BH | Studio Arendal 40-Inch Round Dining Table

The kitchen has long been the heart of the Norwegian home, the room where the family eats, works and talks, and Scandinavian designers of the mid-century gave it plain, sturdy furniture to match. A round table on one central pedestal suits that kind of room perfectly: easy to reach from every side and never in the way.

This compact round is engineered wood under a high-gloss white lacquer, its rim bevelled, angled back below so it looks light. A metal stem in White, Brass or Jet, whose lacquer is made to resist chips, carries it at the centre and spreads into a round foot, so chairs or a curved bench can tuck in at any point, and a felt pad keeps the floor unmarked.

It is made for the breakfast nook, set against a cushioned banquette with a chair or two on the open side, where the morning coffee, cereal bowls and school lunches all come together. With its white top, it keeps a small corner bright and calm. Add a striped seat cushion, a little vase of daisies and a pendant hung low, and it becomes the most-used table in the house, good for a quick supper and an evening game of cards too.