Viceroy s Expanding Table

This table was adapted from a table designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens for Viceroy's House in New Delhi in 1930. Despite the fact that it was destined only for a private dining room, Lutyens's original was eight feet in diameter, designed to seat twelve when closed, and could be stretched out to a full length of sixteen feet to seat twenty. Lutyens Furniture & Lighting version of this table is rather more modest in its scale, and is thus more accessible. It is however, still capable of seating eight when closed and fourteen when fully opened. The most interesting and ingenious feature of the table's design is Lutyens's unique approach to its expansion. The supporting structure for the leaves takes the form of a pair of lazy tongs. When concertinaed together the legs align themselves along the diameter of the table; when opened they symmetrically arrange themselves in such a way that they pose no obstruction to those seated around the table. The mechanism of this table requires a flat, even floor surface and we advise against carpet.