The Cumulus Table is the result of availing myself of one specific material—concrete—and subjecting it to a battery of tests.
The decision to use concrete stemmed from its ubiquity in the built environment.  My goal in using it was manifold: I wanted to transcend its common uses and I wanted to do so cheaply.

Employing both rigid and non-rigid molds led to initial samples that ran the gamut from hard-edged to organic, and on occasion, both.  The non-rigid molds used were by far the most interesting and I realized that by stuffing a bag through a drilled piece of wood, one could create legs and structure.  This understanding led to the creation of a jig that allows me to easily pour the mixed concrete into a thick trash bag while retaining the structure of the bag, yet allowing me enough control to manipulate the form.  By wrapping a cardboard tube around the center, a central column is created, thus providing both structure and a transition from base to tabletop.  As the concrete cures, a piece of rebar is inserted into its center.
Materials: Portland cement, sand and steel rebar

When purchased in bulk, Portland cement can be bought for less than US$40/metric ton and common playground sand can be had for less than US$125/ton.  Steel rebar purchased at a local hardware store generally costs US$0.35/foot.

Samples and initial notes on varying mixtures, densities, breaking points, etc.

Rectilinear model made with acetate lined foam core mold.

More structural development.

Curvilinear structure.  Experimentation using foamcore spacers in a two piece mold and burning them out.

Texture swatches.

Texture swatches.

Rigid/nonrigid, smooth/bumpy.

Poking a plastic bag into holes and pouring in concrete led to the creation of “legs”.  This sample led to the most productive concept development.

Trashcan mold

First mold for side table made with cylindrical metal trashcan.  Lined with a stretched plastic bag, cinched at the center with duct tape.

Second prototype.  Began using jig to allow for more manipulation of drying concrete.

First prototype.  Dried concrete has been removed from trashcan; peeling away the plastic trash bag.

Second prototype.

The final Cumulus Table.

Daniel Jeffries is a 26 year old who hails from Charleston, South Carolina by way of Asheville, North Carolina.  After studying sociology for two years at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, he shifted course to Pratt’s undergraduate industrial design program.  He seeks to explore new ways of making things, and his work frequently examines conceptions of beauty and value.