Los Angeles-based woodworker and furniture designer Andrew Riiska handcrafts sumptuous tables that refer to subjects as diverse as the body (as in his Belly Table), mythical creatures (Dragon Table, shown) or ephemerality (Bubble Table).

He once hand-tooled hundreds of little wooden boxes — each one encapsulating a single marshmallow — for Los Angeles design store Ford&Ching, located at 718 N. Figueroa Street. (The company also opened a satellite showroom in Oakland late last year.)

Using recycled wood, non-petrol-based finishing oils and a whimsical sense of humor, these and other works like the 69-leg Table and the Frog Table elegantly combine a “green” awareness of natural and found materials with the playful sensibility of their designer.

posted on March 22nd, 2010