Built-in cabinets are all over Europe. Saving small residences square footage and the hassle of moving large bookcases and dressers up slim flights of stairs, they make up for the purchasing and moving of weighty kitchen appliances in many units. Converting the art of condensed purpose into built-in design, I’ve got a special place in my spatially-efficient heart for designer Christopher Poehlmann of CP Lighting‘s new LiveEdge Series of table-chandelier combinations.

LiveEdge Series table/chandelier. Designed by Christopher Poehlmann. Manufactured by P Lighting.

Dining Table and Tree Chandelier Form a Unified Structure

Unlike the connection I made between Poehlmann’s LiveEdge Series and cabinetry in Western Europe, the actual inspiration that Poehlmann credits for the illuminated branches atop his lamp-table design – that is a derivative of his newGROWTH Series – comes from the natural woodworking style of George Nakashima. In his words, “the inspiration for this table came from Nakashima’s beautiful use of old growth slabs of wood for his table tops,” he recalls. “Many other furniture makers have done this and it often ends up being just a slab of wood for the sake of being a slab of wood.  I wanted to create a sculptural piece of furniture that spoke to this in a meaningful and humorous way.”

The LiveEdge Series debuted this year at ICFF, making its fabricated aluminum tree base and chandelier with energy-efficient LED lights coupled with the fabricated plywood and laminate table top a brand new 2012 that could be considered a dining table, desk, room centerpiece or the ideal piece for small and large homes alike.

Meant to look like the “shape of a live edge piece of lumber  — 100% artificial, 100% cool”, the LiveEdge Series shines under the voluptuous branches that light up the table’s irregular slab surface below.

About the Designer: Christopher Poehlmann is the design mind behind C/P Lighting, a lighting design company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He gained serious momentum with his newGROWTH Series of lighting structures a few years ago, which were modeled after tree branches (and looking to be about the same proportion). Using the newGROWTH Series as a starting point, the LiveEdge Series capitalizes on organic shapes while bringing in furniture design to his collections of lighting.