Preliminary conceptual sketches

Design process begins with drawing a lot of sketches, wasting a lot of paper. The goal is to define the conceptual direction, main attributes and parameters for the new thing (like how many legs should the table have, the shape and composition of the table top, etc). Below are a few preliminary sketches which I made when working on the concept. The same sketches were sent to a 3D CAD designer who will prepare a parameterized model.

The main creative trigger for the new design was this photo of a panel, taken by Lara somewhere in Istanbul:

When I saw it I immediately thought that it would be a perfect pattern for a table top, combining a mixture of traditional and contemporary design elements.

The idea is to have the table top made out of 3 rectangular sections. Each part is disconnected from each other, there will be a sizable gap (a couple inches?) between the parts. A sheet of clear glass will be sitting on top of the entire middle section; the glass will slightly overlap with the side sections.

 The elements of the Panel would be inlaid into the table top; the middle section will have two of the rectangular patterns, and the sides will have the elements of it forming a straight line.

The foundation of the table will be rather simple: 4 legs, no prominent bars/bridges. The legs will be square-ish and deliberately bulky.