BH | Studio Arendal 78-Inch Oval Dining Table

The oval table has been a favourite of Scandinavian dining rooms for generations, its rounded ends softening a room and leaving space for one more guest without the hard corners of a rectangle. In the 1950s modern designers set it on a single slim pedestal, and the pale, uncluttered rooms favoured in Norway and its neighbours, made to catch the light of short winter days, took to the look readily.

This long oval seats eight. Engineered wood forms the top, in White lacquered to a glassy shine, Hazel or Cocoa, and a bevel along the rim, cut back on the underside, keeps even a table this long looking light. One tapered metal stem in White, Jet or Brass, finished to resist chips, holds it all from the middle, so chairs slide in along the sides and at both ends, and a felt pad sits below.

A table for the whole family, laid for a holiday with a white runner, tall candles and the good china, or for a long brunch that turns into lunch. In a white dining room it looks airy and modern, and against a deep blue wall it shines. Hang a row of glass pendants above it, set eight slipcovered chairs around and fill a long low trough with greenery for a grand, relaxed look.