BH | Studio Ripon Square Burl Side Table

Burl, the swirling, knotted figure cut from a rounded growth on a tree trunk, has been prized by cabinetmakers for centuries, and the Art Deco makers of the 1920s and 1930s laid it across whole surfaces for its depth of pattern. No two pieces of it are ever quite alike.

A neat cube, with burl veneer in Almond or Honey running down all four sides and over the top, its soft speckled figure uninterrupted at the edges. The veneer is real wood, so each table has its own pattern, over an engineered wood core that keeps the cube crisp. Small as it is, it is rated to hold 298 lbs, so a heavy lamp and a pile of books are nothing to it. Adjustable feet with non-marking pads level it on any floor and keep boards free of scratches.

Place it between two armchairs in a light sitting room, with a small vase of white tulips and a book, or at the end of a sofa as a landing place for a lamp and a cup of tea. Two make calm bedside tables in a bedroom with pale walls and white bedding, where the burl gives the only pattern in the room. Burl pairs well with oyster linen, rattan and a single pot of trailing ivy.