Hello everybody,
We've just finished an intensive renovation and are now confronted with some new spaces and choices.
For instance in the kitchen (which also functions as our dining room) we have a longe space along our island and we would like a slightly narrower but longer table.
A four legged table feels a little mondaine and as it would be longer than a usual one (more like a refectory table), I was looking at cross legged designs.
I've always liked Wegner's cross-legged table, but the metal stretchers seem an obstacle for my (long) legs and the table is a little short in its longest size (180cm).
I'm thinking of drawing something myself but wouldn't mind some inspiration of you fellow da'ers.
Are there successful designs, maybe obscure or forgotten?
I myself would think of metal crosses of round stock, welded together, completed with flat metal round disks for feet. I would top the X at the top, so that the middle sits a little high. As such the metal stretchers would start higher than the Wegner design. I would complete with a solid white oak top.. I've attached a pic of what I have somehow in my mind, but it's a long way from what it should be.
This might be too obvious, but have you looked at the Nelson X-Leg table? It's sort of expensive, so maybe it's only good for inspiration, but I like it. If you actually decide to buy one, it can be ordered in multiple standard sizes, so it'll probably fit perfectly in your space. No white oak top available, but you can get white ash...
That comes awfully close to my description 🙂 !
I'm not that aware when it comes to american design, so I missed out on that one.
Thanks for bringing it under the attention, fast fwd! I see that there aren't many options buying this secondhand here in Belgium (or Europe) and indeed it's rather expensive. It's a bit to slick too, for my taste.
Leif, I always felt the bend in the Sabre table made the design look a bit weak? Like it's lacking visual strength or power..?
Here's a pic from some agency, who probably had these custom made:
You just missed one for a staggering price tag of $60.00 from a public library branch closing getting rid of all their modernist furnishings I posted here a while back (Rejected Modern). A 1951 soft edge oval top table with a rosewood veneer top by George Nelson for Herman Miller last seen in the 1955 catalog and recently re-issued with a basic rectangular top.
But if you are looking for a statement piece, look into the work of Carlo Molino (see 3rd image of example from the Brooklyn Museum and 4th image), a masterpiece in complex bent plywood and it is comes with a steep price tag.
Can you do a more price friendly trestle/work table or an updated x-base picnic table instead?
A-ha, indeed Minimoma: I know recall seeing the Nelson table in your thread and maybe this subconsciously fired up my fascination for the cross-legged design.
I do fancy the more industrial looking black lacquered frame of this example, compared to the chrome one.
Thanks for the suggestion on the trestle or picnic styled table, but I find the heavier look less appealing next to our other furniture.
My wife works in the administration of a local metal company, so I probably would get a discount when fabricating the legs there.. That way I can may go a bit further on the complexity of the design 🙂
If you do a solid oak table top, make sure you account for expansion and contraction of the wood. Oak moves a lot, compared to other woods also. The Danes would attach the top with screws through slots in the metal, not holes, so that the screw slides through the slot as the wood expands and contacts through the seasons.
Actually, the screws in the center of the table would pass through round holes, and then each screw further out from the center would pass through a successively long slot.
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