Reader Project: A Walnut Table Carved To Look Like A Draped Negligee

Reader Project — built and photographed by Clarke M. from Greenville South Carolina. Share your own project →

Clarke M. of Greenville, South Carolina builds one-off sculptural pieces, and this one is a walnut table shaped like a negligee — a carved slab that drapes over the ends, with a V-neck edged in a chipped “lace” pattern and slim oak legs cross-hatched to read as fishnet stockings. He posts his work on Instagram as POPPIIDEARS.

The walnut came off his own Norwood 2000 mill and was dried in his solar kiln. Clarke doesn’t work from plans — he says the wood usually pushes the design around mid-project — and the shaping here ended in a lot of sanding.

In Clarke’s words

I like to make creative pieces that are one of a kind. This is my attempt at making the walnut flow and look soft.

The build

Project type: Furniture (sculptural table)
Skill level: Intermediate
Wood: Walnut top, oak legs
Cost: Lumber cut on his own Norwood 2000 mill and dried in a solar kiln
Plans: No plans — “designing my pieces is half the fun. The wood often dictates design changes mid project”