The Journey of an English Oak
With almost 40 years of creativity and craftsmanship, Silverlining is known for sourcing materials with rich provenance—none more remarkable than an English brown burr oak tree planted in 1773 to mark the birth of George Howard, 6th Earl of Carlisle. His descendants still reside at Castle Howard, a magnificent 18th-century estate nestled within 1,000 acres of North Yorkshire, which has featured in many film and television productions, including Brideshead Revisited.
Brought down during England’s Great Storm on 15 October 1987, the 214-year-old tree lay undisturbed for more than 25 years. Over time, it became colonised by beefsteak fungi, which stained the pale honey-coloured oak into a deeper, richer brown. Combined with the tree’s naturally occurring burrs, rounded outgrowths formed under stress that yield highly figured, decorative wood, the result was a rare and beautiful material: brown or tiger oak.
A few years ago, Silverlining was approached by clients with a love for nature, the sea, and the sky. Collaborating with superyacht designer Greg C. Marshall, the team envisioned a sculptural dining table that would honour both the tree’s legacy and the clients’ lifestyle.
The pedestal was crafted from a heavily burred section of the tree’s base, set atop a polished stainless steel plinth. To reveal the full drama of the contorted oak, a central bowl was designed to sit within the natural form of the tree, beneath a circular, five-piece aquamarine cast glass top, specially commissioned from a studio in Bohemia, Czech Republic.
While the original four-foot-wide oak butt was too heavy for the yacht installation, it was carefully cut into five wedges. These were reassembled in situ aboard the yacht in New Zealand, simulating the form of the uncut tree. Inside, 160 micro LED lights were painstakingly inserted using extended drills, allowing the table to glow with atmospheric light from within. The central bowl, turned by hand from a 51-kilogram block of burr oak, added a final sculptural flourish.
The result is a striking centrepiece that pays tribute to nature, craftsmanship, and design innovation. The oak’s twisted burrs and rich colours evoke the earth, the glass top recalls the movement of the sea, and the glowing micro lights shine like stars in a night sky.
It is often said that great oaks from little acorns grow. Who would have imagined that a single acorn, planted in one of Britain’s great estates in the 18th century, would one day become the heart of a unique yacht table on the other side of the world—what a journey!
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