BH | Studio Alyth Round Coffee Table

The cross base is one of the oldest ways to hold up a tabletop: two boards slotted together at right angles and stood on their edges. Country joiners relied on it because it is simple and strong and needs no rails, and twentieth-century designers took it up again for its plain, architectural look.

Here the same generous round top, thick at the edge and gently softened, rests on a pair of broad crossing panels, finished in a warm mid-brown that brings the figure of the grain forward. It is solid hardwood with wood veneer. Small levelling feet beneath adjust to steady it on old floorboards and protect the finish of the floor, and the top is rated to 319 lbs, strong enough for a pile of atlases or a full tea tray. It arrives needing assembly.

Set it in a study or a book-lined sitting room among leather, tweed and wool, under a reading lamp, with a backgammon board, a pot of tea and the latest magazines, or use it to anchor the seating corner of a home office. The deeper tone holds its own beside a dark green or rust velvet sofa, an old kilim and brass, and looks richer as the evening light comes in. With no corners, it is easy to walk round in a busy family room.