Play Loop Rings.

Special Thanks to Tom Farage for fabricating the bent steel frame. The tabletop was fabricated by 3Form. The table was assembled and installed by Los Carpenters.