Tables
The table on the right is done in white Maple, at 8 feet long and 18″ high, is a very low unit in this green house turned meditation space. It’s custom size is particular both to its use and its space, as it needs to be accessible to the occupant of the low bench immediately adjacent, and fit the available spot. It is protected by an acrylic water-based finish, to help keep the occupants of the space from smelling the eventual offgassing of typical lacquers in the heat.
From front foyer tables that catch the keys as you enter to dining room tables that display the finest centerpiece, the table is your chance to combine function with form. Without the table, everything would be all over the floor. A custom table gives you the chance to turn this essential element of daily life into a perfectly integrated component of your room.
Also intended for the front foyer, this wormy maple piece includes a modest cabinet for out-of-sight storage. To achieve the appropriate rustic aesthetic appropriate to the customer’s rural setting, the hardware was chosen in black wrought-iron, but with ball-bearing drawer slides.
This foyer table is topped in blue granite, made from Cherry. The legs feature a slight curvature instead of a taper. To support the weight of the Granite, the legs were made from 6/4 solid Cherry.
The drawers feature ball-bearing slides, and the large lower drawer features removable dividers for organization.
The cherry body and maple drawer-front of this end table were built to match an existing receiving table (pictured below). To match, I had to match the color, the edge routing, the leg taper, and drawer handle.
This display table was built to display the bust of a woman emerging from flames, and the customer picked the color to compliment the displayed piece. The entire piece is done in solid Poplar, and top and bottom shelves are made in 8/4, for effect, to help diminish the overall height of the piece (42 inches).
Kitchen and Dining Room Tables
This hickory table was done in gray-wash, to match the customers’ room. at ten feet long and forty inches wide, this is one of my largest projects to date. It also ranks high in my personal favorite projects.
Featuring 12 low stools, this table is the focal point of the room, and serves as both project and eating surface for the two families that share the residence.
I built this big beast of a table in two parts, both of Cherry. It is seven feet across, and barely fit out the door of my shop! Accommodating nine settings, it sits on a six-legged base that’s recessed twenty-four inches from the edge. The top is a little over a full inch thick, but the base is hefty enough to keep it steady even when someone pushes on it to stand up.
From this elevation, you can see how the table matches the nook, and how the lightness of the finish brightens up the room. Traditionally, cherry is finished in more red hues to emulate the effects of aging. All woods darken with age, Cherry in particular, but the natural finish will help bring this out.
This breakfast nook is done in White Maple in a natural water-based finish. It fits in a natural traffic area in the house with existing upholstered bancos. The angles cut in the top extend towards the natural traffic pattern of the room from the edges of the existing bancos.
This angle shows the natural sheen of the water-based finish, which helps accentuate the light coloring of the wood. I always like to work in finishes that compliment the natural quality of the wood. My philosophy is that if you want to have a darker color finish, start with a darker color wood.
This angle also shows more of how the angle cut in the top corresponds with the edge of the existing built-in.
Done in solid Cherry, this dining room table goes from 5 1/2 feet in length to 8 feet with the addition of two 15 inch leaves. Featuring an elliptical shape, the table matches a previous piece owned by these particular customers. It also features a metal, gear-driven telescoping mechanism for years of trouble-free use.
This table is solid Oak, and sized for a breakfast nook off of a kitchen. It is stained to match the customers chairs. The sides feature a slight ellipse, to utilize the space in the nook.
The durability of this rustic cherry table is surpassed only by the beauty of the cherry wood itself. The highlighted knots add character and depth to a functional 74” by 38” by 30” dining table.
The legs and table top are left squared with no routed edges or machine finishing – a minimalist line that lets the wood speak for itself. Hidden within the 3” table skirt under the table is a narrow, wide flat drawer for linens with an easy, self-closing slide. Matching bench comfortably seats three and tucks easily under the table.
Made in Ash with a natural finish, the Purple Heart trim on this side board and dining room table resulted in a distinct and unique color scheme for this dining room. The table has elliptical ends and tapered legs to soften the straight lines.
Generally, side boards are narrow to allow mobility in the dining room, but this side board has a full-extension pullout tray to double the surface area. Down below, behind the doors, are adjustable shelves for the fine china.
A 5-foot round table for the ladies of the realm, done in Maple. A dark fruitwood stain matched the table to the heirloom chairs, constructed 50 years ago by the client’s father.
The customer didn’t want the typical leveling hardware found in off-the-shelf furniture, preferring instead to level it with tac-glides and the depth of the carpet. The simple pedestal base helped balance the weight and size of the tabletop.
The top of this table was done in 6/4, so it is a weighty piece with 1 1/4″ thick construction, made from Cherry. The finish is natural clear, accenting the dark heartwood that I picked for the piece.
The tabletop is 40 inches in diameter, and matches the curvature of the nook in which it sits.
A custom built home in the east mountains had a unique built in banco for a breakfast nook and the customer wanted an equally unique table to fit the curvature. The result? A round pedestal table done in Oak with a single stem pedestal.
While the standard height of a dining room table is 30 inches, this breakfast nook table is 36 inches high to fit the bar stool chairs. The butcher block look done in Alder with a natural finish has ten tiles inset to accommodate hot pots.
Made for the Pojoaque Indian Senior Citizens’ Center, this table, constructed in solid oak, is 9′ by 4′, with tapered legs. This particular piece was made to match their existing tables.
Custom Coffee and End Tables
To compliment the offcuts of Granite from a previous kitchen remodel, I built this coffee and end table pair out of wormy Maple (also known as spalted). The stone was very heavy, so I used 6/4 to make the tapered legs.
Because nothing is ever truly square, these clients embraced the universe askew. This is done in 6/4 cherry, in a darker stain to both set it off from the customer’s hickory flooring and to complement the existing furniture. Where the end tables feature trapezoidal tops, the coffee table features a trapezoidal end.
The coffee table features a stringer in the center to support the glass, because the customer likes to put his feet up at the end of the day.
The use of expensive Walnut was offset in cost by the amount of glass in this showcase coffee table. The dark Walnut wood framed the customer’s collection of Native American treasures. Of interest, the display case has a lid for easy removal – no dusting but easy access.
In contrast, this coffee table measures 30 x 60 inches. The three glass panel tops allows viewing into the top row of drawers that show off a magnificent collection of seashells from worldly shores.
The two lower drawers kept large aerial photography maps that couldn’t be folded. The solid Oak table has a recessed base so that folks can pull up and play board games.
This customer wanted to surprise his wife for her Naval active duty retirement with a display table for her service uniforms and medals. The top drawer is accessed from the lid, but shows a drawer face for aesthetics. The customer wanted to keep the piece a secret, so he photographed it in the garage.
The lower two drawers with the same low, 3 inch profile house her dress white and blue uniforms. Both feature glass tops to keep the contents sealed from insects and dust. The handles are distressed brass and flush mounted, like one would find on a steamer trunk, adding a nautical theme to the piece. The glass top is 3/8″ for heavy duty and added effect.
This is a variation on the previous table, done in Oak, but with two panes of glass on the top. It was ultimately lined in black felt, and is used to display model Corvettes.
The blue glass top on this table echoes the faint blue wash, done on Oak, to create a cool and tranquil centerpiece to this Southwestern living room. I often use glass tops with coffee and end tables. A glass top table in a high-traffic area is sensible: easy to wipe clean, and fairly inexpensive. The glass is always encased in wood to protect the edges of the glass from chipping. Available in many tints, glass can be used to complement the tone of the wood.
The “Zia” designed trim on the four sides of the underskirt (and even under the glass!) are duplicated on the side banco made to display part of the customer’s art collection.
In the same southwest style, this end table was done in a beige wash to match the customer’s leather recliner.
This set of stereo cabinet, end table and coffee table are in Alder with a natural finish. The tables are different in dimension but carry common themes, notably slats and a double reveal.
Coming down from the table tops is a double layer of trim, one smaller than the other, creating a recessed frame – hence the double reveal.
The mission-style slat design is repeated in the end table and stereo stand. Of note, the customer also liked the open slat design because it prevents heat build-up with his stereo equipment.
This Oak coffee table was stained to match the couch, and has a glass topped display case built into the tabletop.
Custom Table With Butterfly Leaf
The designs for this table were brought to me by an engineer, he beat me to the draw by bringing his own multitude of drawings!
The concept of the table is to house the extension leaves in the belly of table. From a 3 x 3 foot card table to a 3 x 5 foot dining table, the consistency of Maple is what allows for the many moving parts to keep their accuracy.
The leaf, stored within the table, folds up, then folds out. The ends are pushed together, sandwiching the leaf. To ensure proper alignment, the leaf has pin guides.
This extravagant piece of art is housed in a customized travel coach, for a move move from Tampa to Topeka…Can you tell that I’m proud?