Starburst Dining Table in Queensland Walnut, c. 1960

Book-matched sunburst veneer work like this, with sixteen leaves of Queensland walnut radiating from a single centre point, was the kind of cabinetmaking usually reserved for a workshop's showpiece rather than standard production, which is part of why tables like this rarely survive intact. It sits on a solid blackwood base with slender tapered legs, pairing two distinct Australian timbers in a combination that was common in the best furniture of the period but genuinely uncommon to find surviving in one piece today. The table has been fully restored in the studio, with the veneer stabilised and refinished using Oli Natura hardwax oil, a penetrating finish that sits into the timber rather than sealing over it, so the grain reads true and any future marks can be spot repaired rather than requiring a full refinish. There are a few small marks consistent with genuine age, such as very minor edge repairs, all of which have already been carried out. The table remains structurally sound throughout. At 75 cm high and 130 cm in diameter, it seats four comfortably, and works equally well as a round dining table or an oversized centre table in a larger living space. We handle a lot of mid-century pieces through the studio, and we have not come across another sunburst top quite like this one! Excellent restored condition.