Sometimes a tree just has to go. When a client in the North Chicago suburb of Kenilworth decided to add on to her 1912 architect-designed Prairie-style house, she realized she’d have to fell a statuesque oak in the backyard. She had the tree sawn and kiln dried by Horigan Urban Forest Products, then gave it new life as flooring and this coffee table.

I designed the table in conversation with my client, who wanted something large and sturdy with pull-out surfaces for casual dining in her family room. Aside from the swing-out shelves and the internal structure that supports them, the table is made entirely from the property’s native tree.

Inlaid bumblebees frolic on panels at the sides and back.

The hinges are salvaged butts from the early 20th century, adorned by massive straps and decorative fasteners custom fabricated by Adam Nahas of Cyclops Studios, who gave the old hinges a matching patina.

Featured in Arts & Crafts Homes and the Revival Spring 2015 ART + CRAFT

Photography by Kendall Reeves, Spectrum Studio of Photography and Design