A Monumental Chinese Dining Table

This minimalist dining table is made from reclaimed roof joists from old Chinese houses. The wood has been meticulously matched and joined together with traditional mortise-and-tenon joinery. The top is a huge floating panel with multiple braces to provide support. Traditional tree-sap lacquer coats the top and legs, providing protection from moisture as well as a beautiful black-brown color. The piece easily seats 12. The style is modern but takes its inspiration from the scholar furniture of the late Ming era. The piece was custom-made in a Guangzhou workshop in 2006 and sent to Chicago.