Rivulet Table

Spalted maple and solid brass, with a tray of water set into the top. Rivulet was designed by Nersi

Nasseri and shown at ICFF 2024.

Rivulet Table

Spalted maple, solid brass, and still water

Water is the reference point, and it shows up twice. The top is a single live-edge slab of spalted maple, its dark fungal veining running across the surface the way a stream reads on a map. Set into that surface is a solid brass tray built to hold actual water, which catches the light and moves when someone touches the table. Nersi Nasseri, cofounder and creative director of SENTIENT, designed the piece, and it is built by hand in our Brooklyn workshop.

The brass spring base

The base is made from spiraling solid brass springs with an internal steel frame carrying the structural load. The brass gives the table a shimmer that shifts as you walk around it, a deliberate counterweight to the matte finish of the wood. Spalting is never repeatable, so every Rivulet top has its own pattern of black lines.

Living with the tray

The tray is a working feature, not a sealed decoration. Fill it, empty it, or leave it dry and use it as a shallow well for keys and small objects. Brass takes a patina where it gets handled most, which is the intended behavior rather than a defect. If you would rather keep it bright, brass polish brings the original finish back.