All About Table Design

Synopsis: The best designed tables combine basic ergonomics and proper dimensions with style. As Graham Blackburn describes, choosing a table design means paying attention to details such as comfort, size and seating capacity, functionality, and pleasing proportions.

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Tables should primarily operate on a practical level. In terms of functionality, decisions regarding ergonomics, choice of materials, construction methods, joinery details, and finishing touches are paramount. However, aesthetic considerations are equally as crucial for a table to succeed fully.

When it comes to dining tables, the design process begins with considering seating capacity. If you do not plan to use extension leaves, you must determine how many people you want the table to accommodate and accept that. While it might be tempting to create a larger table for potential needs, consider the daily functionality for your immediate family. If flexibility is essential, extension tables are the optimal choice, but they will require more effort in engineering the leaf supports.

DINING DIMENSIONS

While ensuring that a table fits within its intended environment is vital, the following dimensions will guide you toward achieving that.

For work tables, height often becomes the most critical factor. For instance, a writing desk may be too tall to serve effectively as a computer workstation unless you incorporate appropriate adjustments for a keyboard tray. Occasional tables have their own requirements, yet height and width are generally less critical. Still, it’s important to consider how they relate to existing household furniture, where items like sofas and armchairs do not adhere to standard arm heights.

No matter your woodworking expertise level, the design of your specific table will improve if you take time to identify its precise purpose, carefully choose materials, methods of construction, and maintain consistency in aesthetics throughout the piece.

TABLE HEIGHT GUIDELINES

While endless styles, shapes, and ornamentation options are available in furniture design, begin with proven dimensions tailored to the table’s intended functions.

WORK TABLES: A table's height is paramount for someone who spends significant time at it.

Function: Tables need to work as intended

The primary function of a table is to provide a flat surface for various activities such as writing, gaming, eating, or working. The table's form can vastly differ according to these uses. Thus, clarity regarding the table's requirements is vital at the outset. This includes not only structural needs to ensure the table performs its function but also ergonomic considerations. A magnificent dining table will ultimately fail if it is too small for its intended use.

Attention to function is undeniably the designer's primary responsibility. Research tables designed for similar applications to observe essential features tailored for particular purposes, such as robust legs for heavier loads, expandable drop or draw-leaves, lipped tables preventing items from falling off, and added drawers or shelves for extra storage. Resources like Architectural Graphic Standards (by Ramsey and Sleeper) explore table types by function and provide essential references for ‘standard’ or average dimensions.

Be wary of ‘standard’ dimensions, as few people are precisely ‘standard.’ Unless creating several examples of a specific table, personal client requirements will benefit greatly if you customize dimensions to them. Nonetheless, aspects such as legroom beneath a skirt or the area a diner needs for convenience shouldn't vary too much.

THREE PATHS TO PLEASING PROPORTIONS

Establishing a design rationale is critical for creating tables with pleasing proportions. The three approaches described below are proven methods, though there may be others.

More to a table than function and style

A table can also be understood through its various structural features. Construction should align with the intended use: a knock-down trestle table for portability or a draw-leaf table for occasional enlargement.

Often, trade-offs must be considered. For example, a gate-leg table offers leaves that expand the surface area when necessary, but when folded, the leaves can interfere with seating arrangements, raising questions as to comfort for diners’ legs. Conversely, a set of four nesting tables conveniently stores together, although they can stack in a way that alters usability based on height preferences.

While your experience and available tools will greatly influence any table's construction, avoid limiting yourself to designs only within your comfort zone. Investing effort in researching a new technique or joint type can yield better functionality and aesthetic appeal.

Still, take care not to chase novelty for its own sake. Successful construction relies on appropriate species, relevant methods, correct joinery—such as dovetails, mortise-and-tenon, dowels, or biscuits—and a finish that aligns with intended use.

Legs set the style

Generally, table tops share commonality: they are flat and meant to support objects. The choice of wood species, edge treatment, and apron can influence style, yet it is the legs that prominently convey a table's aesthetic and visual impact. Well-designed legs succeed best when integrated into the overall design without overshadowing other elements.

Even in a well-lit room allowing forms to be differentiated from details or wood species, the function of the table can be discerned through its legs. For example, four sturdy legs with a horizontal stretcher suggest a library table built to support numerous books, while elegantly tapered legs may hint at a hall table designed for exhibiting a treasured piece.

Legs often dictate a table's stylistic direction. A Queen Anne table showcases tidy ornamentation typical of its top and apron, yet it is the cabriole legs that significantly identify its style. The same applies to Shaker designs, whose legs are simple yet effective in performing their function without excess weight or decorative flourishes. The Art Deco tables from the early 20th century, on the other hand, boldly traded conventional styling for flowing forms.

TABLE BASE OPTIONS

Not only must legs be properly scaled to support the table top, they often create the most substantive design statement.

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Develop a plan that ties together all the elements

The final element for a true successful table design is ensuring that every feature is examined through the lens of how the table will present visually.

Once functionality requirements have been met and construction quality is satisfactory, the standout aspect of any table lies in how well it harmonizes with its surroundings. This can mean designing within an established style, such as Queen Anne or Arts and Crafts, or aligning proportions, shapes, and colors with neighboring pieces. Compatibility can emerge from similarities or contrasts; for instance, a modern table’s design may complement simpler Shaker lines while looking disjointed in a heavily patterned gothic or ornate 18th-century room.

Designing in a specific historical style can prove complex without grasping the period's underlying design philosophy. Employing superficial features of an era won't necessarily convey its essence. Simply appending mis-proportioned cabriole legs does not guarantee a ‘Chippendale’ appearance; incorrect details can lead to unsatisfactory results, akin to equipping a Volkswagen with a Rolls-Royce hood.

Arts and Crafts furniture isn’t as rigidly rectilinear as it may first appear, and Shaker styles often encapsulate surprising sophistication despite their simplicity. Before embarking on a table design in a particular period style, ensure you comprehend the common construction methods, materials, and forms governing the necessary proportions.

This guiding principle of “forms that govern proportions” supersedes most other considerations. Essentially, it indicates that negligence regarding structural and functional needs likely results in an unbalanced and ungraceful design, unless luck favors you with a naturally excellent ‘eye’ for proportions. Methods exist for establishing dimensional details of your tables that yield aesthetically pleasing results.

EXPANDING TABLES

The ability to expand can significantly improve a table's utility, though this versatility introduces challenges. Stability and leaf storage are primary concerns.

FOLDING TOP RESTS ON GATE LEG: When folded, this Federal demi-lune table conveniently nests against a wall. When needed, gate legs extend from the rear, allowing the top to unfold.

Drawings: Graham Blackburn

From Fine Woodworking #177

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