A table has to do more than look good when nobody is sitting at it.

I'm Thabo Dlamini, a furniture maker in South Africa. I like thinking about the ordinary moments a piece will be part of: pulling up a chair, finding somewhere for your knees, carrying it through a doorway, wiping it down after dinner. Those details don't always make the best photograph, but they matter long after the photograph is forgotten.

I'm trying Doop because I want to show more of that thinking. On a busy visual feed, a finished piece can become another image to swipe past. I want room to explain a choice, hear how someone would use the piece, and meet people whose questions might improve the next idea. A conversation about a table can be more useful than simply being told it looks nice.

My first posts here will start with questions people can ask before commissioning furniture. What does the piece need to hold? How will it fit the room? Who will use it? What should be easy to clean or repair? You don't need…