Our home had a dim dining area that was sadly separated from the hustle and bustle of the family room and kitchen. We figured it might be nice to put a hole through a load bearing wall, then add a countertop for seating and serving. The best thing we did on this program was rapid prototyping using a projector and video conferencing software. Mocking up what it’s like to have a live view through the wall convinced us to start demo! The countertop is a slab of monterey cypress, salvaged from a church in Soquel. Drying splits were tied with walnut butterflies and backed with figured rock maple. The live edge was hand carved to keep an organic yet crafted touch. Offcuts from the slab were turned into counter height stools.