The tables with the glass tops and grotesque bases were the first to catch my eye. The bases were thick and twisted like some giant hands had ripped them into big chunks.
They were a set of three, with the end tables stacked atop the coffee table. The auction house described them as “modernist Manzanita Olive Root Tables. … Extremely sculptural wood bases. California modern.”
Was there such a thing as a manzanita olive root, I wondered. Googling, I found out that there actually was. I came across other coffee tables that used the manzanita tree root as the base.
The reddish-bark manzanita is native to California and its branches are as gnarly as its roots. It has bell-shaped flowers in colors from pink to white, and red berries that are a treat for wildlife. The branches – called mountain driftwood – are used for decoration. Some manzanita trees survive for 100 years, and the leaves are said to have been used as medicine and cider by Native Americans.
Only a few articles mentioned the tree as a source for olive oil. The tree is protected in California, and it is against the law to cut or trim one.
The set of tables at auction sold for $225.
As I walked around the auction house, I noticed other unusual coffee tables – all of them metal and all with glass tops. Here’s a look at what I saw:
Gilt metal figural lily-form dining table in style of designer Arthur Court. $450.
