The Stunning Furniture of the P. Tendercool Workshop

A few years ago I wrote a story for CNN Travel about a cool little soi that had an antique studio, an art gallery, and a store that sold amazing tables. Were it not for the constant 30° heat, it would be easy to think you were in a lost corner of New York. I got know the owner of the table store over the years, and recently was afforded the opportunity to drop by his studio to see some of his new creations. I know what you’re saying – tables don’t seem that exciting, but the table store – actually a company called P. Tendercool – makes some stunning furniture. The art gallery has been shuttered, but the antique studio is still there, and P. Tendercool is still selling their awesome tables.

I don’t know what it is about these particular tables, but they are really amazing to behold. Pieter Compernol, the man behind the name, has traveled Asia for the past several decades collecting discarded slabs of teak from old houses, barns, and various structures. If you’re not aware, teak is an amazing type of wood – it’s resistant to insects, extremely durable, and requires very little upkeep. Most of the slabs he’s collected are many decades old and on average are about 7ft long, some much longer.

The storage warehouse.

Long story short, Pieter and his team have recreated the methods, tools and polish from 18th century French furniture and design manuals. It’s all made on-site and takes a long time and a lot of practice to master. There are several types of tables to choose from, but without a doubt my favorite is one with such a high-gloss shine that it looks like a slab of acrylic paint frozen in time.

See?? Look at it!!

Most of his tables are huge – massive – and would look right at home in board room, but some are smaller and less outrageous. About the table above I offhandedly remarked that my iMac would look great sitting on it, and Pieter told me that you can’t actually use it – just carefully put stuff on it for display. Well…it sure would look great. However, his other models are definitely for daily use.

Now that is a big slab of wood.

What’s that? Oh yes, the price. Well, there’s a wide range of prices depending on various factors, but they aren’t cheap. In fact, they’re downright expensive. Really expensive. But I talked with a few friends who are familiar with similar furniture sellers in big cities in Europe and America and they tell me that by those standards, these can be considered a good deal. Still…I’ll probably head to Ikea for all my table needs for the near future.

Anyway, a few more pictures below. If you’re interested in investing in some outstanding wood tables, you could do a whole lot worse than P. Tendercool. Their slogan sums things up nicely – We make tables. And we make them well.