So the London Design Festival has recently been on and as some of you might know, September is always flooded with all sorts of exciting exhibitions such as 100% Design, Focus, Tent London and Decorex. This time of year ALWAYS gets us designers excited and our creative juices flowing. There are new fabrics flowing, wallpapers rippling and amazing new furniture items being launched and sometimes you become aware of something…. that while it might have been around for a wee while, we perhaps needed a reminder that it is just a little bit special and definitely worth a mention.
We were very excited to receive news of the beautiful Radial table designed by Martin Dodge which was inspired by the Jupe table. The Jupe table’s clever design allows the table top to rotate out, then the leaves are inserted to create a larger radius.
“Over the years our restoration department has restored a number of Jupe tables, the Jupe table itself, this was originally designed by Robert Jupe and was one of the most novel and mechanical forms of dining table that evolved during the early 19th century. Robert invented a way to extend a circular table from a smaller diameter of 1500mm to a larger diameter by means of an innovative capstan and arms as patented in his design of 1835. By rotating the apron, the arms throw out eight ‘pie’ like leaves on glides to allow the parallel leaves to be inserted, thus forming a greater circle of 2135mm. Such was the success of this concept, the table continued to be made throughout the 19th century. The design has now been revived by us after many years of restoring original tables and working with Jupe’s plans.”
Today
…. Martin is today making the exact same table as Jupe, with additional varieties of timbers, and designer bases.
With this clever Radial Table, the leaves are housed in a stand. This means that the leaves are within the framework of the table. This is a fantastic space saving option if you don’t have much room. The Jupe table is their best selling product for the yacht industry (for which they have the worldwide patent) The base comes in a variety of styles to give a traditional, art deco or contemporary appearance. Square and oval configurations are also available.
Radial Table – Apron rotated with open leaves
This table has such interesting detailing in regards to the concave edges and inlaid mother-of-pearl centrepoint. When asked if this style is more classic …or contemporary with a nod towards the past, Martin’s response was :
“The new custom radial itself is inspired by Art Deco period but has a contemporary edge. Each piece has a different feel. The Jupe can be traditional, but also can be altered to have a more contemporary feel. We can alter our pieces to suit different environments, tastes and periods.”
Radial Table – master craftsmenship on view
Martin designs the tables himself as well as makes them. Although now that he is getting busier, he has a team of master craftsmen who do most of the making these days. We thought like a particularly good idea…. when we heard that the table takes 500 hours to make!
Radial Table
Do you have a version of the classic Jupe table? Is it still working? Why don’t you share with us a picture of your favourite dining table?