BH | Studio Arendal Round Coffee Table

A table carried on one central column is an old idea: Georgian cabinetmakers set round tops on a single turned stem so that a family could gather close without knocking knees. In the 1950s, as the clean Scandinavian look that Norway shared with its neighbours spread around the world, modern designers took the column back to its simplest shape, a flared stem rising from a broad round foot, and left the floor beneath completely clear.

The top is a broad round of engineered wood faced in a deep, dark wood-grain veneer, its bevelled edge thinning the rim to a fine line. One tapered metal stem in Jet, White, Brass or Copper carries it, flaring into a wide disc foot, leaving no corner legs to crowd a footstool. The finish stands up to knocks without chipping, and a felt pad under the foot spares wood floors. Assembly is required.

Its wide surface is made for the slow first coffee of the day and for evenings when family and friends crowd round the sofa with drinks and a board of cheese. Being round, it suits the corner of a sectional. Dark wood and metal have a library seriousness: set it on a cream wool rug with stacked art books and a brass bowl, in a room of tobacco leather and deep green walls.