Apex I-Beam Dining Table
A twelve-foot Claro walnut top, dense with figure, carried on twin blackened steel I-beams fabricated from half-inch plate. The raw language of structural steel set beneath one of the most figured hardwoods in North America. Built to order in our Chicago workshop.
Built in Chicago
Lifetime warranty
Final approval before delivery
Nationwide white-glove installation
The Piece
The Apex I-Beam Dining Table is a study in contrast: the raw language of structural steel set beneath one of the most figured hardwoods in North America. Twelve feet of Claro walnut, dense with grain and color, carried on twin blackened I-beams fabricated from half-inch steel. At twelve feet, it is built for the dining room that does the real work of a house, the long dinners, the holidays, the people who stay at the table well after the plates are cleared. The industrial base is honest about what it is, and it makes the warmth and movement of the top read louder.
The Wood
The top is Claro walnut, selected for maximum movement and for the contrast it strikes against the blackened steel. Juglans hindsii, the Northern California black walnut native to the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys, is prized above almost any domestic hardwood for the range of color and figure it carries. This top runs from warm auburn through deep chocolate, with the dark streaking and mineral lines the species is known for and flashes of grey and red through the grain. The figure moves the way only an old tree's does, dense and unrepeatable from one board to the next. Set against the spare black steel below it, that color and movement is the whole point of the piece.
The Base
The base is built from twin steel I-beams, fabricated in half-inch steel and given a blackened patina. The two beams cant inward from squared steel foot plates and carry a spine between them, a trestle logic borrowed from bridges and machine floors. The bolted connections are left exposed rather than hidden, part of the industrial vocabulary of the piece. The footprint sits inboard of the ends, so the length of the table stays clear for the people seated along it. It is heavy, planted, and unmistakably structural.
The Form
The table is twelve feet long and four feet wide, at thirty inches standard dining height. The top's edges are milled clean and square, giving the organic figure of the walnut a precise, architectural frame that answers the steel below. At this scale the grain has room to run the full length of the room.
The Construction
The top is a solid slab of Claro walnut, roughly two and three eighths inches thick. Its natural voids and fissures are stabilized with epoxy so the surface stands up to daily use. Beneath it, steel C channels reinforce the slab, and it is fastened to the base with threaded inserts and slotted connections that hold the top firmly while letting a slab this size expand and contract across the seasons. The twin I-beam base is fabricated in-house from half-inch steel and separates from the top for delivery, so a twelve-foot table can be carried into the room in two pieces and set back together on site.
The Finish
Every Apex is built to order in our Chicago workshop. The steel wears a blackened patina for a deep, even tone, and the walnut is finished one of two ways. The 2K polyurethane spray finish, applied in our commercial spray booth, gives a hard, durable surface well suited to daily use. The hand rubbed oil finish using Odie's Universal Oil penetrates the wood and brings figure like this to its full depth. A conversation about your room and how you use it will point to the right one.
Meet the designer and builder
Jerry Rodman
Jerry Rodman founded Statement Chicago and designs every piece we make. He left a corporate career to build furniture, and for years he built each commission himself. Today Jerry and his team of four build every piece by hand in our Chicago workshop, and he leads each project from the first conversation to the day it is delivered.
More about Jerry
Jerry started the business eleven years ago in Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood, first as Bucktown Built and now as Statement Chicago. The shop is known for large dining tables and complex custom furniture.
Every commission begins with how you live and the room the piece will live in. Jerry presents three design options, refines the one you choose, and stays involved through delivery.
WGN featured his Ancient Kauri Dining Table, a ten foot table made from New Zealand kauri that was growing about two thousand years ago.
Built Around You
Every Apex I-Beam Dining Table is built to order. The Claro walnut top shown is unrepeatable; yours will be its own, chosen with you and set on the twin steel I-beam base.
The Top
Solid Claro walnut as shown, selected for figure with you before work begins. Because each top is its own wood, yours will carry its own color, grain, and movement.
The Base
Twin steel I-beams in half-inch steel with a blackened patina, as shown. Alternate steel finishes are available if you want the base to sit differently in your space.
Size
The piece shown is twelve feet long by four feet wide. Custom lengths and widths are available, sized to your room and to the wood on hand.
Species
Claro walnut as shown. Other species are available on request, though the drama of this table comes from the walnut against the steel.
Finish
2K polyurethane spray finish applied in our commercial spray booth, or hand rubbed oil finish using Odie's Universal Oil. A conversation about the room and how the table will be used will point to the right finish.
Available In
Client Experience
“I can’t say enough about the quality, craftsmanship, and creativity that he puts behind all his pieces. They are in a class of their own.”
Custom furniture client, Chicago
Before you order
What is Claro walnut?
Claro walnut is the trade name for Juglans hindsii, the Northern California black walnut, native to the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys. It is prized among domestic hardwoods for its dramatic color range, from pale brown to deep chocolate with grey, red, and purple casts, and for the figure it carries, especially in older trees.
Is there a version built for the boardroom?
Yes. The Apex Industrial Boardroom Table is the same design specified for the workplace, sized to a boardroom seating plan with integrated power and data and shop drawings for the design team. This page covers the dining table.
How much does the Apex I-Beam Dining Table cost?
The Apex begins at $12,700. Final pricing depends on the Claro walnut top selected, the overall dimensions, and the finish. Every Apex is built to order, and a conversation about your room produces a detailed quote.
What is the base made of?
Twin steel I-beams, fabricated in-house from half-inch steel and given a blackened patina. The two beams cant inward from squared steel foot plates and carry a spine between them, with the bolted connections left exposed as part of the industrial look. The base is heavy and structural, and it separates from the top for delivery.
Is the tabletop solid wood?
Yes. The top is a solid slab of Claro walnut, roughly two and three eighths inches thick, one of the most figured hardwoods in North America. Its natural voids and fissures are stabilized with epoxy for daily use, and no two tops are alike, since each is built around its own wood.
How is a top this size built to last?
Beneath the top, steel C channels reinforce the slab, and it is fastened to the base with threaded inserts and slotted connections that hold it firmly while allowing the solid wood to expand and contract with the seasons. Solid wood moves, and the attachment is designed to let it move without splitting or cupping.
What are the dimensions and how many does it seat?
The table shown is twelve feet long, four feet wide, and thirty inches tall. It seats twelve comfortably, and the inboard I-beam base keeps the length of the table clear so no one seated along it meets a leg. Custom sizes are available, sized to your room.
Can the Apex be built in a custom size?
Yes. Length and width are built to your room and to the wood on hand. Because each table is built around an individual Claro walnut top, the size is discussed together with the wood.
How is the Apex different from the Arc Dining Table?
Both can be built in Claro walnut, but their bases pull in opposite directions. The Arc rests on a sculptural curved steel base with a quiet, organic profile. The Apex stands on twin exposed steel I-beams with visible bolted connections and far greater visual mass. The Arc is architectural and understated; the Apex is deliberately industrial.
What finish options are available?
Two for the wood. The 2K polyurethane spray finish is applied in our commercial spray booth and provides a hard, durable surface for daily use. The hand rubbed oil finish using Odie's Universal Oil penetrates the wood and deepens the figure with age. The steel base wears a blackened patina.
How is a table this size delivered?
The top and base travel separately, so a twelve-foot table moves into the room in two pieces rather than one. Before fabrication we review the access path, doorways, stairs, elevators, and final placement, and our white glove delivery partners assemble the table and set the top onto the base on site.
Who builds the Apex?
Every piece that leaves Statement Chicago is built by Jerry Rodman, a furniture maker who has been in business for 11 years, and his team of four carpenters in our workshop on Chicago's north side. There is no production line and no outsourcing. When you commission a table, you work directly with the people who build it, from the first conversation to the day it arrives in your home.
Delivery
Every piece is built to order in our Chicago workshop, and delivery is coordinated directly with you once it is finished. We build and ship nationwide. Our white glove delivery partners review the access path, handle any assembly and set the piece in place in your home.
Care
Care depends on the finish. A 2K polyurethane finish needs little more than a soft, damp cloth; avoid harsh chemical cleaners. A hand rubbed oil finish benefits from a light coat of Odie's Universal Oil once a year, or whenever the surface looks dry. With either finish, use trivets under hot dishes, wipe up standing water and keep the piece out of prolonged direct sunlight.
Lifetime warranty
Every piece is covered against manufacturing defects for the life of the piece. We stand behind what we build.
Order yours
Tell us about your room.
Share the size you need, the wood you love, and how you will use the piece. We will size and quote it for your space and guide every step from there.