Case Study: Glass Conference Table

Stoneline Designs recently completed this glass conference table for DuMOL Wines. DuMOL, an estate vineyard in California's Russian River Valley, wanted a distinctive table for their conference room. We custom designed a table in our Crescent line, with our patterned scratched glass finish for the top and integrated wiring. The wiring is concealed under round grommets for a seamless appearance when the table is not in use.

Design Your Credenza

Are you purchasing a credenza for your office or home office? Here are a few questions to consider in designing your credenza:

What height should the credenza be? If you intend to use the credenza as a work surface, it should be the same height as your desk (typically 29" high, but measure your desk to be sure). If not, we recommend a height of 34" for credenzas. This breaks up the static height of the tables, and makes the room design more interesting than if all desks and tables were the same height.

How will the credenza be used? There are many storage options including shelves, drawers and lateral files. The options you choose will depend on what will be stored in your credenza.

Will there be electronics inside your credenza? Be sure to measure the components and make sure they will fit inside. You may need special options for the credenza like wiring access or ventilation in the rear panel.

Ventilation is often overlooked when designing a credenza, but it is critically important. Electronic equipment outputs a surprising amount of heat. In an enclosed space the heat can build up to such a level that it can crash or even permanently damage your electronics. Proper ventilation will ensure that eletronic components stored inside your credenza do not overheat.

The simplest form of ventilation is air holes or vents cut into the back panel. Your furniture designer will work with you to make sure the vents are correctly placed to provide airflow to your electronics. If the credenza will contain many components with high power output, simple air vents may not be enough and you may need to have fans installed in the back of the credenza. Either way, make sure to leave a gap of at least a couple of inches between the credenza and the wall; if the back is pressed up against the wall this will block airflow and defeat the purpose of venting.

Conference Tables in History

Man walks on the moon and conference tables are there! Well, not really. But conference tables were still involved. Here is a photo of the Apollo 10 crew briefing the Apollo 11 crew before the first moon landing. Left to right around the table: Michael Collins,* Buzz Aldrin, Gene Cernan, Tom Stafford, Neil Armstrong, John Young.

*Remember the name Michael Collins, the only member of Apollo 11 who did not walk on the moon. He stayed in orbit in the space ship, alone, while Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the lunar surface. Poor guy!

Case Study: Glass Conference Table with Built-in Wiring

Stoneline Designs completed this glass conference table for a professional workplace environment firm in Raleigh, North Carolina. The table, from our Crescent line, seats 14 and includes a wiring trough running down the center of the table to provide power and net access for laptops. A sliding cover conceals the wiring when not in use. Our "Patterned Scratched" Glass finish complements the open, spacious feel of the conference room.

Conference Tables in (tomorrow's) History

The Group of Eight (G8) Nations gather around the conference table: Stephen Harper of Canada, Nicolas Sarkozy of France, Angela Merkel of Germany, Silvio Berlusconi of Italy, Taro Aso of Japan, Dmitry Medvedev of Russia, Gordon Brown of the UK and Barack Obama of the USA. 35th annual G8 conference, July 2009, Italy.

Protect Your Glass Conference Table from Chips and Scratches

We hope you have never had the sinking feeling of looking at your glass conference table or glass dining table and discovering a chip in the edge or scratch in the surface. Unfortunately, once a chip or scratch has occurred, there's usually no way to repair it. In most cases your options are to conceal the scratch or replace the glass.

That's why it's important to protect your glass table and avoid chips or scratches in the first place. For the most part, this is simply common sense. Avoid roughhousing near the table, or dropping heavy or sharp objects on the glass top. If you have small children in your home, consider padding the edges of the table with foam. This will protect both the table and your children! You can always remove the padding when you have guests.

If you have to move a large object on the glass top, for instance a laser printer or desktop computer sitting on a glass desk, lift and carry it rather than dragging or pushing it across the surface. If this is impossible -- for example it is a home office, you live alone and it's just too darn heavy -- place the heavy object on a sturdy cloth and pull the cloth. Never allow a heavy or sharp object to scrape across the surface of the glass.

If you have objects with sharp edges which you need to place on your glass table, place them on a cloth rather than directly on the glass. If this happens often, for instance a family dining table where you do kitchen prep work or set kitchen tools, make sure there is always a cloth or pad on the table. You can use a table runner or placemats to incorporate the protective cloth into your room decor.

Your chair selection matters as well. Metal backed chairs can easily chip the edge of a glass table top if they are not properly padded. Before you buy those sophisticated metal chairs to go with your glass table, imagine a rushed conference where people jump up from the table and push their chairs out of the way in a hurry. Or imagine tripping in your dining room and shoving a chair back against the edge of the table. Make sure all parts of the chair which come in contact with the table top are padded. (Any other metal furniture that moves -- a wheeled coffee stand or file cart, etc -- should also be padded or kept well away from the edge of a glass table.)

The steps above will go a long way towards protecting your glass table. If you do end up with a minor chip or scratch in your table, you can sometimes turn or move the table so the light does not catch the scratch and it isn't as noticeable. If the damage is too severe for that, well, there's always strategically placed coasters and potted plants.

Conference Tables in History

On July 4, 1776, at the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, the Founding Fathers gathered around the table to sign the Declaration of Independence, marking the official start of the Revolutionary War. The most important event of our nation's history and a conference table was there!

Happy Anniversary Stoneline!

July 2009 marks Stoneline Designs' 21st year in business! Since 1988 we have been proud to offer high end custom office furniture and residential furniture.

President Monte McDermed founded Stoneline in 1988. When the company began we made primarily residential furniture -- dining tables, coffee tables and console tables -- with stone and glass tops. In 1989 we moved to our current location, a hundred-year-old former textile mill in historic Hillsborough North Carolina. In that year we also added our first employees, one of whom still works with Stoneline today.

During the past twenty-one years we have expanded our focus to include office furniture -- conference tables, desks, credenzas and reception desks -- as well as additional pieces for the home like bookshelves, media cabinets, dressers and beds. Today Stoneline includes seven full-time employees and two part-time support staff. We have grown over the years, but the care and attention to detail we bring to our furniture will never change. Our furniture is built by highly skilled artisans, and each piece is still designed by founder Monte McDermed.

So raise a glass to Stoneline on our twenty-first birthday! We're old enough now to have a drink :)

Case Study: Glass Conference Table

Stoneline Designs recently completed this glass conference table for a high-tech professional services firm in the Washington DC area. The client required a table large enough to seat 12, with a sophisticated look. They chose our Crescent line of conference tables with a "scratched" glass top.

Granite Tables in the Great Outdoors

As more and more homeowners create "outdoor room environments," placing a granite table outside seems like a natural. After all, granite is a durable material, and granite monuments can remain outdoors for hundreds of years. A granite dining table or cocktail table can add the perfect touch to an outdoor living space. There are a few factors to consider before purchasing a granite table for outdoor use:

What is the granite finish? Polished granite is a hard finish which can withstand exposure to the elements. On the other hand, honed granite is much more porous and more likely to stain. Honed granite is not recommended for outdoor use.

Will the granite table be exposed to sunlight? Many granites are treated with a resin to smooth out the surface. This resin is invisible, and as durable as the stone under normal conditions. However, under constant exposure to sunlight the resin will discolor and will eventually create a yellow cast in the granite. Because of this, we do not recommend granite in a location where it will be exposed to full sun.

How much maintenance are you willing to do? Polished granite typically requires almost no maintenance. However, when used outdoors you may choose to seal the granite for additional protection. In addition, if you place your dining table or cocktail table in a shady location to reduce sun exposure, you may find yourself frequently cleaning up pollen, tree sap, bird droppings, etc.

Can the table base be used outside? Be sure that your table base is designed for outdoor use. Direct exposure to the elements as well as the increased humidity outdoors can be a problem. Some metals are more rust-resistant than others; make sure you know all the materials your table is constructed from before placing it outdoors.

Of course all of the factors above depend on your local climate. If you live in an arid region like the Southwest, you will have much more leeway in placing a granite table outdoors. If you live on the coast, salt in the air will be yet another issue.

Case Study: Writing Desk, Credenza and Hutch

We custom designed this office furniture suite for a modern home office. The writing desk, credenza and hutch, all from the Axis line, feature brushed steel and dark wenge stained wood which looks good against the brick wall and hardwood floor. Our patterned "Scratched" glass finish adds a modern flair

Conference Tables in History

The Treaty of Paris, signed in 1783, officially ended the Revolutionary War. This painting by Benjamin West depicts American delegates John Jay, John Adams, Ben Franklin, Henry Laurens and William Temple Franklin. The painting is unfinished because the British delegation refused to pose.

Antiqued Absolute Black Granite: A Possible Alternative to Honed

Honed Absolute Black Granite has a beautiful satin finish, making it very popular in modern home design. Unfortunately, the Honed finish is somewhat porous, and shows discoloration from fingerprints and liquid stains. Many unlucky homeowners have installed Honed Absolute Black Granite countertops because they loved the look, and then found out too late about fingerprinting when the marks appeared on their brand new countertops.

At Stoneline we offer both Polished and Honed Absolute Black Granite table tops, though we do not recommend Honed for kitchen countertops due to the fingerprint issue. We have recently learned of another granite finish which may provide an alternative to Honed: Antiqued.

Antiqued Absolute Black Granite is a textured surface which diffuses reflected light, for a satiny appearance similar to the Honed finish. Our first look indicates that Antiqued granite is more impervious than Honed, and appears not to show fingerprinting to nearly the same degree.

Antiqued granite deserves a closer examination as a possible alternative for high-use applications like family dining tables and kitchen countertops. We will post again when we have more information on how the Antiqued finish holds up to long-term use. In the meantime, keep your eye out for Antiqued Absolute Black Granite.

Desk Feng Shui

Feng Shui your desk. Does that sound silly? Feng Shui is simply a set of aesthetic principles designed to help people live in harmony with their environment and increase positive energy (qi). There's nothing silly about that.

Feng Shui is more commonly thought of for use in the home, but there's no reason why the principles of Feng Shui can't also be applied to the office. Most people spend more time in the office than in any other single location (besides asleep in bed). A few simple adjustments can make your desk and office a more harmonious environment. And you might even improve your qi.

1. The Elements of Style. Feng Shui is based on five elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water. Office spaces are often sterile and heavily unbalanced towards metal and away from earth, water and wood. Use color to bring the elements into your office: green or brown for wood, red, yellow, orange, purple or pink for fire, light yellow, tan and light brown for earth, white or gray for metal, and blue or black for water.

You can also incorporate natural elements such as potted plants, earthenware pots or a small fountain on your desk. Use these natural elements in a practical way, for instance store paper clips and pens in pottery on your desk.

2. Avoid Poison Arrows. Feng Shui says that poison arrows, or shars, are straight lines pointing towards you. The longer and straighter the line, the more negative the energy. For instance, a long railing pointing directly at your front door.  

Practically speaking, in most business environments you will not able to move your entire office to avoid shars. But you can work with this principle on a smaller scale. If you have a long, straight railing, hang plants along it to break up the line. If your office or cubicle is at the end of a walkway so that people are walking directly towards you, move your desk away from the direction of traffic.

3. Line of Sight. When you are sitting at your desk and someone comes to the door, can you see them immediately, or do you need to twist in your seat? If at all possible, move your desk so that you can see the door without having to turn around. If you cannot rearrange the furniture in your workspace, place a mirror by your desk which allows you to see the door.

4. Simple Shapes. According to feng shui, rooms should be simple, unbroken square and rectangular shapes. Many modern offices include structural elements that jut into the room like exposed pipes or protruding corners. If this describes your office, try to conceal the protruding element with a screen, wall hanging or plant. If there are exposed beams on the ceiling, hang a pendant, small bamboo flute or windchime from the center of the beam.

5. Think Round. Though your office should be a square or rectangle, it should also incorporate round office furniture. Round shapes symbolize prosperity, making them particularly appropriate for the office. If you have the space, a round meeting table and round rug is ideal. If you can't add furniture to your office, you can still incorporate round shapes: hang round mirrors or hangings on the wall, and collect round objects on your desk. Not only will this improve your feng shui, it will make your desk more attractive and comfortable to sit at all day.

Case Study: Conference Table Assembly

Before shipping a custom designed table, our artisans assemble the table and make any adjustments necessary to make sure all the parts fit together perfectly.

For this oval conference table with brushed steel base and granite top, the process took almost three hours. Now watch it happen in thirty seconds! Press "play" to begin the slide show:

Before shipping a custom designed table, our artisans assemble the table and make any adjustments necessary to make sure all the parts fit together perfectly.

For this oval conference table with brushed steel base and granite top, the process took almost three hours. Now watch it happen in thirty seconds! Press "play" to begin the slide show:

 

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Conference Tables in History

Today we rarely have food at the conference table, much less hold an important conference at the dining table.

In the Middle Ages, the meeting room and the banquet hall were often one and the same

Elbows Off the Conference Table!

Your Auntie Mabel probably told you to keep your elbows off the dining table, eat with your mouth closed and ask to be excused from the table. There's no proper aunt advising us on etiquette when we're sitting around a conference table. But good manners are just as important in the workplace.

Most conference table etiquette boils down to one simple principle: be considerate.

If you are attending a meeting or presentation:

• Be on time. (enough said!)
  
• Remain attentive: no checking email on your Blackberry, fidgeting or daydreaming. Turn off your cell phone before the meeting or leave it behind. If there's no clock in the room, set your watch in your lap under the conference table so you can check the time without the presenter noticing.
  
• Don't leave the conference room during the meeting. Take a bathroom break just before if that is likely to be an issue. If leaving early is absoutely necessary and you have prior permission of the presenter, sit by the door to cause as little disruption as possible.
  
• If the topic is of vital interest to you and you have many questions to ask, try not to dominate the conversation; keep your questions brief, and be sure to let others have their say too. If the opposite is true, still come prepared with a question or two in case the discussion lags. And never interrupt.
  

If you are hosting a meeting or presentation:

• Only invite people who need to be there. Don't waste people's time by calling them into the conference room when their presence isn't necessary.
  
• If you need extra time to set up or break down, reserve the conference room for the extra time. Don't assume the space will be available early.
  
• If your presentation includes discussion time, give everyone the opportunity to ask questions. Treat everyone sitting around the conference table as equally important, regardless of the corporate hierarchy. Try not to let any one participant dominate, or derail the discussion with off-topic issues.
  
• The secret to successful meetings: however long your presentation is, always schedule it for ten minutes longer and finish "early." Attendees will walk away from the conference table thinking you are the best presenter ever. 
  

(And if you must rest your elbows on the conference table, at least your Auntie Mabel isn't there to see it.)

When Moving Conference Tables, Protect Your Investment

Once a new conference table is installed, the last thing anyone wants to think about is moving it again. And most conference tables are very rarely moved. But eventually circumstances may require it: a few years down the line you may remodel your office, or relocate to a new office. Follow these steps to protect your conference table when you move it.

Many Hands Make Light Work. Make sure to have adequate staff on hand to move your table. A large glass table top is surprisingly heavy, and a granite table top is even heavier. One slip by a mover straining under too heavy a load, and your table top might end up with a chip or crack and need to be replaced.

This is especially important if your table top has a finish like frosted glass or our "Scratched" glass, as the movers should take care not to leave smudges on the textured surface of the glass. This is hard for them to do if they are carrying too much weight and are using all their energy not to drop the table.

Padded Blankets Are Your Friend. If the conference table will be moved more than a few feet, or will be turned on its side (to go through a doorway or around a corner), use padded blankets to protect the edges. If the top separates from the base and you need to lean the top against a wall while moving the base, lay padded blankets on the floor before setting the top down.

To Disassemble or Not to Disassemble. Did the table require assembly when it was originally installed? If the table is moving just a few feet within the same room, and you have enough people to lift all the pedestals in unison, you can probably get away with moving it in one piece. If the top is separate you should remove it, move the pedestals, and then replace the top. Do not pull or drag a heavy conference table across the floor.

If the table is moving to another room, or is so large you do not have enough people to move all the pedestals at once, you'll have to disassemble the table and reassemble it in its new location. Be sure to save all hardware in plastic bags, and clearly label all parts as you disassemble the table.

Read the Functional Manual. Use the assembly instructions that came with the table (you did save them, didn't you?) to ensure correct disassembly and re-assembly. If you no longer have the assembly instructions, contact the manufacturer for a new set of instructions. Provide them with a copy of your original invoice or packing list so they know exactly what table you need instructions for.

Caveat Emptor. If you are hiring movers/installers to move your conference table, make sure their rates and policies are clearly explained. Will they crate the table, or move it as is? What is their responsibility if the table is damaged while in their hands?

Cold Storage. Due to scheduling conflicts you may need to remove your table from its old location before the new location is ready. If you do not have space where the table can be stored, ask your moving company how much they would charge to store it for you. For long-term storage you may wish to rent a storage unit. Or you might even contact the original manufacturer and ask if they can store it, although this will probably require freight to and from their location.

Conference Tables in History

The Yalta Conference, Feb 4-11, 1945.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin met in Yalta to plan the defeat of the Axis, and agree to terms of the eventual occupation of Germany.

(Remember the troops this Memorial Day weekend.)

Metal Office Furniture Care and Maintenance

Metal is a hard, durable material, and furniture made of metal typically requires far less maintenance than wood. Use these tips to get the most from your metal furniture.

Brushed Steel
Brushed Steel leg plates are finished with a Hand rubbed Oil finish and sealed with a Clear Satin Conversion Varnish finish. With normal use the finish and sealer should never need to be reapplied. Brushed Steel is subject to corrosion, therefore we do not recommend outdoor use in coastal areas, or exposure to rain.

During processing at the mill, molten Steel is passed through rollers to flatten & shape the bar of Steel into a 1/2" inch thick plate. The rollers leave unpredictable character on the Steel surface, often in a linear pattern. We rub over and highlight this character with our regimented scratching, but each leg plate will retain the underlying character from the hot rolling process. The bottom of leg plates have a Cork barrier applied to protect floors. Stoneline uses Brushed Steel in the Axis and Radian table lines.

Stainless Steel
Stainless Steel panels are systematically brushed with a horizontal line pattern. As stainless Steel does not oxidize, no finish is necessary. However, both the Quadrant and Crescent table lines, which use Stainless Steel, also include wooden components. So we do not recommend locating these tables where they will be exposed to rain.

Aluminum
A cross-hatch pattern is hand scratched into the surface of 5/8" Aluminum plate. The scratch finish is on the pedestal part of the Vector table only. Solid Aluminum crossbars have a brushed texture and a Clear Satin Conversion Varnish finish. With normal use, the finish should never need to be reapplied. Aluminum is subject to corrosion from water, though not to the same degree as Brushed Steel. Therefore we do not recommend outdoor use in coastal areas, or exposure to rain. Stoneline uses Aluminum in the Vector table line.

Conference Tables: Choosing the Right Shape

When purchasing a conference table there are many options to consider and choose from. One of the most basic and important decisions is what shape your conference table will be.


Our most popular shaped top is a Boat with all four sides arced. The curve on the long sides helps improve sight lines so that it is easier for conference participants seated at the far ends of the same side of the table to see each other. The graceful curve on all four sides gives the table a sophisticated modern appearance.

A Racetrack Oval is a circle divided in half and stretched out with straight lines connecting the two halves. This shape is particularly effective with a wiring trough running down the center of the table, or an open space down the center for wiring access (as shown).

Rectangular shapes require simpler machining techniques and are competitively priced, making the rectangle a good choice when budget is an issue. A rectangular table is a clean, basic shape which looks good in almost any conference room.


Round shape tops are an excellent choice for smaller conference rooms. Round conference tables can be built to seat anywhere from 6-24, however this shape is usually chosen when smaller meetings are anticipated.

A Wedge shape top is a trapezoid, narrower at one end. This allows a speaker at the wide end to see down the table, or for participants to view a monitor for video conferencing.


Oval shapes can make the most of a smaller space. Due to the curved sides, less clearance is required in the room than with a Rectangular or Racetrack shaped table.

We also design conference tables in a variety of custom shapes, such as Square, Octagon, or U shape, which allows a speaker access to all participants from the center of the table.

Plan ahead for how your table will be used and what shape top will best suit your needs. This planning will help ensure that you purchase the right conference table for you.