We were approached by a client to create an 8 seat dining table which would feature a substantial piece of natural, rustic timber as the star of the show but with the whole thing given a contemporary edge. After sketching out some ideas with our client we settled on a design, sourced a large piece of oak and specified simple stainless steel box section legs.
As the brief was 'rustic yet contemporary' we chose to machine the solid timber slab to a rectangular shape 60mm thick. We lightly sculpted and enhanced the natural 'waney' edge, retained the splits and shakes and hand-finished the timber with an 'Old English' stain and Treatex clear hard-wax oil. Given the propensity of timber in these dimensions to move around a little we also created a micro-adjustment mechanism in the stainless steel base which would enable fine tuning at four separate points if and when the timber shifted in shape.
We and our client were very pleased with the end result which looks stunning in the contemporary setting of his kitchen. Tables like this are a particular favourite of ours and we welcome the chance to commission more for future clients!
The microadjustment system
The 'Old English' pigment shows off the oak's natual character without overpowering the beauty of the timber
Oak, steel, plastic and ceramic in harmony