Custom Dining Table Crafted For Luxury And Scale

Studio Notes No. 006

When planning furnishings for our Pacific Heights remodel, the dining room presented both an opportunity and a challenge. Substantial in scale and framed by exquisite original architectural ceiling details, the room carries a sense of formality and history. The table needed to rise to the occasion—anchoring the space with presence and proportion—while remaining approachable enough for daily use by a young family, since the home lacks a separate breakfast area. It also needed to complement the grandeur of this historic San Francisco home and showcase the client’s fine china collections.

Designing the Table

We often turn to custom fabrication when we have a specific vision for proportions, finish, and dimensions. For this high-end dining room, we collaborated with one of our trusted San Francisco workrooms to create a custom medium-toned walnut table measuring roughly 11 feet long by just over 4 feet wide.

For the base, we drew inspiration from the mid-century Boomerang table by Pierre Jeanneret and Le Corbusier, but made several adjustments to suit the architecture and overall design concept. The base is slightly larger and heftier, appropriate for the room and our non-delicate, library-inspired vision. Placing the stringer supports higher up, directly beneath the tabletop, created a cleaner profile and allowed space to integrate electrical components for tabletop lighting.

To soften the formality, we worked with our artisan to give the tabletop an intentional patina. Using a heavy chain, we created subtle dents and dings, giving the walnut a lived-in quality that feels timeless rather than precious.

Setting the Atmosphere

Lighting shaped the room’s library-inspired feel. We sourced a pair of table lamps from Jamb, with cone-shaped bronze shades and antique brass finishes, to sit directly on the table. Discreet grommets and hardwiring through the base allow the lamps to be easily removed when the table is dressed for holidays or larger gatherings.

Balancing Formality and Ease

Benches along one side of the table offset the room’s formality, encouraging a more relaxed way of gathering and supporting its dual purpose as both a formal dining room and everyday family table. On a daily basis, roughly one-third of the table is styled with books and oversized plants, making it feel smaller and more approachable for the family of four. The result reflects our studio’s philosophy: creating family-friendly interiors that are as livable as they are beautiful.

The finished table feels substantial yet approachable—equally suited to a formal dinner party or casual family breakfast. By combining craftsmanship, design history, and everyday functionality, this custom piece completes the dining room with style and practicality.

See more of our Pacific Heights residential remodel project here.

ABD STUDIO, September 2025

Architect: Ken Linsteadt Architects
Contractor: Upscale Construction
Photographer: Suzanna Scott