BH | Studio Stonington Starburst Dining Table

Cabinetmakers have laid veneer in radiating wedges, a sunburst match, for centuries, so that the grain seems to spread from the centre of a table like rays of light. It turns a plain round top into a quiet piece of decoration, and it shows best on a table where people gather.

This table has a round top of real wood veneer laid in a crisp starburst, in a warm mid-brown with fine, straight grain, so the pattern meets at the centre like the spokes of a wheel. Beneath it, curved panels form a tripod base set well in from the edge, leaving open legroom on every side, so chairs tuck in neatly and no one sits astride a leg. The round top seats four to six comfortably. Adjustable feet with non-marking pads keep it level on uneven floors, it is rated to hold 405 lbs, and assembly is simple.

Use it as the kitchen table for everyday meals and homework, or in a dining room by a bay window with six chairs, a big bowl of hydrangeas in the middle and the afternoon light catching the starburst grain. Its round shape keeps conversation going around the whole table during long dinners. It looks magnificent with cane chairs and a brass chandelier.