Salisbury Ribbed Occasional Table | Black Oak

76cm is dining height, not side table height. That is worth knowing before you order.

This is not a low side table. Most side tables sit at 45cm to 60cm, level with a sofa arm. At 76cm this stands at standard dining and desk height, so it will be considerably taller than a sofa arm and is not the right choice for putting a cup beside a chair.

What it is good for. A small two-person dining table, a breakfast table in a kitchen corner, a table in a bay window, a hallway table, or a standing display surface in a living room where the height is the point rather than a problem.

As a dining table it seats two comfortably, and the pedestal base is why. No corner legs means chairs pull in from any angle, which a four-legged table of this diameter cannot offer.

Allow around 60cm of clearance on all sides if you are using it with chairs, so people can get in and out.

Blackened, not painted. The difference is the whole product.

Blackening deepens and enriches the oak's natural grain rather than concealing it. The dark finish pools in the recesses of the wood's surface texture while the grain lines stay visible, creating a depth of colour that flat black paint or lacquer simply cannot achieve. A painted table is a shape; this is a shape with a surface.

The fluted pedestal is where that pays off. Each vertical channel runs the full height of the column and catches the grain and the depth differently, so the base has a complexity that changes as you move around it. It is one of the more architecturally refined details in contemporary furniture, and a considerably harder thing to make than a plain column.

The smooth round top sits above it with classical proportion, and the contrast is deliberate: texture below, calm above.

Each piece is individually made, so the blackened finish varies slightly between tables. That is the character of the process rather than a fault, and yours will not match the photograph exactly.

• Fluted pedestal column, a detail most tables at this level do not attempt
• Blackened rather than painted, so the oak grain stays visible through the finish
• Depth that shifts as you move, since each flute catches the light differently
• Pedestal base, so chairs pull in from any angle with no corner legs
• Smooth round top in classical proportion against the textured base
• 23kg, solid enough to sit with authority rather than feel lightweight
• Dark neutral that works against pale walls, timber floors and warm neutrals alike
• Individually made, so no two finishes are quite the same

A blackened piece needs contrast beneath and behind it or it disappears. Against a pale timber floor, a light rug or an off-white wall the silhouette reads properly. On a dark floor against a dark wall you lose the fluting entirely.

Fluting is made of shadow, so raking light is what reveals it. A table lamp or a wall light to one side does far more for the base than an overhead fitting directly above, which flattens the channels completely.

The base is the interesting part, so the top should be quiet. One vase with height, or a low bowl and a stack of two books. A crowded top hides the proportion the table depends on.

A room built on warm neutrals needs one darker element to stop it reading flat. This does that job with more interest than a plain black piece would.

If you are using it to eat at, two chairs looks intentional and four looks crowded on a round top this size. A pair of dining chairs with a seat height of 45cm to 47cm.

Dust the fluting with a soft brush. Vertical channels hold dust in a way a flat column does not, and a dry paintbrush clears them in seconds where a cloth just moves it about.

A soft dry cloth on the top, or barely damp on a mark, dried straight after. Nothing abrasive on a blackened finish, which will show a scuff as a lighter mark rather than blending in.

Use coasters and mats. A dark finish shows a water ring clearly, and if the table is being eaten at, place mats are worth having.

Keep it out of prolonged direct sun and away from a radiator, both of which are hard on a finished timber surface over years.

What to expect. The blackened finish varies slightly between pieces because each is individually made, and the grain shows through differently across the column. Both are the process working as intended.

It ships in two packages with assembly instructions included. Current timescales and charges are set out on our delivery page.

Not sure whether the height suits what you have in mind? Tell us where it is going and we will tell you honestly. Reach us via our contact page or live chat.

If it is not right once it is in the room, our returns process is straightforward, and everything is covered by our guarantees and warranties.

0% interest-free finance is available at checkout, and our price match promise stands if you find the same piece for less elsewhere. Furnishing a holiday let? Ask about trade accounts.