About The Project

Table

This solid walnut table was made for the customer’s kitchen area. As this is the primary dining table in the house, a key requirement was that it serves for everyday use as well as expands for hosting larger gatherings. The base table comfortably seats six. Two end leaves can be added to extend the table to seat eight. To install the leaves the end aprons are unclipped and the leaf extension support arms are swung out. The leaves are placed on the support arms and snapped into place. When not in use the leaves are stored in a case. The case has wheels which allows for easy maneuvering into a closet.

Chairs

This set of six chairs were made to partner with the table. The back of each chair is made from two bookmatched pieces of wood. To make the bookmatch, a single thick board was cut in half. When the two halves are opened and joined together (like opening a book, hence the name), the sides of the back are mirror images of each other. The dark blue faux leather seats complement the rich hue of the walnut.

The design of these chairs was inspired by some classic chairs from James Krevnov and Thomas Moser. Both of these artists design in a clean, unadorned almost Shaker-like style. Like most design work, there is nothing wrong with being inspired by others, as long as enough uniqueness is introduced as to not make it a copy.

A full-size mockup of the chair was first built to ensure proper dimensions, seating comfort and aesthetics. The mockup also served for determining construction and joinery details, and it was used to make the fixtures and jigs needed to reproduce six identical copies of the chair.

These chairs are in a kitchen eating area. Typically seating in such an area is more casual, however the clean design lines of these chairs lends an air of simple elegance.