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PIETER ESTERSOHN

How Designers Command a Room With Stylish Center Tables

The myriad of uses is reason enough to incorporate one into your space.

July 5, 2024

Made to hold the middle ground, a sizable center table is the perfect piece to anchor the no-man’s-land of a gaping foyer or elegantly direct the flow of foot traffic. Its pride-of-place positioning provides an opportunity to set the tone for the rest of the space—and show off your most interesting objets.

  • GIORGIO BARONI

    GET LEGGY

    As wild as it is functional, this sculptural form fully deserves center stage in this Italian townhouse designed by Stefano Dorata. With its impressive girth, look-at-me legs, and chunky, dramatically veined antique marble top, the table holds its own in a home full of art

  • HELEN NORMAN

    POLE POSITION

    Designer Lauren Liess chose rich, dark wood to bring warmth to a hallway with cavernous proportions. A bronze bust plays up the classical notes of the honed marble floor and quartet of curule stools.

  • ERIC PIASECKI/OTTO

    CIRCLE IN THE SQUARE

    Delphine Krakoff of Pamplemousse Design took the edge off the corners of a square foyer with a round Jean Royère table and then repeated the shape in the rug, light fixture, and rotunda-like recessed ceiling.

  • LOI THAI

    SPLIT PERSONALITY

    When endowed with a pair of snugged-together demilune tables, even a small hall library becomes doubly (and triply) functional. During parties, designer Loi Thai can separate the Gustavian table into two halves that function as bar and buffet, or pull up chairs for extra dining space.

  • MAX KIM-BEE

    SKIRTING THE ISSUE

    Architect Gil Schafer and decorator David Netto used peacock-green felt and floor-sweeping bullion trim to cozy up chilly stone floors—and keep the carpet-free space from becoming a noisy echo chamber.

  • MAX KIM-BEE

    HOLLYWOOD SQUARES

    Daniel Cuevas turned the entry foyer of a Spanish-style villa in Beverly Hills into a study in geometry, its black-and-white square motif carried from table to tile to art. A disciplined arrangement makes the suspended swoop of a Mark di Suvero sculpture overhead even more thrilling.

  • PIETER ESTERSOHN

    AU NATUREL

    With its tangle of driftwood legs, the center table in this Southampton beach retreat designed by David Netto has enough presence to command the room. It also sets an arty vibe that reflects the personality of the owners and brings home the beauty of the surroundings.


THIS STORY ORIGINALLY APPEARED IN VOLUME 13 OF FREDERIC. CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE!