Arched-stretcher Sofa Table

Historically, a sofa table has been a quiet servant that waits dutifully in the wings of the room — behind the sofa. As you see in the photo above, this table is fully capable of fulfilling that duty, but you don’t have to stop there. This handsome piece of furniture has more to offer.

The legs and arched stretcher are glued up from thick stock to give the base of the table a strong, massive look. Using thinner 22mm-thick material for the top balances the design. This all means it could serve as a streamlined replacement for a larger buffet in the dining room. Or take up residence in a hallway, entryway or bathroom just as easily. It would also work well tucked under a wall-mounted TV.

All of these versatile options might suggest that you have a complex project that you’re preparing to tackle, but that’s not the case at all. As shown in the drawing on the next page, you’re going to be working with some thick pieces of material, but the well-thoughtout design has reduced the joinery to tried-and-true basics. Mortise and tenon joints for the legs and stretcher, plus, throw in a little tongue and groove on the breadboard ends of the top. To fasten the top to the base you’ll use five large