How Would You Top This Table?

We've been drooling over a Saarinen pedestal dining table for long enough. It's time to stop dreaming and get busy. So we're moving on from the $2500 dream to the $150 + (elbow grease) reality:

We're considering eschewing the Saarinen look altogether and having a round walnut top made for a metal pedestal table base. The base shown here is only $150 at JBRP.com. And by purchasing just a base and going custom with the top, we're open to a whole world of possibilities! Here's a quick digital rendition of what we're thinking:

Related: Compact Pedestal Dining Tables

(Image: JBRP.com)

Categories: Supplies, Kitchens, Kitchen, Tables & Desks

Posted by Regina Yunghans

Regina is an architect who lives with her husband and son in Lawrence, KS. As a LEED Accredited Professional and longtime contributor to Apartment Therapy and The Kitchn, her focus is on healthy, sustainable living through design.
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Comments (6)

I would definitely put glass on it. But it would be etched and blown, and put somewhere where nobody could touch it!

I had such a table base, and I took a sheet of thick good grade plywood, primed it and painted it with mat finish Rustoleum black that looked like chalkboard. Lasted well for years, but I love the teak like in the picture.

I would get a square piece of glass with beveled edges and frost the center 1cm larger than the pedestal base. Then all you'd need was some rubber spacers and the right adhesive for a little slice of modern beauty.

Is there something wrong with the IKEA DOCKSTA dining table ($179)? It's a pretty obvious knockoff. (I do think I've heard the base attracts scuff marks from shoes.)

Room & Board has something very similar to your rendition for about $500-$600 depending on the type of wood you want. The pedestal is shaped like the saarinen, except that it's in chrome. It definitely would be the easier approach at a comparable cost.

I would probably construct a square or rectangle stacked plywood tabletop accented with inlaid strips of Schluter Tile Edging Profile (Stainless Steel).