Family proof

Life is busy and who has the energy to worry if the kids are being careful with the new dining table. Not to mention it can be downright awkward policing dinner guests to use coasters and placemats.

When Penny the director of In Design International approached us at FrancoCrea to collaborate creating a dining table set that Janine Allis could bring her family together around, we kept ‘family proof’ at the forefront of our minds.

With 4 children including 2 adult boys and Janine’s desire for her home to be a sanctuary to relax in, we took the stress out of maintaining a dining set.

Using the right combination of hard working materials we created a family proof table setting that afforded the combination of luxury and practicality. 

It warms our heart to know our dining tables are a place where clients are creating memories that matter to them without the stress of high maintenance. 

To structurally support this long table without having a central leg or pedestal style base, a “X-Frame” was designed and developed by Franco to attach to the corner blade-style shaped legs. This removed the aesthetically heavy central pedestal base, and instead created a visual tension of lightness to the design – an important design detail when placing quite a few chairs around the table.

Considerable prototyping was involved in order to structurally engineer the X-Frame and being able to attach the independent brass blade legs to the sub-frame – allowing it to delicately balance the large table top. Giving the illusion and adding to the lightness of the table, the top was made visually thinner, contrasting the heavier blade legs that gives the appearance of grounding the table with a floating top.

Bespoke Dining Table

• Frame: Stainless steel construction powder coated in flat black
• Legs: Solid brass hand finished in a bronze patina
• Table Top: HPL Laminate with black detail inlays. Bevel edge profile applied to all edges of the top

Mila Chair

• Frame/Legs: Black stained American oak
• Upholstery: Quilted and hand-stitched seat and back in leather