We've seen the design approaches taken by Jupe and Fletcher to create a circular expanding table. Now let's take a look at the more common table form factor, the rectangle, and some different approaches used to make it expandable.

The first question a designer's got to answer is, where do the leaves go? Are they stored integrally, in Fletcher-like fashion, or meant to be stowed externally, a la Jupe? Resource Furniture's Goliath table takes the latter approach. And while it may seem cumbersome to remove each panel manually and find a place to store them, this is offset by two benefits: The table shrinks down to an almost absurdly small size, offering unmatched space saving, and the length can be customized rather than locking the user into predetermined end lengths.

The second question a designer must answer is, will the leaves be installed manually, or have an automatic action? BoConcept's Occa TO14 table chooses the latter option:

This attractive table by Berrydesign has a single on-board leaf extension, with hinged sides to nicely add chunky edges matching those of the table:

Another Berrydesign table, this one able to expand to a structurally-improbable 4.1 meters in length, is their gargantuan Infinity Table:

Also on the very large front, Havesome's Mega Extending Dining Table takes a hybrid approach, with some of the leaves stored on-board and manually installed, while others are integrated and flip-out style:

Designer Nico Gruenwald has a very different approach to expandability with his Unicum table. (A messy eater like me would practically need to blow the slats out with an air compressor before I could close it again.)

Daniel Chaffin Furniture Makers' Primmer Expanding Table takes an interesting approach: Rather than expand lengthwise, the already-ten-foot-long table grows in width:

And finally Matthew Bridges Design's SEER table, which has onboard leaf storage and grows radially, isn't rectangular at all, but square. It's well worthy of inclusion here, and check out the nice detail where the central square lifts up into place at the end: