Variations on a Table: Jeffrey Inaba Uses Salvaged Materials to Redesign Dinner

Last week, we talked with Michael Hebb about the importance of the table in Western culture—and its power to bring people together and inspire critical dial

Inaba told me, "We're calling the 30 Project table, 'Tablecloth.' The surface is really thin. It's made out of the planks from shipping pallets, woven together with scrap nylon rope, and so it can be rolled out onto trestles and u

The image above is a plan drawing of table that Inaba and C-Lab designed for an Architecture for Humanity event created by Michael Hebb at the Armory in New York, earlier this year. According to Inaba:

"This is part of a whole series of ta

The same Architecture for Humanity table shown in axonometric view, to give you an idea of how it was constructed. Each of C-Lab's tables is a unique shape and built from different materials, which is partly due to each event's specific locati

A photo of the Architecture for Humanity table, constructed and ready for use. According to Inaba:

"With all of the tables, the thing that's been really interesting to us is, if using repurposed materials is a given, then what are the

In addition to the material choices that shape each design, C-Lab works closely with Michael Hebb to think about how the table's form will enhance the conviviality of the dining experience.

"Michael talks about the fact that gathering around one table is very different and much more meaningful than being distributed around several tables, which I always thought on a symbolic level made sense, but I'm now convinced it really is t

"Of course, the overarching thing is that we really want these tables to be beautiful as design objects"

The image above is a plan drawing of table that Inaba and C-Lab designed for a recent DKNY dinner event created by Michael Hebb.

The same DKNY table shown in axonometric view.

As he talked me through the different tables, Inaba explained C-Lab's design approach:

"C-Lab is a research entity and its main purpose is

The C-Lab team building the DKNY table.

"In New York, we've used workshops that function as co-ops, and so we limit ourselves to using the machinery that's available there. There's no laser cutting or other advanced fabrication

"Our goal isn't to make the aesthetic seem like it's recycled or low-tech or whatever. On the contrary, the idea is to make the table as nice as we can, accepting the limits that are made by our commitment to use reclaimed materials and c

"The other thing is that is important is the transferable knowledge, which is why we make all these diagrams to share after the fact. We want it to be really clear how each table is put together and how you could make it yourself, but also, more

The image above is a plan drawing of table that Inaba and C-Lab designed for an Grammy event created by Michael Hebb last month.

Inaba also described the table debrief process, and how C-Lab is using this series to learn about what works and wh

The Grammy table under construction by members of the C-Lab team. In thinking about what's next for C-Lab's table series, Inaba told me:

"The next thing we want to address—it's just a matter of budget and access to resour

The Grammy table, assembled. Inaba and C-Lab will be working with Michael Hebb, GOOD, Architecture for Humanity, and other partners to create unique tables for each of the 29 more 30 Project launch dinners over the coming months—watch this space