PAPILLON DINING TABLE

Papillon stands on two curved pedestal bases that open outward from the centre like wings — which is where the name comes from. The top is a plain rectangle with softly rounded edges, 240 × 110 cm, and the bases do all the work of the design.

Curves under a straight top

The contrast is the whole piece: a flat, quiet rectangle above, two sculpted curved forms below. A curved pedestal has to be built up and shaped rather than cut from stock, and the two have to mirror each other exactly — the eye reads them together down the length of the table, so any difference between them shows.

Pedestals mean chairs anywhere

With no legs at the corners, the perimeter is completely free. Chairs slide in at any point along both sides, an extra one can be added at each end, and nobody ends up with a leg between their knees. On a 240 cm table that is the difference between seating eight comfortably and seating ten when needed.

How many it seats

240 × 110 cm takes eight without crowding — three a side, one at each end — and ten at a push. Allow 60 to 65 cm of edge per person and about 90 cm of clear floor behind each chair.

Materials and sizes

Dimensions listed above; made to order, so length, width and height are all adjustable. The curve of the bases is redrawn with any change of length rather than stretched, so the proportion holds. Material and finish specified per project.

Where it belongs

A dining room, an open-plan apartment, a restaurant, a hotel. The curved bases want to be seen, so the table works better standing clear in a room than pushed against a wall.