Object stories: Beraking table by Jack Flanagan

By Penny Craswell

This unusual design replaces traditional table legs with three large balls that allow the table to roll across the floor. Perth furniture designer Jack Flanagan was inspired by ball bearings, and in particular by the spherical stones that make up the gravel roads in Western Australia and create a slippery surface for rally car drivers.

Beraking table by Jack Flanagan. Photo: Toby Peet. Image: The Design Writer
Beraking table by Jack Flanagan. Photo: Toby Peet

“[These stones are] completely unique to the south west of Western Australia,” Flanagan explains. “I was interested in the way in which, when driven on, it becomes very slippery due to the spherical stones rolling over the hard compact base. I became well experienced with this sensation in my past as a rally driver.”

The table is made with a solid American Ash top, while the spherical legs are made in Maple. Fine tuning was needed to create the exact weight needed to roll smoothly across the floor. As well as timber, Flanagan works with a range of materials and processes, like bronze and aluminium sand casting, and also turns his hand to the creation of particular colours and wood stains.

The Beraking Table was named after a well-known rally stage in the Perth Hills, once again referencing Flanagan’s racing past and his local surrounds.

More on Jack Flanagan

Beraking table (detail of spherical legs) by Jack Flanagan. Photo: Toby Peet. Image: The Design Writer
Beraking table (detail of spherical legs) by Jack Flanagan. Photo: Toby Peet.
Beraking table from above by Jack Flanagan. Photo: Toby Peet. Image: The Design Writer
Beraking table from above by Jack Flanagan. Photo: Toby Peet.