Before this marquetry panel was framed, I considered giving it a different life.

My original thought was to integrate it into this table—to let the art and the furniture become one object instead of two. Not as decoration, but as structure. Something meant to be touched, lived with, and slowly marked by time.

I was advised not to do that.

That art should remain untouched.

That no one wants to cover something so carefully made.

That a surface is meant to be protected, not experienced.

And I understand that thinking. There is a long tradition of preservation, of separating art from utility, of placing value in distance. Framed. Elevated. Observed.

But I’ve always been drawn to a different idea.

I believe the most meaningful objects in our lives are the ones we use. The table where meals are shared. The desk that holds years of thought. The cabinet door opened every morning without a second thought. These pieces don’t lose their value through use—they gain it.

Wear isn’t damage.

It’s evidence.

Evidence that something mattered enough to become part of daily life.

This table sits in that tension. Between preservation and participation. Between the desire to protect something beautiful and the instinct to let it live where it belongs—in the center of the room, not on the wall.

The marquetry itself was hand-cut from solid wood veneers, built slowly and intentionally. It wasn’t made to be precious. It was made to last. To move with the seasons. To age honestly.

When placed into the table, it asks a quiet question:

Is art something we look at, or something we live with?

I don’t think there’s a single right answer. Some pieces want stillness. Others want hands, sunlight, and time. What matters is the intention behind the choice.

For me, furniture has always been about more than function. It’s about creating objects that earn their place in a home—not because they’re perfect, but because they’re present.

Whether this panel lives framed on a wall or integrated into a table, the question remains the same.

What do we value more: preservation, or participation?

And what kind of objects do we want to carry our lives forward?

So I’ll leave this here, unfinished in the best way.

Do you believe art should be protected and preserved—kept separate from daily life?

Or do you believe it should be integrated, touched, and allowed to age alongside us?

I’d truly like to hear where you land.

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