The Design Process

Design a beautifully handcrafted piece of heirloom furniture in 3 steps.

1- Wood Selection

2- Shape, size & style

3-Table base

Scroll down for a complete guide to our most commonly used wood types, our most popular shapes and styles of table, and our wide assortment of custom made steel bases.

Step 1: Select your Wood Type

Every project begins with Kristopher hand selecting the perfect raw material for your custom build. His extensive network of premium, kiln dried slab suppliers spans up and down the western coast of the United States. 100% of the material used is “local” deadfall. Meaning, these trees lived and died of natural causes before being milled and given a new life.

Designing your dream table begins with selecting the right wood for the job. If you are unfamiliar with wood species, this can be as simple as selecting a color preference. If you are unsure about the wood type that would best meet your design & use needs, we’d be happy to educate and assist in your decision making.

The following are examples of the most common wood types we work with.

Don’t see what you’re looking for? - don’t worry!

With our extensive network of reclaimed live edge timber suppliers you will have access to all of the finest domestic hardwoods and exotics in the world!

Walnut

The finest hardwood indigenous to North America. Known for its rich warm colors and grain patterns, highly figured walnut is Kristopher’s favorite hardwood to work with.

Redwood

Northern California is world renowned for its breathtaking old growth and second growth redwood trees. This softwood is the perfect addition to any rustic space.

Burled Maple

One of the most striking live edge patterns when combined with epoxy resin, Burled Maple has a depth of texture unmatched by any other species of wood.

Step Two: Determine the Shape, Size, and Style of your custom table

Once you’ve selected a wood type for your project, the next step is to select a shape, size and style.

1-Will your space require a round, oval, square, or rectangular shaped table top?

2- What dimensions best suit your needs? (LxWxH)

3- What style would you like your custom table to have? There are many options to choose from, such as live edge vs. straight edge, single slab vs. multi board glue-up, resin table vs. solid wood, glass top vs. wood top, etc.

Single Slab

Hand shaped from single slabs of wood, these single slab wood table tops utilize a literal tree trunk as a table top!

Live Edge

Live edge refers to the natural outer edge of the tree. It often features “sap wood” which varies in color and brings an organic element to the design.

Epoxy Resin Tables

These resin river tables are our specialty! Combining Americas finest hardwoods with state of the art epoxy resin to create a bold look that highlights the natural elements of the wood.

Straight Edge

Straight edges or rectangular shaped table tops are more traditional. The straight edge can also be blended with natural live edges for a clean, contemporary design element that highlights the natural contours of the wood.

Glue-up

Made by gluing up two boards, this is the most practical and traditional way to build a table top. Often times a book matched table top can be made by gluing up two live edge slabs of wood that once grew ontop of each other in the same tree. The effect produces a nearly identical mirrored image on either side of the table top.

Edge Blending

Often times slabs will need to be hand shaped in order to produce the desired shape and size a client is looking for. This can be done by squaring edges or hand carving a “natural edge” as shown above.

Step 3: Select a leg design for your custom table.

Now that you’ve selected the material for your custom dining table and determined it’s size and shape, it’s time to select a table base. Choose between a matching wooden trestle base for a traditional look or head towards a modern and contemporary look with a custom fabricated steel table base.

Matching wooden trestle bases are a timeless option. They are made from the same hi quality material the table tops are shaped from.

Metal table bases can be fabricated to any shape or design imaginable. Simply send a photo or sketch of a base you’d like us to create and our metal fabricator would be happy to bring your design to life. All table bases are powder coated for longevity and available in a wide variety of colors. Custom patinas available upon request.

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