Thomas Lamb (b. 1938, d. 1997), a prolific Canadian designer with wide-ranging interests, is best known for his furniture designs from the late 1960s to the 1990s. His Steamer chaise longue was selected for the Study Collection at New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in 1979, one of the few Canadian furniture designs to hold that honor.

Lamb studied design at Ryerson Institute of Technology, graduated in 1964 and went to work for his mentor and former teacher, Al Faux. He established his own studio in 1968. In 1982 Lamb joined the Toronto- based Nienkämper and helped to transform the company into a leading manufacturer of Canadian design.

Thomas Lamb designed the Steamer collection of furniture after a consultation process with Design Canada in 1975, to revitalize the Dominion Chair Company in Bass River, Nova Scotia to upgrade their manufacturing facilities in the production of bent wood furniture. Later, it was manufactured by Du Barry as well as Ambient Systems in Ontario. 

Like many Canadian designs, this table base is inspired by the local landscapes and steamboat industries of Nova Scotia.