A round table changes how a room talks. With no head of the table, everyone sits the same distance from everyone else — which is exactly why the Ernest works so well for the dinners that run long.

The 60-inch top rests on two crossed slabs rather than legs, so chairs tuck in anywhere around the edge without hitting anything. The finish is a deep smoked brown with the grain still reading through it, warm enough to sit against lighter walls without feeling heavy.

Comfortably seats six.