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This walnut end table incorporates lighter olive ash burl in the top and sides. The Olive Ash burl veneer is glued to a heavy substrate using a vacuum press. Edges were trimmed from the veneered top panel, so the pattern continues on the side aprons. The rest of the table is built from solid black walnut, including a piece of walnut with exceptional grain pattern for the top edges. The choices of wood for tables or other items like this is almost limitless. |
The top of this table was made from four consecutive veneer "slices" from the burl. Consecutive pieces were joined at the center, like a book (called bookmatched... clever, huh?), then two bookmatched sets were joined in the other direction to make a four-way bookmatch. Each quarter of the top is very similar (but not identical, since they were different layers) but combine to make a very interesting pattern. We now have the equipment to allow us to use veneers in all kinds of furniture. Some rare, exotic, or fragile wood is only usable as veneer, which is then glued to plywood or other heavy substrate, yielding a panel that is more stable than solid hardwood. |
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$550 each, $1,000 for a pair
Other woods, veneers, and features available
This table is about 20 x 30 inches, and 22 inches high. Although we love that size, a striking table like this seems larger than a plainer table, so a table could easily be a few inches smaller. The top could be rounded, if desired, and a profile could be added to the top edge.
The legs taper from almost 2 inches to 1 1/2 inches. Aprons are 3 1/2 inches high, and normally are made from a solid wood like walnut, but in this case were trimmed from the center panel and framed in Walnut.
There is no drawer or shelf in this unit. A drawer can be added for an additional $100. For an end-table, the drawer would normally be in the end rather than the side of the table.
This end table with a tile top over plywood, was built to go with the tile-top coffee table. The tile provides a durable surface and a far more casual appearance than a traditional hardwood design. The legs and sides are dark stained walnut.
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$350 each, $600 for a pair
Tile OR Natural wood top
These tiles are 8 x 10 inches, so the overall table size is roughly 17 1/2 inches wide and 21 1/2 inches deep. The exact size of your table depends on the size of the tiles available when you are ready to proceed (you may provide the tiles, if you wish). The height of this table is 21 1/2 inches, higher than the coffee table, for easy access over the arm of a sofa or chair, but still relatively low for use with casual furniture.
The tiles are relatively expensive, and the additional technologies added a fair amount of labor, so this style should be chosen for the appearance and function - it is not a "cheaper" approach. This was originally built with a stained cedar base,as shown here, but became a lesson in "use the right wood the first time" as the cedar was replaced with dark stained walnut. The harder wood is much more attractive. If a more casual look is desired, it could be left as natural (unstained) walnut or a lighter wood used, such as cherry, oak, or pecan.
The lower shelf, if desired, is built with a "breadboard" edge, where the boards are set loosely into a groove in the end piece, so the wood can expand and contract "across the grain" without splitting. The ends are then set into the tapered legs. In terms of both material and labor, the shelf costs roughly as much as the top of the table. A shelf can be added for about $150 for one table, $250 for two tables.
A drawer could be added, opening from either the end (the narrow dimension) or the side (the wider dimension). A drawer will add about $100 to the total cost of the table.
End tables can be built from solid hardwoods, in a style similar to this black walnut coffee table. This example is solid walnut wood, stained, with a satin rubbed lacquer finish (or your choice of wood and finish). A single drawer sometimes makes sense, often on the end of the table, and a shelf can be added if desired. Although we don't have a picture of an end table in this style, imagine one similar to this coffee table, roughly 20 by 30 inches, with a shelf and one drawer |
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$600 each, pair for $1,050
This coffee table is 36 inches long, 21 inches wide, and 17 inches high. A matching end table might be about 20 inches wide and 28 inches deep and 23 inches high. The top of the shelf would be about 4 inches off the floor, so a toe fits under the table without kicking it.
The drawer would be about 3 1/2 to 4 inches high (3 to 3 1/2 inches inside). I recommend an antique brass handle with most dark furniture wood, but can use any handle you choose. Dovetail joints are used to join the front to the side of the drawer. The side of smaller drawers are normally a solid wood (such as maple or poplar). Baltic Birch, a special very stable high density plywood is normally used for very tall drawers, but can be used here as well. The drawer bottom is normally plywood. The drawer slides on waxed hardwood tracks.
The top and legs would be solid hardwood to match the top and aprons - such as walnut, oak, mahogany, or cherry. The top would hang over by about 3/4 inch, and slightly more over the drawer handle (if any). The legs are 1 3/4 inch square at the top, and taper to 1 1/4 inch at the bottom. (The taper may not be obvious, but without the taper the unit looks "heavy.")
Coffee tables are closely related to end tables and other living room tables. Be sure to see the notes on coffee or cocktail tables.
A sofa table, sometimes called a console, is sometimes used in a hallway or placed behind the sofa, if there is room to move the sofa away from the wall, or if there is a traffic lane behind the sofa. Typical length is 56 inches or longer. Height is often 27-32 inches, related to the height of the back rather than the arm. Width is typically 14 to 18 inches. A demilune table is a rounded hall or sofa table- think "small moon" or a stretched half circle.
These are smaller end tables, used for a piece of art, lamp, or as an end table where space is limited. They can be any size, but in furniture catalogs they vary from 8-12 inches square, to a circle about a foot in diameter, to 10 by 20 inch rectangles. Most accent tables are about 20 to 30 inches tall, similar to end tables.
These are sometimes called plant tables, and tend to be smaller but taller. Typical top is about a foot in diameter or square, with 30-40 inch legs.
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