It’s not very often a client can fit a five-foot-wide table in their space, but when the opportunity to build a 12-foot conference table for a condo company Aura Southgate presented itself, I had to take it. This beautiful and extremely figured maple conference table is one of my favorite projects to date.
I was so excited to be introduced to the client by one of my interior design friends, and loved working with them on such a mammoth project — every detail, from the figured wood to the dramatic table legs to the soft satin feel of the finish, was custom designed and selected to match the client’s grandiose, elegant space.
Here’s how we designed and built a massive maple conference table for our condo company client.
A Maple Conference Table of Epic Proportions
Given the size of the conference table, I knew the exact slabs to present the clients. These incredible slabs come from a maple tree North of Sandpoint, Idaho. Because of the tree’s close proximity to the local library, it had to be taken down once it started to show signs of disease. It was a massive spectacle and had become dangerous.
We worked with a local arborist and crane rental company to move the ginormous tree. We brought it directly to our Sawyer friends in Nephi, Utah, who are the only company in the state with a horizontal bandsaw wide enough to cut it into slabs and give it a second life. It took two huge forklifts to move the tree around and onto the saw.
Because of its size and weight, the wood was under intense pressure, which created some of the most (if not the most) highly figured slabs I’ve ever seen. The figure was easy to see before starting the sanding/finishing process and just kept getting more and more beautiful as the process went along
I wanted the figure to speak for itself and be the focus of the conference table, so when it came to filling the voids, we used a simple smokey — but still clear enough to see through — black epoxy.
Building a Strong Foundation
Naturally, such a big conference table requires strong, solid legs to hold its weight. The clients had concerns about legs at first, but the designer came to me with an idea she was hoping we could bring to life. She wanted them to be oval shaped with a textured concrete finish.
Together, the designer, my metal fabricator, and I created some truly beautiful legs. My fabricator used his plasma CNC to cut and build a perfect interior frame. He was able to use a single piece of metal sheeting to create the legs by heating and tacking the sheet around the frames. We hid the seam by turning it toward the middle of the table.
Bending metal can be extremely difficult because the metal can bow and bend when heated too much, especially when welding it to the frame. But because he’s the best at what he does, they came out perfectly. We then took them to our friends at Great Basin Coatings, who created a perfect texture to go along with the concrete color.
Challenges & the Final Result
This particular slab was extremely solid, so the biggest challenge came with moving around slabs this size. We even needed a forklift just to flip them over as we worked on them. The finished product was a whopping 12 feet long and 58 inches wide.
The clients wanted a centerpiece and truly received what they had asked for with this stunning, highly figured maple slab. The legs were a true feat of skill by our metal fabricator and a fun way to show the designer exactly what we’re capable of.
The amount of figure in every square inch is beyond words and photos. The designer was elated at the results, and the clients were so excited to receive delivery. So much so that they kept sending someone to get more people to come and see the final result. They emphasized that we’d definitely hear from them in the future for their upcoming projects.
Whether you’re an interior designer representing a client or you’re a homeowner looking for a one-of-a-kind centerpiece, contact me today to discuss options for your interior design project.
