Dining tables are always tricky. We had a few ideas that would work in a client’s house that was nearing completion. Then the client mentioned one requirement: it had to extend for a larger group. This brought to mind heavy table leaves sitting in a room somewhere, sad because they only get used on one day a year.

Fingers

We wondered if a table could extend like interlocking fingers pulling apart. We thought it was a good idea, and did a few sketches of how we thought it would work. We worried about the mechanics, but we also worried that it wouldn’t look seamless when it was closed. We thought there would be some clues to the fact that it extended, and that it ultimately wouldn’t look 100% right in either state.

The Squeal

We were discussing other projects when Zach, the craftsman who was tasked with building the prototype, looked over and asked if we noticed the table. The fact that it extended was so well hidden that we didn’t even notice it. It was completely seamless, and the gaps completely disappeared when closed. Despite knowing what it was supposed to do, there was an audible squeal when we see the two sides pull apart for the first time.