This couple contacted me with the expressed desire for an exceptional dining room in order to entertain their large extended families. They wanted a classic round table that would expand into a large oval through the integration of two independent drop-leaf side tables. Their family of four would dine regularly on the 84” round table, and the side tables would be attached to form a 17-foot long table for special gatherings.
A classic Regency design was chosen, with filled mahogany as the primary wood, and an inlaid satinwood band around the entire perimeter. The round table is supported by two turned tripod pedestal bases, while each side table has two turned Regency pedestals joined by a cross brace to provide additional strength. The elaborate sliding mechanism that allows the four sections to connect required much engineering, but came together perfectly. The proportions of the drop leaf side tables are elegant when placed along the walls beneath imported sconces, but function as discrete components of the full table when so employed.
The Federal period painted chair chosen to accompany this table is itself a hallmark of American Furniture design, built in 1820 for the daughter of a Salem, MA merchant of the China Trade. The sole remaining original is housed at the Winterthur Museum in Delaware, Maryland.
