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The Completed Dining Nook + a Custom Table from our Own Tree

Our Tree House dining nook is finally complete! After more than two years of us plotting and planning to maximize the space, we have our custom banquette (built by us), and a custom dining table (not built by us)! This project all started when we made the tough decision to remove the massive Silver Maple that was diseased and dangling precariously over the house. Intending to make lemonade out of lemons, we had a few logs from a strong limb milled into slabs. After the slabs were stacked and dried naturally for nearly a year, we brought in our friends from Chicago-based Norman Leigh to turn raw wood into this magic:

A custom dining table made from our own tree! Norman Leigh created a table for our Tree House dining nook // via Yellow Brick Home
banquette | pillow | stools | upholstery fabric | television

It’s freaking stunning, right?! As a quick refresher, these next few photos show just how far this little corner has come:

Dining Nook | 2017

This is where we started …then this happened!

A custom dining table made from our own tree! Norman Leigh created a table for our Tree House dining nook // via Yellow Brick Home

Dining Nook | Progress

Once the woodburning stove and the surrounding bricks were removed, the floors were refinished. Things looked like this for quite awhile as other projects took precedence.

A custom dining table made from our own tree! Norman Leigh created a table for our Tree House dining nook // via Yellow Brick Home

Dining Nook | Today!

All the while, we were planning behind the scenes for this:

A custom dining table made from our own tree! Norman Leigh created a table for our Tree House dining nook // via Yellow Brick Home
planter | pillow | sconce | plant hook | pouf | sofa

The Making of a Custom Table

George and Leigh-Anne, the team behind Norman Leigh, are not only super talented woodworkers, but great human beings that also happen to enjoy frosty beverages and s’mores around a bonfire (we confirmed this fact over a few hours after the table was delivered). They did a fantastic job on the table and were kind enough to document their work along the way!

To view the gallery below, use the prev/next arrows on the first image. You can also see their process on their dedicated Instagram highlight reel!

The Waiting Game

This project was one of patience, but the wait was well worth it! This is how the timeline shook out:

  • June, 2018 | Silver Maple is cut down and a few large logs are saved in hopes of building this very table.
  • September, 2018 | Logs are milled into 2″ slabs, stacked, covered and left to dry naturally.
  • September, 2018 – May 2019 | We wait (somewhat impatiently) for slabs to dry. Meanwhile, planning and measuring for table and banquette commenced.
  • May, 2019 | Norman Leigh visits to help select slabs for the table, and they take a van full off to the kiln!
  • June, 2019 | Wood comes out of kiln, designs are finalized, table construction begins.
  • July, 2019 | Table complete! Delivery to Tree House. Celebratory pizza, beer and s’mores ensue.

While patience isn’t always our strong suit, we knew this table would eventually change the way we spend our time with family and friends at Tree House. Finally having a large table that’s actually a pleasant place to eat, relax and play games has been an absolute game changer.

It’s All In the Details

Okay, but enough about our lack of patience! Let’s have a look at some of those details, which is what makes this table truly unique. For starters, the knot you see below ended up being softer than anyone imagined, and it blew completely out of the board as it went through the jointer. Leigh-Anne and George presented us with a couple of options and we all agreed that a clear resin fill would be our best bet. The resin-filled hole goes all the way through the top of the table and little Lucy loves looking up from below! It’s easily one of our favorite quirks:

A custom dining table made from our own tree! Norman Leigh created a table for our Tree House dining nook // via Yellow Brick Home

Another ‘happy accident’ was that the boards were slightly more warped and twisted than anyone intended once they were fully dried from the kiln. As a result, we lost a few extra inches of length on a few of the pieces that would eventually make up the top. Leigh-Anne suggested that we utilize a ‘breadboard’ (the perpendicular board on each end of the table) to add length and structural rigidity. This also allowed the long end of the boards to be showcased for a cleaner look. We love how it turned out!

A custom dining table made from our own tree! Norman Leigh created a table for our Tree House dining nook // via Yellow Brick Home

The breadboard on the kitchen end of the table also presented a great opportunity to show off more of the spalting (which is a highly sough-after wood fungus, oddly enough!) in the wood. Just look at that spalting, would ya?!

A custom dining table made from our own tree! Norman Leigh created a table for our Tree House dining nook // via Yellow Brick Home

Adding Contrast with Steel

We knew from the beginning of the project that we wanted to integrate a black powder coated support to tie into the design of the new loft railing and existing counter stools. This round center support with ‘X’ ends was the perfect solution!

A custom dining table made from our own tree! Norman Leigh created a table for our Tree House dining nook // via Yellow Brick Home
A custom dining table made from our own tree! Norman Leigh created a table for our Tree House dining nook // via Yellow Brick Home

The Completed Dining Nook!

Now that the banquette and table are in place, we were able to finish outfitting the rest of the nook. After living for two years with a hand-me-down TV from my parents that alternated between balancing on an empty cardboard box and an old wood cabinet we found in our Chicago alley, it was time for an upgrade.

A custom dining table made from our own tree! Norman Leigh created a table for our Tree House dining nook // via Yellow Brick Home

The Samsung Frame TV and its ability to display art when it’s not in use had been on our wish list for years, and the fact that we still lusted after it sealed the deal. The only challenge was that the ideal size for the room (somewhere around 50″) wasn’t offered – until the 2019 model year, that is! A 49″ version was released at the end of last year and it fills the space perfectly. We also added the customizable bezel in beige to further tie the look in with the rest of the room.

Dining Nook | Before

A slight challenge that had to be accounted for throughout the planning process was the angle of the loft ladder when in the down position. It’s incredibly handy that the ladder can be moved out of the way when not in use, but it did limit the depth of the table, and we had to take this into account with every measurement. This is how it looked while the work was in the planning stages:

A custom dining table made from our own tree! Norman Leigh created a table for our Tree House dining nook // via Yellow Brick Home

Dining Nook | Today

And this is how it looks now! We love the proportions and the way the table fills the space. These backless stools helped us to maximize the width of the table, too.

A custom dining table made from our own tree! Norman Leigh created a table for our Tree House dining nook // via Yellow Brick Home
A custom dining table made from our own tree! Norman Leigh created a table for our Tree House dining nook // via Yellow Brick Home
A custom dining table made from our own tree! Norman Leigh created a table for our Tree House dining nook // via Yellow Brick Home

planter | pillow | sconce | plant hook | stools

It has been almost a year since our beloved silver maple came down, and now it’s been given a new life. This table will serve as the gathering hub for decades to come. We can’t wait until the edges soften with use and the surface shows signs of love and wear.

We can’t thank Norman Leigh enough for helping us see our vision through to this fantastic final product. It’s a truly special piece of furniture that helps to remind us why we bought this home in the first place – to gather with friends and family over food, drinks and laughs, surrounded by some of Michigan’s finest trees.

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  • Caitlin Spearson8.8.19 - 6:42 AM

    Okay this looks amazing, but you glossed over some things I’m going to need more detail on.  
    That picture frame is a TV??? What does it look like when it’s on?  Can you post a video or shots of it going back and forth?  I cannot wrap my head around it.
    You can see through the knot on the table?? More pictures please!!
    Also, what sort of finishing is on that table?  Is it stained? Sealed?  Is this the final product?  
    Thanks!! ReplyCancel

    • Kim8.8.19 - 6:58 AM

      Haha, yes, it’s the Samsung Frame TV and it looks like art when not in use! I’ll share some Stories of the table this weekend when we’re at Tree House so you can get a better look at the clear knot, and the finish is unstained with a matte poly. :)ReplyCancel

  • lak8.8.19 - 7:21 AM

    Everything looks absolutely amazing.  The table and bench are beautiful.  ReplyCancel

  • Kathy8.8.19 - 7:41 AM

    This looks awesome! I like that it kind of has a picnic table look to it, perfect for Tree House!
    What will you be doing with the remaining slabs? Could, say, a friendly reader buy them off of you? ReplyCancel

    • Kim8.8.19 - 7:44 AM

      We don’t really have any left because we earmarked slabs for future furniture use for others! Wish we had more!ReplyCancel

  • Michelle8.8.19 - 8:12 AM

    The table is gorgeous! Love the fungus! ;-)  The frame TV is incredible, of course, but why did you mount it so high?  It looks a little awkward from some of these angles. It seems like you could have gone lower and maybe even larger than 49″ since it appears there were outlets/cover plates that were cleaned up on that wall as well. Can’t wait to see the deck and outside space evolve for you. It’s such a charming cabin! ReplyCancel

    • Kim8.8.19 - 9:08 AM

      It is a little high, but we wanted to mindful of peoples’ heads when they’re sitting at the banquette, or for little kiddos that might like banging their hands on the wall, haha.ReplyCancel

  • Jeanne8.8.19 - 12:19 PM

    Can you share details on the bench cushion? Where did you get it made? I need one a similar shape and am lost as to where to start looking. ReplyCancel

  • Phoebe8.8.19 - 1:29 PM

    The table turned out gorgeous! Incredible! 
    We actually have a silver maple that may need to come down soon as well. Do you have any advice on where to start in this process as far as where to find a woodworker like this? I wouldn’t even know what search terms to use on google :) ReplyCancel

  • Susan8.8.19 - 5:39 PM

    What is the artwork you have displayed on your Frame TV? I love it!ReplyCancel

    • Kim8.8.19 - 7:19 PM

      It was one of the stock options! We’ve since changed it to a photo I took of the dunes.????ReplyCancel

  • AmandaKB8.8.19 - 6:09 PM

    This looks so great!  We have a couple of big, dead ash trees in our yard (thanks to the emerald ash borer beetle… grrr), and we’re hoping to use the wood for something other than firewood.  Thanks for sharing your process.ReplyCancel

  • Ling8.8.19 - 9:15 PM

    A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!! That table is epic and that banquet is just perfect. Thank you for sharing the process for everything! It’s all so incredibly done. Bravo!!ReplyCancel

  • Heather8.11.19 - 5:24 PM

    How beautiful! My parents recently had a dining table made for their new cabin using wood from a glorious old oak tree that had to come down when they built the new cabin. The northern WI land (and thus the tree) has been in my family for over 60 years, so it was sad to see the tree come down but wonderful that it now lives on in their dining table as well as the fireplace mantel and a couple benches. Glad to see that you were also able to make lemonade from the lemons!

     ReplyCancel

    • Kim8.11.19 - 8:09 PM

      Thank you for sharing this sweet story! Love it.ReplyCancel

  • Lisa8.19.19 - 7:23 AM

    This looks AMAZING! Did Norman Leigh also make the stools, or were you able to find that great of a match off the shelf?ReplyCancel

  • Nicole1.12.20 - 6:07 PM

    So pretty! I’m planning to follow your banquette diy and am wondering what the dimensions of your table is? ReplyCancel

    • Kim1.12.20 - 9:07 PM

      It’s about 82” long x 32” wide.????ReplyCancel

  • Karrie9.21.20 - 4:57 AM

    The table looks beautiful!  We have some oak slabs drying right now. Where’d you have the metal bar fabricated, or is that something you welded yourself?  Enjoy!ReplyCancel

    • Kim9.21.20 - 8:22 AM

      Our furniture builder created it for us!ReplyCancel

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