Robert Russell Designs
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A rendering of a walnut table with thin resin streaks on black steel X legs, used as a desk in a home office.

Hardwood on steel
Elevation
Shown in a rendered room

Hardwood dining tables on metal bases

Solid hardwood tops on steel bases, the steel left raw, powder-coated or taken to a patina. Species, top and base are settled when the table is drawn.

Begin a commission How it gets made

Elevation · Metal base

10

Form
Metal base
Material
Hardwood on steel
Made
Geneva, Illinois
Finish
Hard wax through to high-gloss flood coat
Delivery
White glove, placed in the room

Drawn from the boards it will be built from, and sized to your room. Every piece on this page is a one-off.

In this collection

10 photographed

  • A handcrafted wooden table with a rich, natural finish, featuring a live edge design and sturdy black metal legs. The table is set in a well-lit indoor space with a neutral-toned background, highlighting the wood grain and craftsmanship.
  • A large live-edge wooden table with a glossy finish and prominent wood grain, supported by black X-shaped metal legs. The table is placed in a corner of a room with beige walls, grey carpet, and a large window on the left letting in natural light.
  • A large rectangular wooden desk with a rustic finish and red metal legs featuring circular rivet details. An office chair sits behind the desk in a room with wooden flooring, white walls, and two windows. The image also includes close-up views of the desk’s wood grain and metalwork, emphasizing its industrial and rustic design elements.
  • A round table with a thick, dark wood top and a black X-shaped metal base, set on a carpeted floor in a room with light-colored walls. Behind the table are three framed floral prints and two wall-mounted candle sconces with lit candles, creating a cozy and decorative interior setting.
  • Two black metal table legs in an X-shaped design, placed on a wooden surface with a cardboard background, showcasing a modern and minimalist style.
  • Metal table base with an X-shaped support structure made of rectangular metal beams, placed outdoors on asphalt with greenery and a parked vehicle in the background.
  • Two steel X-shaped metal table legs with a modern industrial design, placed on a wooden surface against a metallic background.
  • Black metal table base with intersecting crisscross beams forming a geometric support structure, photographed against a dark studio wall.
  • Two black metal frames with ornate letter
  • Two black metal table legs with a geometric design featuring a large triangle and an inverted smaller triangle forming a diamond shape, photographed against a dark studio wall.

The steel base is made for the top it carries. X frames, trapezoids, pedestals and geometric forms are all here, and the steel can be left raw, powder-coated or taken to a patina.

The tops are solid hardwood, usually walnut, maple or elm, kiln-dried and finished by hand. Some carry a resin river or an inlay and some are left as clean wood. I settle the species, the base and the finish with each client when the table is drawn.

The same bases go under desks and conference tables as well as dining tables.

Before you ask

Can I see the table before it is built?
That is the whole way I work. When slabs are used, I cut each slab out in Photoshop, size it against the measurements marked on it, and lay your top out to your dimensions. Then a SketchUp model shows the shape, proportions and details, along with AI-assisted visualizations to help you see the table in a finished space, before a board is cut. The drawing lands within a few percent of the finished table.
Can I see the wood and the finish first?
Yes. A sample board is made and shipped to you, so you can hold the species, the resin and the finish in your own room before anything is cut.
How is a commission priced?
Every piece is priced from its dimensions, its species and its base, so there is no list. Tell me the room and the budget you have in mind and I will tell you what is possible inside it. Size, species and base all move.
How does it get to me?
Across Chicagoland, I generally handle delivery and installation personally. Everywhere else, pieces travel white glove and are placed in the room. My work has gone to 47 of the 48 continental states.
Who actually builds it?
I design every piece myself and lead the build in my studio in Geneva, Illinois, from the drawing to the finish. You deal with me from the first call to the installation. There is no salesperson or account rep in between, and nobody the project is handed off to.
Do you make anything besides tables?
Bespoke and wall pieces, yes, and I am taking more of that work.

More of the work

Start with a drawing.

Begin a commission More of the work (630) 492-1417