Monique Solid Wood Coffee Table Medium

Monique is cut from a single piece of suar - the timber of the rain tree - so the top carries one continuous run of grain rather than several boards joined together. The shallow dish in the surface and the slight irregularity of the edge are what the tree gave it, not what a machine added.

About the size and use.
Small enough to move with one hand and put wherever it is needed. Beside a sofa or an armchair for a cup and a book. At the end of a bed. As a plant stand in a corner, where the height lifts a pot to where it can be seen. As an occasional seat when people arrive unexpectedly.

The proportions suit a compact room: it holds what it needs to without taking the floor space a four-legged table would.

About the material.
Suar is dense, rich in colour and close to teak in the way it behaves - which is why it has become one of the most-used timbers in handmade furniture. The grain runs from pale honey to deep caramel within a single piece, and the pattern never repeats. Every table is cut from its own section of trunk, so no two are the same.

Left in a natural finish rather than stained, so the colour you see is the wood itself.
Where it works.

In a living room beside seating. In a bedroom beside the bed. On a covered terrace or veranda. It sits naturally alongside rattan, linen and jute, and holds its own in a more minimal room where the grain becomes the only pattern.

Indoor and covered outdoor use.
Indoors, or outdoors under cover. Solid timber in direct year-round sun will fade and dry out, so a shaded terrace is the right place rather than an open one.

Care.
Wipe with a soft, dry or barely damp cloth. Use coasters - a dished top holds a ring longer than a flat one. Treat with wood oil every few months to keep the colour and stop the timber drying, particularly if the air conditioning runs constantly. Keep out of direct AC airflow and away from windows that get full afternoon sun.