Custom Siberian Elm River Table Auckland

The finished table looks calm in its dining room, but the workshop sequence tells a more complicated story. Two irregular Siberian elm boards had to be selected, aligned and worked around a dark central river before they could become one continuous tabletop.

That contrast is the point of this custom river table: pale, character-rich timber on either side, with the original live edges still visible through the centre.

Starting with two Siberian elm slabs

The early photographs show the boards before finishing, including natural edge movement and colour variation. Positioning them is a design decision in itself. The gap needs enough rhythm to feel deliberate, while the outer profile still has to form a practical dining-table shape.

A workshop note records the timber, and later images show the pair set into a mould. Nothing is hidden. You can follow the change from rough slab to polished surface.

Finished Siberian elm river table in a dining room

Raw Siberian elm slab before shaping

Two elm boards prepared for the river table

Workshop note identifying the Siberian elm slab

Pale elm slabs aligned around a dark central river

Siberian elm boards after surface finishing

Close view of the live edges forming the river channel

River table contained in a mould during resin work

Polished Siberian elm tabletop with dark central feature

Finished elm river table surface viewed from above

Making the river part of the furniture

The dark central feature follows the live edges instead of creating an artificially straight stripe. This preserves the visual relationship between the two elm boards. After levelling and finishing, the river and timber sit within one smooth top.

Installed in the dining space, the table has a strong presence without becoming visually busy. Dining chairs can sit around the clean outer edge while the central detail remains visible from every seat.

Planning a custom river table

For a made-to-measure river table, useful starting points include room dimensions, seating needs, preferred timber character and whether you want a subtle or high-contrast river. The available slabs will also influence the final composition.

View the full Siberian Elm River Table gallery.

To discuss a custom river dining table in Auckland, send your approximate dimensions and reference images through the INWOOD Furniture enquiry form.