Unique Tables Designed to Look Like Animals Are Half-Submerged in Water

Designer Derek Pearce has expanded the possibilities of everyday furniture with his enchanting Water Tables. Each one integrates an animal as both its base and a crucial aesthetic element: the body of the creature seems to comes up through the glass tabletop to create the illusion that it’s floating freely in a river or lake.

In one of Pearce’s works, an otter bobs gleefully on its back between two rocks. In another, a hippo rests on its belly, with its grin just beneath the surface and its eyes popping up above. The pieces are both functional and delightful for lovers of animals and art alike, merging homeware with sculpture while drawing irrepressible smiles.

Pearce’s playful but adept aesthetic stems from a wide breadth of experience as a performer, stage carpenter, musical director, and teacher. He’s been building his Water Tables since 1997, and they’ve since been exhibited and sold throughout America, Europe, and Japan. You can enjoy some of his most clever designs below, or purchase one for yourself on the Water Tables website.