Indoors: the egalitarian pleasures of the round table

There's something about a round table that speaks to conviviality and egalitarianism. There's no head of the table, no dud seat. For many years we had a circular Danish table and matching chairs, and I still mourn its loss. We only sold it in the name of safety, because the children kept scooting off the three-legged seats.

This contemporary timber table (pictured), called "Tobu" by Wolfgang C.R. Mezger for Walter Knoll, features in the new premises of Sydney antiquarian book dealers Hordern House. Certain design elements were a given for Kate Nixon, director of Busatti Studio, who undertook the fitout. "We were inspired by the steel-framed windows in the warehouse space," she says. "The idea was to use floor-to-ceiling slick white joinery and contemporary architectural lighting to draw these treasures into the 21st century."

Placed in the rare books room, the lightweight, pedestal-based table has a dual purpose – for private book viewings and as a place to put food and drink during client functions. "It lends an airy elegance to the space, and the natural timber emits a welcome warmth," Nixon says. Surrounded by floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with books of fascinating pedigree, and lit from above by graphic architectural lighting, Nixon is happy with the way it works. "They invite you into a space without point or position," she says of round tables. "The form centres an area very well and facilitates circulation and conversation." And in this case, presumably, also engagement with books.