{"id":24162,"date":"2023-06-18T09:00:39","date_gmt":"2023-06-18T08:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.naughtone.com\/us\/?p=24162"},"modified":"2025-06-03T15:40:16","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T14:40:16","slug":"morse-table-system-designer-qa-with-john-tree-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.naughtone.com\/us\/news\/product-launch\/morse-table-system-designer-qa-with-john-tree-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the Designer: John Tree on simplicity, adaptability and the Morse Table System"},"content":{"rendered":"

For London-based designer John Tree, good design is often invisible \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

For Morse<\/a>, 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 \u2014 without shouting about it. In this Q&A, John talks about designing with purpose, the thinking behind Morse\u2019s accessories, and how true simplicity is anything but simple.<\/p>\n

Read on, then explore the Morse Table System here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Where did the idea for Morse come from?<\/h2>\n

It started with early conversations about designing a core table system \u2014 something incredibly simple but capable of supporting many different needs. We weren\u2019t interested in a range of separate tables for different functions. We wanted one intelligent system that could become almost anything \u2014 from a caf\u00e9 table to a project bench, to a shared desk space.<\/p>\n

That concept really aligned with NaughtOne\u2019s ethos of \u201cabsolute simplicity, infinite possibility.\u201d Morse grew out of that thinking. The goal was to offer users the flexibility they want, without compromising on visual clarity or quality.<\/p>\n

What was your design approach?<\/h2>\n

The approach was all about reduction. We focused on how to make a table system using as few components as possible \u2014 and making each one perform multiple roles. The goal wasn\u2019t just simplicity for simplicity\u2019s sake \u2014 it was about clarity, adaptability, and serviceability.<\/p>\n

We worked closely with NaughtOne\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to underestimate the complexity behind something that looks this simple \u2014 but a lot of thinking goes into hiding that complexity.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

What sets Morse apart from other tables?<\/h2>\n

Morse isn\u2019t just a collection of standard tables \u2014 it\u2019s 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\u2019s a kind of toolkit for creating the right surface for the job.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s important is that it always feels calm. It\u2019s visually quiet \u2014 neutral enough to blend in, but present enough to ground a space. If you strip it back to a clean surface, it doesn\u2019t dominate. But when you add accessories or set it up for focused work, it becomes something much more active and functional.<\/p>\n

That duality \u2014 between minimal and functional \u2014 is central to Morse.<\/p>\n

How do the accessories contribute to that flexibility?<\/h2>\n

We put a lot of thought into making the accessories tool-free and intuitive. They simply drop into the table\u2019s central channel \u2014 there\u2019s no need for specialist fitting or external parts. That gives people permission to change things. You don\u2019t need to be a facilities team \u2014 you can reconfigure the table yourself, in seconds.<\/p>\n

The accessories were designed to address real, everyday needs \u2014 things like cable management, creating visual privacy, defining zones. They\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n

It encourages a sense of ownership. If people feel in control of their space, they\u2019ll use it more creatively.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

What was technically challenging about the design?<\/h2>\n

Visually, the leg looks very simple \u2014 but there\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

We also wanted the legs to handle cable management internally \u2014 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\u2019s supporting lots of hidden function.<\/p>\n

How did you address sustainability?<\/h2>\n

We approached sustainability through three lenses: longevity, material integrity, and adaptability.<\/p>\n

First, longevity. Morse is designed to last \u2014 not just physically, but visually. The form is deliberately understated so it won\u2019t age out of fashion. In ten, twenty, even thirty years, it should still feel relevant.<\/p>\n

Second, we avoided plastic altogether and leaned into honest materials \u2014 steel, wood, linoleum. These not only age well, but they\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s built to change with your needs \u2014 that\u2019s real sustainability.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We sat down with John Tree to learn more about how he designed the Morse Table System.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13618,"featured_media":24155,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[110,107],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-designer-interview","category-product-launch"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.naughtone.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.naughtone.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.naughtone.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.naughtone.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13618"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.naughtone.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24162"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.naughtone.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24162\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.naughtone.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.naughtone.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.naughtone.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}