WHAT IS AN ABACUS TABLE?

We believe that a table should make you feel the same as a piece of specially commissioned artwork. It should be a beautiful centrepiece that’s the perfect size and shape for your space, tailored to your everyday needs and customised to reflect your unique style.

It’s the details that make an Abacus Table really special, from the premium materials to each step of the build process.

Watch our video below for more of an insight…

The way that we think about quality is to ask ourselves, “Is this going to be one of those few things you can enjoy your whole life?”. Putting a table in a room is no different to putting a piece of artwork there. It should make you feel proud and excited. It’s difficult to put that into words, but when you look at it, you should think, “That’s it. That’s exactly what I wanted”. At its core, that’s what an Abacus Table is. It’s something that’s made just for you, exactly the way that you want it.

Regardless of whether or not you can see it, every single part of each table is the absolute best that it can be, and it’s built by people that are the very best at what we do. The cabinet makers at our workshop have a deep understanding of their craft and the materials. To source the oak, our workshop manager travels to France, where the best oak in the world has been used for centuries to make wine barrels. He inspects each whole tree and runs his hand across every board to select the oak that’s got just the right amount of natural character in a consistently high quality.

By using the whole tree to make a table, you get the long sweeping grain and natural features along the full length and thickness of the table. The result is unlike anything else. It’s an authentic natural sculpture.

Working the wood by hand is the best way to retain its natural character. For example, to create a live edge, we gradually remove the softer parts of the wood until we get down to the natural live edge, which is the curvature of the tree trunk. When it comes to the finish, for us, the perfect table finish not only needs to protect the table but it needs to keep the wood looking as natural as possible.

It’s also important to consider that these big natural pieces of timber adapt to their environment as they age. As such, we engineer special joints for each table that allow the wood to breathe through the changing seasons. This means that the wood will retain its inherent strength and natural beauty.

The process of making the invisible stainless steel joints on our Komodo table involves a complex series of steps, each requiring its own level of expertise, from meticulous hand welding to detailing and finishing. And that’s something that can only be done by someone who takes immense pride in their work.

Our tables are a collaborative effort by a group of craftsmen who’ve each spent a lifetime perfecting their skills. The mark we engrave into every one of our tables is symbolic of that level of experience, care, and attention to detail. Wherever you see the Abacus mark, it means that somebody has had that table made especially for them, just the way that they want it, and you know that it will last for a lifetime.