Help your table fit in.  Customize the edge

profile to fit your space and your personality.

The edge profile defines the condition or shape of the edge of the table.  Not just part of the overall formal aesthetics, many find a profile

such as the thumbnail to be more comfortable than a simple rounded edge.  This edge condition can create some tactile moments for you to engage your

furniture throughout the day.  The edge profile can also serve to add visual interest, such as creating the illusion that the table top is thinner than it actually is.

Defining the condition of the edge.

The edge profile of a table is simply a way to diminish the harsh condition of a perfectly square edge.  Not only is a perfectly square

edge brutal in appearance, it can actually be uncomfortable to lean on.  We believe that “modern” furniture can have a profiled edge, yet still remain

simple in form.  “Modern” furniture doesn’t have to be perfectly square; or even at times, boring.  It can be uncomplicated in form, yet

elegant, and forgiving.  Almost nothing in nature is perfectly square, so why should your table edge be?  Lets keep things natural.

Choose the profile you 

find the most attractive.

If you want your table to appear very simple, yet defined, you might want to go with a basic quarter inch round-over.  This edge is simply a quarter inch radius

cut along the edge of the table.  It’s not too small, yet not at all large.  If you want your tabletop to appear a little bit more sleek, consider the quarter inch round-over

with a 45 degree chamfer on the bottom edge.  When viewed from up to a few feet away, because of your viewing angle, the tabletop appears much

thinner than it actually is.  Another simple profile is a basic 45 degree chamfer, which is just a 45 degree slope along the edge.

If you are a detail oriented person, yet you still  don’t want anything too complicated, you may be more attracted to the thumbnail profile.  This profile is especially

comfortable to lean on.  If you like the thumbnail but want a little more sustenance for your edge, the thumbnail + bead may be perfect.  It’s a very attractive edge profile,

and also very comfortable.  Lastly, there is the ogee, sometimes refereed to as the roman ogee profile.  This profile was once very popular, especially on classical

period furniture.  It is still very popular today, and with its tangent sweeping arcs, creates a relatively simple, yet interesting edge on a table.