Table#1 (or ‘The Log Table’ as it is also known) was designed by the London-based studio Fredrikson Stallard in 2001, with the first prototype produced the following year. The table is made from quartered sections of silver birch tree trunks, these logs strapped together to form a low circle. The trees used in making the table were individually selected by the designers from forests in Kent. The logs were then bound together with an industrial steel strap of the kind generally used to tie down shipping pallets. Once strapped, the table’s top surface was thoroughly sanded. This smooth surface contrasts beautifully with the otherwise raw appearance of the object.

The Log Table’s focus on sustainability and simplicity expresses many of the central commercial, consumption and design concerns of the early 21st-century. Despite its overall simplicity, the table reveals a sophisticated process – from concept, to selection, assemblage and finish.

In 2010-2011 both the Financial Times and HSBC Private Bank highlighted the importance of The Log Table’s design, voting it respectively as top 10 and top 3 most important and collectable designs of the 21st century.