I-Beam Coffee Table

This is an I-Beam Coffee Table in Patinated Steel and Limestone, designed by Donald D. Powell and Robert D. Kleinschmidt C. 1976. It was designed and custom-made for Ralph and Ann Youngren, friends of the design team who also had an affiliation with SOM. They all worked at Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill together during the 1960s, working under the direction of Walter Netsch. This table was directly acquired from the estate of Ralph and Ann Youngren, and still retains a label with Mrs. Youngren’s name affixed under the top. The architectural duo of Powell and Kleinschmidt was often influenced by the work of Mies van der Rohe, looking to the Bauhaus as their inspiration. This particular table’s style can be most accurately filed under ‘Brutalist’, sporting a limestone top that is exemplary of the ‘Beton Brut’ movement. It features minimalist attributes that emphasize bare building materials and structural elements. It is truly as much of a sculpture as it is a functional coffee table.

This table measures 20 inches deep, 61 inches wide, and 24 inches high. The top is raw, and shows imperfections as intended. The painted steel I-beam base shows some areas of heavy patina. Overall, this table is in good condition. Please see photos.