by New construction creates several new tabletops with self-storing leaves
HIGH POINT — During the April High Point market, Bassett Furniture is unveiling the latest development with its solid wood BenchMade wood furniture line.
The “Hide-Away” table footprint, shown at premarket, will broaden the BenchMade dining mix beyond its core fixed-top dining tables to tables with self-storing leaves.
Like the original dining line, which was introduced just over 10 years ago, the program has multiple configurations and options.
Made with solid silver-leaf maple, it includes four table shapes — rectangle, boat, gathering and oval, plus a few different table edge profiles. There are also five table leg styles including tapered, Danish modern, turned, cove and round along with eight maple finishes.
“With the variation of styles and finishes, there are many looks that you can create,” said Jeb Bassett, chief operating officer.
But the main difference is the self-storing leaf functionality, where they can be stored underneath the tabletop, which opens with a ratcheted mechanism. The tables can store up to two 12-inch leaves, which can bring a 72-inch table, for example, to 96 inches.
Some of the assembly and shaping of the tables is done in the company’s Bassett, Virginia, plant, while the finishing, final assembly and packaging is done in the company’s Martinsville, Virginia, plant, which also produces the chairs, including four new designs by Scott Coley that can have either a wood or a fabric seat.
The program also highlights the company’s capabilities in the production of solid wood furniture.
“We are using what we call silver-leaf maple, which is a nice clear maple,” said Vice President of Sales Matt Johnson, of the tables and bases, which feature 1-inch-thick tops with shaped edges. “Manufacturing domestically, we are able to produce nice profiles that we can cut along these edges. … A customer can run their hands along the edges and understand that this is solid.”
The tables also are all leg tables that can seat anywhere from six or eight to 10 comfortably — with a leaf or two leaves — without an individual straggling any legs or posts. The cog-and-wheel mechanism also allows the tables to be opened and closed easily.
With a manufacturing lead time of about 14 days, the company is able to produce and ship the sets quickly to customers around the country. But another benefit is that with the exception of some of its 500 fabrics facing tariffs, the sets will be tariff-free in that they are made entirely in the U.S.
“The great thing about us is that we do a lot of the work in-house, so we are able to offset some of those costs,” Johnson said, noting that even the mechanisms are U.S.-made. “We feel like we are offering a good value.”
