Writing about a piece of furniture is not typical in our office. In the case of building something unique, this table is one to write about, in particular, all of the parts that made up the whole.
BrandQuery’s Mount Vernon office is open with great architectural details including exposed wood beams, combinations of materials like steel, glass, and wood mixed with splashes of color (our signature chartreuse green). The one piece of missing furniture was a standup meeting table in the main space. A place to lay out projects and/or gather around for design chats or spontaneous discussions. This was all prefaced by the purchase of a flat file and nowhere to place it.
Like most every project in the BrandQuery office, so began a sketch with the flat file at the center. Years ago we developed a storage system of boxes to house client samples, this seemed an appropriate holder of the boxes so they were included in the thought process. Making the counter tall enough to be stand-up useful it also needed to be moveable so casters were integrated into the design. Once everything was laid out we solicited help from our friends at HKP Architects. The final drawing was created in CAD for us by Julie Blazek, AIA. Julie helped us in between designing schools and library additions so not a typical project for her – thank you Julie!
When it came to the construction we looked to crafts people we knew could do the job. Prior to the actual construction, we asked “Him” or to most folks, Randy Friedrich. Randy runs the auto shop at Dwayne Lane in Sedro-Woolley and he painted the flat file to a perfect match of our chartreuse green. We supplied the drawing to Superior Systems and they built the industrial frame adding the casters for mobility. To hold the client project boxes and other miscellaneous material, we designed pockets in the framework to house wooden boxes. The boxes were beautifully built by our new friends at Cascade Cabinets. Finally we needed a piece to sit on top of it all. We selected pieces reclaimed lumber at Duluth Timber Company. Duluth pulled all the old nails and for finishing we handed the lumber off to Smith and Vallee. Smith and Vallee took it from rough to fine and a clear coat. They brought it in and dropped it in place. It fits perfectly.
The finished table is a masterpiece of functionality, utility, and collaboration across many teams all working towards one goal.
So, in the end, was all the hard work worth it? Standing around the massive table. throwing out ideas, sharing a few laughs, the wood glowing warmly in the sunlight, indeed it was.
