Recently in Conference Tables Category

Stoneline Designs is pleased to add the Bamboo Conference Table to our line of custom designed, hand built conference tables. The Bamboo Conference Table is sustainable inside and out: the top and pedestal feature bamboo veneer, a renewable resource. The substrate is low emissions MDF, made with no formaldehyde-based glue. And the table is finished with a water based, low VOC finish.

The Stoneline Designs team receives a shipment of granite for upcoming conference table orders. In this photo Brian, Rob and Mace guide a granite slab off the truck while Bart drives the forklift. 

Our new bamboo conference table, the latest addition to Stoneline Designs' line of office furniture, features the wiring trough with sliding cover. The cover slides open to reveal wiring plates which can be fitted with a variety of power outlets and data ports. When closed, the cover conceals the power outlets.

In this photo, Stoneline Designs artisan Mace sands the beveled edge of a granite conference table. Running water reduces heat from friction, and keeps the sander from clogging with debris. The water appears cloudy due to debris rinsing away from the sanding surface.This granite will be used as part of a multiple piece conference table top, held together with a T-bar in between each piece of granite. Mace stops frequently and measures the bevel against the T-bar, to make sure the edge of the bevel and the edge of the T-bar line up perfectly. This takes time, but ensures a perfect fit and seamless appearance to the finished conference table.

Our responsibility to you doesn't end when your conference table is made. We expertly crate and palletize your table for safe transport to your door.

The wiring grommet is our most popular option for adding wiring/power to a conference table. A 4" hole is cut into the table top, and fitted with a wiring grommet including 2 power and 2 phone/data jacks. The grommet includes a removable cap and is positioned over the pedestal so that wires can be concealed within the pedestal.

Ruth Haag's article "The Shape of the Conference Table Determines Success or Failure" applies the same principles to conference table design. Haag examines different conference table shapes and what kind of behaviors they encourage in attendees. Some of her examples:

We just received this note from a customer who had purchased a conference table with built in power/data, and matching credenza. It really made our day.

The furniture arrived yesterday. It is unbelievable, and completely exceeded my expectations. I am a very details oriented person, and Monte's attention to details and use of quality materials is unlike anything I've ever seen. Things like matching covers over screw holes, routed indentations so the center outlet cup doesn't hang up on screw holes, grommeted cord pass-throughs and vents in the credenza, routed finger pulls, set screws in the power cups to perfectly adjust their height, soft felt backing on the back of the outlet cup covers so they don't scratch the glass, and so on. The weight and quality of the materials also deserves note. The 3/4" scratched glass is beautiful. The steel box tubing and 1/4" steel pipe used for the outlet cups is substantial. The stuff is weighty, beautiful, and functional. I purchase a lot of high-end "designer" furniture, but none of it compares to this. I literally stumbled across Stoneline Designs doing a web search for a conference table, and I couldn't be more satisfied with my decision to use you guys. In a world of poorly designed, mass-produced, cheaply constructed furniture, you guys stand alone in my opinion. Cutting edge contemporary designs crafted with true artisan hand-made craftsmanship. Rock on Stoneline.

--Thanks, Don

Bass & Company Management Consultants

Thanks Don, we're so glad the conference table and credenza are happy in their new home. Rock on!

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.

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.

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.

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.)

Option: Wiring Grommet. The wiring grommet is an excellent solution to build power/ wiring into a conference table. It is unobtrusive when not in use, and provides basic outlets plus the flexibility to add additional cables through the pass-through hole. If more outlets are required multiple grommets can be installed, up to one per pedestal.

Our 4"d wiring grommet includes 2 power, 2 phone/data (cat.5 rj 45) outlets as standard. The duplex data/phone jacks can be replaced with a variety of other jacks, but there is an alternative designed into the grommet to accommodate another corded outlet. The grommet is recessed below the surface of the conference table top and includes a 1x2" pass-through opening. A corded VGA outlet (or similar) can be passed through this opening and left loose inside the cup when not in use. The cord can be pulled out to connect directly to a laptop without the need for a patch cord to connect to a fixed jack. If an audio jack is needed in combination with the VGA, the cords can be tied together and pulled out in tandem.

Pricing for the 4"d wiring grommet includes the grommet with outlets, a housing (secured to the pedestal with set-screws from inside the grommet), a finished hole through the table top, (Hand-polished in Glass tops, Sandblasted finish in Stone tops), and a removable Brushed Aluminum cap. The round cap has overlapping cutouts that can be closed or spun open to allow wires to pass. The grommet is fixed at 3/8" below the top surface of the table to allow a place for the cap to sit where it is captured by the exposed sides of the Stone or Glass top. This detail highlights the material of the top rather than hiding the transition with a lip that sits on the surface.
The grommet ships with a 6' power pigtail that can be plugged directly into a floor outlet. The data jack need to be hardwired as they can be configured several different ways (such as for data or phone connectivity). The grommet is removable from above, through the top, so it can be serviced after the table is set-up.

Next time we'll look at another option: the wiring trough.

As more and more conferences include high-tech applications like videoconferencing or online presentations, power and data ports are becoming a necessity for many conference room tables.

How Does It Work? Power and data ports are built into the table top, concealed beneath a sliding or removable cover. Wires run through the table pedestal, and removable panels in the side of the pedestal provide access for maintenance. Typically a power outlet is installed in the floor under the pedestal, making the power completely seamless.

What Do You Need? Before ordering your wired conference table, think about how the table will be used and how many people will need to plug in their computers. As is often the case with new technology, many businesses find that they use the power in their conference table more than they expected. So it is better to plan for more than you think you need, and have enough if your needs expand. Rather than to compromise, end up with less than you actually need and have to retrofit the table later to add more outlets. If you are unsure of what you need, our designers can help you make this decision.

Next time, we'll look at some of the options available in conference table wiring & power.