This Clever Dining Table Slides Away to Become a Buffet or Workspace
A homeowner and a designer devise an ingenious sliding track system to accommodate multiple needs
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We all want things we can’t have. But sometimes what we think we can’t have is just a matter of ingenuity. Scott O’brien wanted his modest dining area to handle a lot: work, intimate dinners and jam-packed New Year’s Eve parties.
Looking at the space he had to work with — 13 by 11 feet — you may have said no way. But working with designer Jason Ho, he was able to come up with a clever table that sits on casters and a sliding track, allowing it to move into different positions and serve as a work station, dining table or buffet.
We all want things we can’t have. But sometimes what we think we can’t have is just a matter of ingenuity. Scott O’brien wanted his modest dining area to handle a lot: work, intimate dinners and jam-packed New Year’s Eve parties.
Looking at the space he had to work with — 13 by 11 feet — you may have said no way. But working with designer Jason Ho, he was able to come up with a clever table that sits on casters and a sliding track, allowing it to move into different positions and serve as a work station, dining table or buffet.
The 60-by-30-inch natural-edge walnut tabletop has wheels on both sides. On the kitchen side, seen here, the table’s wheels fit in a narrow track in the peninsula wall. On the other side, the table is supported on the floor by a hollow metal frame with casters.
The two sets of wheels enable O’brien to roll the table back and forth from the middle of the room to the wall. When the table is in the middle of the room, it can serve as a dining table for everyday meals or dinner parties. When it’s against the wall, it opens up the room for large gatherings and can be used as a buffet table or display space. “This small space can transform itself to the perfect entertaining venue,” Ho says. The table also can be used as a workspace.
The pendants seen in the previous photo can be pulled up higher when the table is against the wall so people don’t bump their heads on the lights.
The two sets of wheels enable O’brien to roll the table back and forth from the middle of the room to the wall. When the table is in the middle of the room, it can serve as a dining table for everyday meals or dinner parties. When it’s against the wall, it opens up the room for large gatherings and can be used as a buffet table or display space. “This small space can transform itself to the perfect entertaining venue,” Ho says. The table also can be used as a workspace.
The pendants seen in the previous photo can be pulled up higher when the table is against the wall so people don’t bump their heads on the lights.
“We decided to spend the money on good-quality raw-edge wood, which added a lot of life to a simple contemporary kitchen,” Ho says.
As seen in these photos, wheels attached to the underside of the 2-inch-thick table sit on a floor track tucked into a niche in the peninsula, allowing the table to slide. O’brien found lockable doorstop hardware to attach to the track to allow the table to securely snap into position.
“We looked at many different options, from hanging barn door tracks to closet door sliders; every type of hardware presented its own challenge,” Ho says. “Eventually, we settled on the simple wheel on a track, which gave the cleanest look and most ease in installation.” So easy, in fact, that O’brien installed the table himself.
Woodwork: Roca Wood Design
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As seen in these photos, wheels attached to the underside of the 2-inch-thick table sit on a floor track tucked into a niche in the peninsula, allowing the table to slide. O’brien found lockable doorstop hardware to attach to the track to allow the table to securely snap into position.
“We looked at many different options, from hanging barn door tracks to closet door sliders; every type of hardware presented its own challenge,” Ho says. “Eventually, we settled on the simple wheel on a track, which gave the cleanest look and most ease in installation.” So easy, in fact, that O’brien installed the table himself.
Woodwork: Roca Wood Design
See more of this space
More
Houzz Tour: Watch a Sliding Wall Turn a Living Space Into 5 Rooms
Houzz TV: You Won’t Believe Everything This Tiny Loft Can Do
Dining Room at a Glance
Location: Toronto
Who lives here: Scott O’brien
Size: 143 square feet (13.3 square meters); 13 by 11 feet
Designer: Jason Ho of Pause Designs
After browsing Houzz and other sites for weeks, O’brien sent Ho an image of a dining table built off a kitchen peninsula. It was a nice idea, but it didn’t allow for everything he wanted, particularly an open space for large gatherings.
Then, Ho says, “the discussion quickly turned to ‘What if we make a table that connected to the peninsula that can be used as either a dining table or a buffet?’” After several sketches and visits to the hardware store, he and O’brien came up with the idea of using a track and sliding hardware to attach a table to the peninsula.
Here, the table sits in a position for dining.
Chairs: Eames Tulip chairs with Eiffel Tower legs; light: CB2; artwork: “The Visitation” by Maureen O’Connor