The 50 Best: Tables
A selection of dining, coffee, side and occasional tables – taking in vintage, design classics, high end and high street. If it's not on the list, it's not one of the best.
Many years ago, when I first started freelancing, after the birth of my now 23 year-old, I regularly compiled and wrote the 50 Best feature for The Independent’s Saturday edition. Subjects ranged from the 50 best chairs and lamps to the 50 best coffee shops and artisanal sausages (OK, not that last one). Readers would keep copies of these mini-directories for years, and I heard anecdotes of people taking the list shopping with them. Of course, with time, specific items were often discontinued or went out of stock, but the 50 Best was also a way for readers to discover new brands or stores to add to their personal source books.
More recently, this approach led to the creation of my own shop; a sort of curation of the internet for interiors, which lists only 50 of each item – 10 per page for five pages. I was sick of looking for, say, a black T-shirt, having to scroll through 67 pages and still not finding the one I wanted. So I set out to put together lists of no more than 50 on the basis that anyone can look through 10 pages on the bus or while the kettle is boiling. The shop link is on my home page if anyone wants to visit. It’s about to get a sexy relaunch, by the way, but in the meantime I thought I would revive the 50 best concept here, on an occasional basis.
Each list will include design classics (things that never go out of stock or fashion), vintage (these do, but it will give you new sites and stores to look at) high street and high end (to cater for all budgets) and small businesses as well as large and online retailers.
That way, although it’s impossible to please all of the people all of the time, I hope to introduce new ideas (and shops) to you, along with some styling tips.
I’m aware that my selections might have a UK slant, so please do get involved with your own suggestions for sites and stores wherever you live. Put your suggestions in the comments, perhaps with your country/state/city in capitals first, so other readers can see at a glance if it’s going to be useful for them. That’s one of the joys of this community we are building here. My hope is that it can become a really great shopping resource for everyone.
To kick off the series (which will be occasional due to the time it takes to put together) I thought I would look at TABLES, to include dining, coffee, side/occasional/console, desk and bedside. I would argue that it’s not the kitchen that is the heart of the home, but its table. This is where families meet to eat, to work and to plan. It’s where conversations start and arguments are resolved. After a bed and alongside a sofa, it’s perhaps the most important piece of furniture you will buy. Invest in your big table. It will serve you well.
Let’s go:
Prices are in pounds Sterling and correct at the time of publication. Some links are affiliate, which means I may earn a small commission if you click through to purchase. The price you pay is not affected by this. Items are arranged in order of how I found them, not by preference.
DINING
1 Silhouette Pedestal Marble Round Dining Table (high st)
A pedestal table is brilliant for anyone with a smaller kitchen as it’s automatically less cluttered than one with four legs. As Eero Saarinen (creator of the famous Tulip table See No 10 ) observed; it’s crucial to avoid the “slum of legs” which, with a standard table and four chairs, comes to 20. This one s modern and yet classic (and a lot more affordable than a Tulip). The black and bronze will sit well on a wooden floor. As a rule of thumb, 120cm diameter will seat six.
2 Reti dining Table (high end)
Inspired by Soho House Rome, if I was in the market for a new table this is the one I would have. The colour is gorgeous – obviously softer than black – and it won’t fight with a wooden floor. It has a glazed top and, at 100cm in diameter will seat four, although 110cm would be more comfortable. It will work both inside and out, but since it weighs 101kg you won’t be swapping it around too often/ever.
3 A selection of tables from Merchant & Found (vintage)
Paul Middlemiss, the founder of Merchant & Found, is brilliantly knowledgeable and has a huge range of stock, so it’s always worth asking if you don’t see what you want at first glance. His collection of vintage garden and dining chairs is vast and everything is restored before it goes online, so you can be sure there are no wobbles or squeaks. I have included a picture of a table that was in stock at the time of writing but he has a fast turnover – so if you want a vintage table then this is an excellent place to start.