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Looking to embrace slow living? Live edge wood slabs bring a touch of nature indoors, presenting as nature’s masterpiece in the home.
With the stressful nature of modern living, there is a considerable need to intentionally slow down and be present in every moment. Today, more homeowners are placing an emphasis in creating a home for the ultimate relaxation and to embrace slow living by introducing natural elements and indoor plants into the home.
Apart from the aesthetic appeal from natural materials, the use of wood invites a sense of warmth and harmony to the environment. The tactile grain textures from a piece of raw wood slab adds to the rich sensory experience, while creating a connection to the great outdoors.
Walnut Slab Dining Table is priced at $1,941 from The Table Guy
What is a live edge wood slab?
Live edge wood slab, as the name suggests, maintains and preserves a live, organic edge of the tree with the bark included in a piece of wood, to enhance the original and natural wood look.
One look at the live edge wood slab and wood experts would be able to know more about the growth of the tree through its distinctive features, such as the contours, knots, grains, and other unique quirks of the wood slab.
Typically, solid wood is processed into various cuts of lumber with smooth and even surfaces for constructions and woodworking uses, including the making of straight-edged wooden dining tables.
The more affordable alternatives to solid wood are MDF, also known as medium density fibre board, plywood and particleboard, which are some examples of engineered and man-made wood. Unfortunately, the derivative wood alternatives are nowhere as hardy and long-lasting when compared to solid wood slabs.
Grey & Sanders' customisable wood slab dining table
Why choose live edge wood for dining tables?
Unlike lumber wood and engineered wood alternatives, live edge slabs often come in a wider width sizes, it can vary in terms of the type of wood with the thickness depending on different sections of the tree. The wider live edge slab is exceptional in creating larger furniture pieces, including dining tables, headboards, and even room dividers too.
Darryl Loh, founder of The Table Guy
What started off as a search for the ideal piece of solid wood slab to furnish Darryl Loh’s new home six years ago turned into the launch of The Table Guy as a business providing full-service solid wood carpentry and bespoke furniture design at fair value prices.
“Our homes are often very rectangular or squarish, so the irregularity of the table shape adds a more organic vibe to the space.
As a bonus, live edge dining tables are at their essence, wood material. So even if let’s say 10 years down the road you want to get a different dining table, the old one can be repurposed for other uses with a carpenter, or restored and sold to another family.” shares Darryl Loh, founder of The Table Guy.
Grey & Sanders
In the same vein, Natasha, Marketing Senior Executive from Grey & Sanders, a local furniture company with an array of wood slabs says: “A live edge dining table is the perfect statement piece for your home.
As the live edge of our wood slabs are completely natural, each piece is unique, making it extra special for homeowners. The wood is durable and will be able to last our customers years, making it the perfect legacy edition to your family.
Our services allow for many different types of customisation to your chosen wood slab, which allows our customers to even fashion it to fit the look and feel or even size of their homes.”
Stylish and cozy compositon of craft oak wooden table with chairs, watering can, glassy jug and modern floor in beautiful interior of design home.
Are live edge wood slabs sustainable?
When it comes to the sustainability of live edge wood slabs, it boils down to where the wood is from, how the wood is harvested, and what are the impact of the environment. As live edge wood slabs make full use of the entire log with the preservation of natural wood edges, there is less waste produced as compared to traditional wood processing with scraped edges.
“As long as it’s harvested in compliance with the local laws that protect the use of forests, and green labels such as the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) also go one step further in assuring the responsible management of forests.” clarifies Darryl.
“But what makes live edge wood slabs truly sustainable, is the longevity of the material. When used responsibly, we can reduce the overall consumption of resources over time.”
Live edge dining table maintenance
Just like how you would do with any other dining tables, it is best to do a simple wipe down of the live edge wood slab after each use, especially if there was a spill. To keep the wood surface in tip-top condition, look into purchasing coasters and table placemats for preventive care, which also doubles as table decoration.
Darryl recommends to check with your retailer for product care instructions specific to the table that you are purchasing, whether it is for live edge wood or not. as that would mean different steps for daily and long-term maintenance.
Interior Design by AMP
Hardwax Oil Wood Finish
“At The Table Guy, we use a hardwax oil brand that we’ve personally tested for daily life, and it’s formulated for exceptional stain and heat resistance, so our clients don’t have to fret about wine spills and hotpot burns while enjoying themselves. For long term care, we recommend applying a layer of maintenance oil to keep the protective layer fresh, and it just takes 15 minutes with no professional assistance required.” adds Darryl. “
When processed and maintained properly, live edge wood slabs are incredibly durable materials! That’s why we love it. The way we see it, life happens. Things get scratched, burned, stained and dinged. The great thing about live edge wood slabs is that with their structural durability, they can always be restored and repaired, giving it an exceptionally long lifespan.”
Natural wood finish oil
Natasha shares, “For live edge dining tables produced in Grey & Sanders, we use an organic finish for the wood, which allows your wood to be protected from the elements while still retaining the wood’s natural look and feel.
Due to this, its maintenance is a little different from the usual lacquered or varnished wooden table. Our customers are encouraged to wipe down their tables after use and after any spills. If you feel that your table has accumulated too much wear and tear, we can refinish your table again.”
Interior Design by Three-D Conceptwerks
Custom Live Edge Wood Dining Table Set
Here is a quick guide to help you with the process of customising your perfect live edge dining tables.
Type of Live Edge Wood
There are over 10 commonly-found wood species to choose from in live edge wood slabs. As a type of fast-growing tropical raintree, Suar wood emerges as a popular choice among the Southeast Asian countries and it is best known for its durability and affordability. Other wood species also include teak, oak, walnut, ashwood, cherry, and more.
Live Edge Wood Patterns
When you are choosing your preferred type of wood, you should also consider the look of the dining table that you are going for. Think about the wood tones, the irregularities of the live edge, and wood grain patterns. Would you prefer going for a single piece of wood slab? Or do you like the look of panelled wood slabs, such as bookmatched wood slabs instead? How about having your wood slab filled in with resin?
Type of Live Edge Wood
After selecting the live edge wood slab for the table top, it is time to think about the type of table base that you would like to have. Do you want the table base to be also made up of live edge wood, or would you rather have regular table legs such as metal hairpin legs to balance out the look? How about going for a unique structural base, or even clear acrylic legs for a floating effect?
Seating Options
The final step is to pick out chairs or benches to go with the live edge wood dining table. You can choose to match it seamlessly with live edge wood benches, or browse from various seating options like the classic Eames chair or even rattan- style chair to bring out the character of your home.