Mitchell came to me with a clear vision. As an avid Dungeons & Dragons player, his home had become the meeting ground for long campaigns and late-night stories. He wanted a table that could live at the center of all that — something sturdy enough to carry years of use, and crafted with enough care that it felt just as permanent as the memories made around it.
I started with walnut, because it brings warmth and strength in equal measure. The base took shape first, a design that leans on Mid-Century Modern influence without ever feeling fragile. Each leg tapers out with purpose, meeting in the center with joinery that locks the whole structure together. From across the room, the form reads clean and sculptural. Up close, you see the subtleties — the curves cut into the stretchers, the way the grain lines flow with the shape. Those are the quiet details that make a piece worth building by hand.
Once the foundation was there, we started thinking about the way the table would actually be used. Game nights demand more than just a flat surface. Around the perimeter, I cut in cup holders and trays for dice and game pieces. They’re small gestures, but they keep the table working with the players instead of against them. The kind of details you don’t think much about until they’re missing.
The playing surface itself adds another layer. Mitchell chose a bold blue, something that pops against the walnut frame. It doesn’t just set the stage for the game — it pulls everyone’s attention to the center of the table, the same way the story of the game pulls everyone into it.
What I like about this piece is that even with all the gaming-specific features, it still functions as a table in the truest sense. I built removable leaves that cover the playing surface completely, allowing it to transform from a dedicated gaming table into a dining or everyday table. It can host a meal, hold a project, or just sit quietly in a room looking like it belongs there. That balance matters to me. I grew up in a shop where furniture wasn’t disposable — it was built to carry every part of life. That’s why I aim to make pieces that serve a specific purpose but aren’t trapped by it. They need to last, not just in the way they’re built, but in the way they can keep being useful as life changes around them.
For Mitchell, this table will be a gathering place. For me, it was another chance to prove what I believe — that furniture, built with care, becomes more than wood and joinery. It becomes part of the life lived around it.