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California Look: Side tables by Alma Allen, Robert Kuo, Council Design

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The California Look poll, Round 6: Side tables

Stools that also serve as tables have been taking the form of mirrored pedestals, metal-faceted jewels, and giant felt and fiberglass rocks. Yet nothing remains as elemental as the tree trunk, a hunk of wood that brings the natural world into your home.

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This week, we’ve been asking you to help define the California look of 2011, a people’s choice competition that will run through next week. Today we present three small tables that, with humble material and form, deliver a versatile piece of furniture. Think of these pieces in your living room -- or anywhere else you need a small table or an extra place to sit.

And the nominees are ...

A. Alma Allen’s Turned Stool. The Joshua Tree sculptor has designed flatware and furniture, including stools and door handles for the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs. He sculpts his Turned Stools on a machine lathe. They’re available in fine hardwoods such as maple and walnut, but we find the soft, knotty look of this piece in sugar pine to be both rustic and refined.

B. Robert Kuo’s Woodgrain Design Square Seats. The Los Angeles designer has created furniture, lighting and decorative accessories for the Baker and Mcguire companies. His Woodgrain Design Square Seats have flat tabletop surfaces that look like sandblasted wood dipped in cream lacquer. The wood-grain portion is actually a skin of hand-hammered copper.

C. The 47 table by Council Design. The San Francisco firm renders a chunk of aged, reclaimed Douglas fir into a sculptural object by covering it in silver. The name 47 refers to the atomic weight of the precious metal. A protective clear coat protects against tarnish.

Which do you like best? Tell us below -- and don’t be shy about adding your comments. Voting in this category will close in three days, so let us know which table captures the spirit of home and garden design today.

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Coming Monday: Round 7!

ALSO:

The California Look: Round 1, patio planters

The California Look, Round 2: outdoor lamps

The California Look, Round 3: outdoor fabrics

The California Look, Round 4: fire features

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The California Look, Round 5: room dividers

-- David A. Keeps

Photo credits: Alma Allen, Robert Kuo, Council Design

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