Tim Cuppett Architects approached me with creating this table for a hill-country retreat they were creating for their client. The design process came about as a collaboration with them.
They needed a kitchen table for everyday use that’s separate from the big dining room table. This would be the table they would use the most often for daily use- casual eating, conversations, homework, coffee drinking, etc. In other words, it had to be made to withstand the daily toil, but still be elegant. Space was limited, so the round table was a natural choice.
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The design was driven from the chair backs of the client’s family heirloom dining chairs. The chair had a queen anne style back, so we took that form and transformed it into the pedestal base. Because we didn’t want to see wood lamination joint lines as we cut the extreme curves, we glued up the base in a coopering technique. The ash wood was selected to get the straightest grain possible to keep the lines flowing smoothly.
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The top is actually a thick top, but we cut a large bevel around the perimeter to create a knife edge to keep the top visually light. It also allows for more view of the pedestal base. There is a metal framework inlayed into the underside of the top to keep everything flat and allows for a strong connection to the base.
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For a narrow pedestal base like this, the footing is always an issue. Most traditional pedestal bases have a large wooden structure (usually in a claw foot detail) that would have destroyed the whole look, so we went for a much cleaner and more modern look by adding a steel plate as the feet. Creating a thin profile for the bottom really highlights the shape of the pedestal without sacrificing structural integrity or making a tipsy table.
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The table was finished in white oil that kept the wood looking as natural as possible.
