Moving table tops combine beauty, functionality

Most of us are well-acquainted with dining table extensions, whether featuring wood, glass or metal tops, and with or without hidden leaves; along with night and side tables that contain hidden shelves located above the top drawer that slide out and provide additional tabletop space. We’ve seen these for years.

But, in my experience, and given the choice, clients inevitably prefer to go with creative and functioning designs for their home whether it be a coffee table, side table, dining or game table, or for that matter, any other kind.

Unfortunately, even now at this point in the evolution of our design sensibilities, sharpened so much by HGTV, Internet and the like, the marketplace still remains flooded with tables that are all more or less the same. These include either coffee tables that are extremely low to the ground (a trend that has definitely returned, much to my dismay) or else numerous table designs that are simply uninteresting to look at and often in some kind of recycled traditional or contemporary style and, of course, manufactured somewhere in Asia.

Enter the custom designer, like myself, who strives to create exciting and interesting designs bringing new ideas to life rather than to simply sell what’s current in High Point, N.C., at any particular time. Personally, I’ve always been intrigued by tables that can do something — something unexpected rather than just affording a place to display accessories.

An example of this (and one of the first tables that I ever designed and one that still sells with regularity) is a sliding coffee table with clean, classic lines and no extraneous ornamentation other than its own beautiful simplicity and functionality.

This design works successfully for all table shapes: rectangular, square, oval or round. These tables can sit in a closed position or even slightly open, all the while looking stunningly beautiful. And, when additional serving space is needed, the top level slides open to reveal another serving area below.

Magazines and books can be stored on the lower level and are hidden from sight when the table top is closed. Finished in a striking lacquer color, beautiful wood or metal, or even any combination of materials, this table is a winner in any setting.

This same principle also has been used in a variation of the sliding top where the top level splits in the middle and opens to reveal a hidden well. This well can be mirror or metal lined, if desired, and can be used to store items such as large liquor bottles, napkins and even serving dishes.

Recently a client ordered this table in a rich mahogany wood that was a wonderful complement to the simple lines of his late 1940s French furniture. It’s doubtful that any readers have actually seen tables like these in their travels through popular furniture showrooms or catalogues, and certainly not on HGTV.

Another interesting design is a pivoting side table that can also be successfully used as a small coffee table as well. It’s usually executed in an oval or egg shape and, again, the concept is very much like the sliding table described above. But, instead of sliding, these tables feature a top that will pivot or swing out to become a serving area that doubles the size of the table surface.

This design works especially well when used between two chairs or in front of a small sofa. Of course, two of these tables can be used in front of a larger sofa so that when the tops pivot to the open position there are then two serving surfaces, while also allowing for room to walk between the tables. When the tops are in a slightly extended position, it does make for an interesting and unusual look that is what good design should offer while following the basic design tenet of form following function.

A little less familiar are coffee tables that can “rise to the occasion” and become dining table height with either a hidden gas lift or an electric motor. These tables use the same principle that has been raising televisions out of beautiful chests at the foot of beds for years and truly are life savers in rooms that need to do double duty as a sitting conversation area and dining space.

Even in days gone by, before the advent of slim, wall-hung televisions that are now so ubiquitous, the up/down TV lifts that I designed in an elegant oval shape were often used not only to disguise the dreaded black box, but also served as a beautiful pedestal for a sculpture or some artifact. In my own home, to this day, a carved Buddha sits proudly atop a black lacquer oval TV cabinet in the family room, and it’s still one of my most prized possessions — and still serving double duty!

In a word, experience has taught me that many clients would sooner choose a piece of multipurpose furniture than not. There really is great enthusiasm for tables “that can do something.”

Naturally, it goes without saying, that they must also look good and have beautiful finishes, sleek lines and just the right proportions. The tables described herein do all that and more as they appear jewel-like in a room setting and certainly make for interesting conversation pieces as well.

Stephen Leon is a licensed interior designer and president of Soleil Design; he has been designing and manufacturing custom furniture and cabinetry for more than 25 years. He is president of the Central California/Nevada Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers (World Market Center, Suite A3304) and is a certified professional in green residential design. Questions can be sent to soleildesign@cox.net.