My parents had something exactly like this when I was a kid. The holes in the center had spring-loaded discs allowing you to pull it apart. The wood was teak and the legs were chrome with rounded corners. They were for use as side tables or TV trays, not stools.

I hope he's not presenting this as an original piece...

This is from a T-shirt from offworld designs:

http://www.offworlddesigns.com/p-73-eye-chart.aspx