The top of this table by design student Nathalie Dackelid is designed like a caterpillar track so it can be extended bit by bit to the required length (+ movie).

The ash table is topped with a row of prism-shaped batons, which are held together with rubber cords to form a wooden tablecloth that drapes over the frame and hangs down on two sides.

When the table needs extending, beams stored beneath the top are slid out on either side to push up the hanging batons one by one and create a longer flat surface.

"Instead of having drop-leaf construction where the hanging table tops close off one or two sides I wanted to create a use for the hanging parts, which turn out to look like a tablecloth when it's contracted," said the designer, who is studying at HDK Steneby in Sweden.

The triangular cross-sections allow the batons to rest at right angles to each other and hang vertically from the table edges.

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"After trying different shapes connected together with a rubber string I found out that the triangles worked well," Dackelid told Dezeen. "The tension of the cord and the angle of the triangles created a stop at the ends and fixed the table top in place."

"The end grain of the ash wood makes a beautiful pattern in the triangular shape, which also reminds me of my grandmother's crocheted tablecloths," she added.

The designer's intention is that the flexibility of the piece will give it greater longevity.

"The table is designed to adapt itself in size to the many different situations in life, prolonging its usefulness," she said. "This could be a move to a larger apartment, accommodating a few extra friends for dinner, or just freeing up a little extra space to dance."

This table was exhibited on the HDK Steneby stand in the Greenhouse area for emerging talent at last month's Stockholm Furniture Fair.

Photography is by Steven Polak.