Trestle Table and Benches

This table was built for a holiday cabin up in the mountains. The client brought a vision of cabin-style benches around a table to seat four. A limited budget was also an important consideration.

From there, David and the client worked together to design just the right combination of features to enhance the cabin — heavy construction, clean, angular lines, and the rich golden colour of New Guinea Rosewood. The benches compliment the table, and have the added touch of an under-bevel on either end, shaped with hand planes. Separating the table top into two slabs was a last-minute decision. It turned out to be a highlight.

There are some aspects about a piece of furniture which a customer ought to be able to take for granted, but increasingly cannot. For example, the table top should be the right height for the majority of people. And benches should be sized properly for eating and lounging. More subtly, knee/leg space must be taken into account, both in terms of height and depth under the table. Even the length of the benches should compliment the table — the pictures above show how the benches can be tucked inside the table legs when not in use. Such design considerations are part and parcel of a Luckensmeyer commission.