8/12/14: Young Israel-based industrial product designer Hilla Shamia has found a way to merge poured aluminum with irregularly shaped wood pieces to make very desirable benches and small tables. During the process, molten metal is poured into the natural tree trunk, burning it slightly as they adhere to one another. The result is a beautiful ombré effect that brings out the best in both materials. The trunks are then cut, and legs are added to the pieces. The process is genius. I never would have thought of merging the wood and metal before cutting the wood.

When we were getting ready to refurnish our house post hurricane, I spent a lot of time thinking about what kind of coffee table I wanted. (Seriously. I mean a LOT. It kept me up at night for months.) We only made our choice after I looked at every coffee table in the tri-state area (and, of course, Etsy). I am completely pleased with the table we selected (kind of like this one but with better colors and proportions), but had these tables been available, I’m pretty sure the missus and I would have purchased a Shamia instead.

You can follow Hilla Shamia on Instagram.