Designer Dining Table Set in Carved Teak with Serpentine Top

A moulded edge running round a serpentine top cannot be made the way a straight one is. On a rectangle you run four lengths of moulding and mitre the corners; on a curve, a single length of timber cannot follow the line at all without the grain running out of it.

So the moulding is built in segments. The curve is divided into short sections, and each section is cut from a blank chosen so the grain runs along that particular part of the curve rather than across it. The segments are then joined, and the moulding profile is worked after assembly, continuously round the whole edge - so the profile is one unbroken line even though the timber beneath it is not one piece.

Where the segments meet, the joins are placed at the points of inflection - where the curve changes direction - because that is where the eye already expects a change and where a join is least visible. Placing them at the crest of a curve, which is easier, puts every join exactly where someone looking down the table will find it.

The same logic governs the inset centre panel and its surround. It is slower than a straight edge by a long way, and it is the whole reason the table has the outline it has.

Set: one dining table with chairs, made together as one commission.

Frames: solid teak throughout, hand-carved by master Indian artisans.

Top: serpentine outline with an inset centre panel inside a moulded surround.

Edge moulding: built in segments with the grain following each part of the curve, joined at the points of inflection and profiled continuously after assembly.

Base: twin carved and gilded drum pedestals joined by a shaped stretcher.

Chairs: tall backs with carved wing crests over upholstered panels, carved aprons and turned legs.

Upholstery: pale woven cloth as photographed; any fabric or leather available.

Finish: hand-applied ivory and gold with walnut-toned bandings; single-tone and other combinations available.

Joinery: mortise and tenon throughout, corner-blocked at every seat rail.

Dimensions: custom sizes made to order - final measurements confirmed in writing before production.

A serpentine edge has more perimeter than a rectangle of the same size, and every inch of it is a projecting profile. The whole edge is padded continuously rather than only at corners, with additional protection at each outward crest, which is where the top will meet a doorway first.

The top is face-protected with a rigid board across its full surface, and the inset centre panel is separately covered so nothing bears on the panel line.

The two drum pedestals travel with their stretcher, each drum padded around its full circumference and the carved feet boxed in shaped foam. Chairs are crated individually and never nested, with the wing crests padded to their own shape and each upholstered panel covered in soft non-abrasive sheeting.

Unpack the chairs first, then the base, then the top. Nothing needs dismantling and no fixing has to be undone.

Delivery is free anywhere in India for the whole set, and every piece is guaranteed to arrive dent-free. If anything is wrong when the crates are opened, correcting it is our cost, and we commit to that before you order.

Production begins once the table size, the depth of the serpentine curve, the chair count, the upholstery and the finish combination are confirmed in writing. The curve is set out from your final dimensions, so the size is settled before any timber is cut.

We share the schedule at confirmation and update you as carving, finishing and upholstery complete. Tracking follows as soon as the crates leave us, and our team agrees the delivery window with you directly.

Open the crates with the delivery team present and check every piece. A serpentine top is wider at its crests than a plain rectangle of the same nominal size, so send us your doorway, lift and stair measurements at the order stage and we set the dimensions to a figure that will reach the room.

Every frame in the set carries a 20-year warranty on solid teak frame and joinery - the table, both drum pedestals, the stretcher and each chair on identical terms. The segmented edge moulding is part of the top's structure and is covered with it.

A lifetime warranty against termite damage runs on every piece, resting on teak's own oils rather than on an applied treatment, and issued in writing with the set.

Both documents are tied to your order and handed over on delivery, so the record stays with you. If a covered fault appears on one piece, send photographs and we repair or replace that piece alone.

Upholstery and hand-applied finishes are wearing surfaces and are handled separately. We re-cover and re-finish our own furniture at any age, and your specification - including the serpentine setting-out for your exact table size - stays on file for any future addition.