For London-based designer John Tree, good design is often invisible — quiet, efficient, and rooted in practicality. With a background in both electronics and furniture, and a career that includes time at Sony and with Jasper Morrison, John brings a stripped-back, systems-led approach to everything he creates.
For Morse, he set out to design more than just a table. The result is a flexible table system that can grow, shift, and adapt to changing needs — without shouting about it. In this Q&A, John talks about designing with purpose, the thinking behind Morse’s accessories, and how true simplicity is anything but simple.
Read on, then explore the Morse Table System here.
Where did the idea for Morse come from?
It started with early conversations about designing a core table system — something incredibly simple but capable of supporting many different needs. We weren’t interested in a range of separate tables for different functions. We wanted one intelligent system that could become almost anything — from a café table to a project bench, to a shared desk space.
That concept really aligned with NaughtOne’s ethos of “absolute simplicity, infinite possibility.” Morse grew out of that thinking. The goal was to offer users the flexibility they want, without compromising on visual clarity or quality.
What was your design approach?
The approach was all about reduction. We focused on how to make a table system using as few components as possible — and making each one perform multiple roles. The goal wasn’t just simplicity for simplicity’s sake — it was about clarity, adaptability, and serviceability.
We worked closely with NaughtOne’s in-house engineering team to develop parts that are both efficient and elegant. For example, we explored how a single connector could both clamp the leg and link to the beam, while also accommodating power or accessories. That kind of overlap is what makes the system so efficient and so scalable.
It’s easy to underestimate the complexity behind something that looks this simple — but a lot of thinking goes into hiding that complexity.
What sets Morse apart from other tables?
Morse isn’t just a collection of standard tables — it’s an open-ended system. You can specify it in virtually any size, shape, or configuration. It can scale up or down. You can use it in a small kitchen or across a full floorplate. It’s a kind of toolkit for creating the right surface for the job.
What’s important is that it always feels calm. It’s visually quiet — neutral enough to blend in, but present enough to ground a space. If you strip it back to a clean surface, it doesn’t dominate. But when you add accessories or set it up for focused work, it becomes something much more active and functional.
That duality — between minimal and functional — is central to Morse.
How do the accessories contribute to that flexibility?
We put a lot of thought into making the accessories tool-free and intuitive. They simply drop into the table’s central channel — there’s no need for specialist fitting or external parts. That gives people permission to change things. You don’t need to be a facilities team — you can reconfigure the table yourself, in seconds.
The accessories were designed to address real, everyday needs — things like cable management, creating visual privacy, defining zones. They’re like little pieces of micro-architecture. You might drop in a screen to mark out your workspace, add a power module to charge a laptop, or pin up a few ideas on a board during a team sprint. Then, two weeks later, you can take it all down and use the same table for a client lunch.
It encourages a sense of ownership. If people feel in control of their space, they’ll use it more creatively.
What was technically challenging about the design?
Visually, the leg looks very simple — but there’s a lot happening under the surface. We spent a long time tuning the proportions. Just a couple of millimetres makes a leg feel either too chunky or too fragile. Getting that just right across both wood and steel versions was a careful balancing act.
We also wanted the legs to handle cable management internally — so all the visual clutter disappears. That was technically complex, especially when balancing structure, strength, and routing space. The aim was for Morse to look clean and architectural, even when it’s supporting lots of hidden function.
How did you address sustainability?
We approached sustainability through three lenses: longevity, material integrity, and adaptability.
First, longevity. Morse is designed to last — not just physically, but visually. The form is deliberately understated so it won’t age out of fashion. In ten, twenty, even thirty years, it should still feel relevant.
Second, we avoided plastic altogether and leaned into honest materials — steel, wood, linoleum. These not only age well, but they’re easier to recycle or reprocess at the end of life. We also designed the components to be disassembled, repaired, and reused. Nothing is glued or hidden.
And finally, adaptability. The system is modular and upgradable. If you start with a small table and need more space, you can add beams and tops without replacing everything. It’s built to change with your needs — that’s real sustainability.
