Live edge or "Baumkante" refers to a furniture edge that is not straight but curved and naturally flowing. With this board edge, the shape comes from the individual growth of the tree. As a result, solid wood furniture pieces with a live edge are anything but linear; they are individual and unique – just as every tree is unique.
Live edge furniture is particularly effective when the boards have a certain thickness. This is usually 25-50 mm, so the furniture made from them also has a corresponding weight.
Live edge is mostly used for tables, which gives them a natural look. Such tables are then usually referred to as live edge tables. Other furniture such as dressers, shelves, cabinets, or even windowsills with a live edge are also available and give every room a natural look.
Furniture and tables with a live edge are definitely unique, because the growth form of the tree – and thus the edge of the furniture piece – is different for every tree. It is precisely this individual table edge, combined with a corresponding surface structure and grain of the table, that makes each live edge table original and attractive.
Other terms for live edge include – sometimes differing regionally – Baumkante, Waldkante, Naturkante, Waldsaum, and Fehlkante.
