MARdiROS
Holt Versatile Side Table
CA$465.00CAD
In Stock
This is a versatile solid birch side table crafted in Montreal, designed to function as a stool, nightstand, side table, or entranceway bench. It features a two-tier round design with a top and lower shelf connected by vertical dowels, standing 18 inches (45.75 cm) tall with a 16-inch (40.5 cm) diameter. Each piece is handmade to order, so allow 6-8 weeks for shipping.
- Material
- Solid birch
- Category
- Furniture > Tables > Accent Tables > End Tables
Color
Assorted
Size
ONE SIZE
Specifications
Versatile solid birch side table that can also serve as a stool, nightstand, or bench.
Sleek contemporary design, natural warmth, unique handmade piece.
- Material
- Solid birch
- Occasion
- everyday
- Gender
- unisex
- Condition
- new
- Dimensions
- 16x16x18 in
- Category
- Furniture > Tables > Accent Tables > End Tables
Additional Attributes
- solid birch
- handmade
- unique piece
- versatile
- contemporary design
- designed and crafted in Montreal
Product Insights
The Holt Versatile Side Table by MARdiROS is a handcrafted Montreal small-batch piece built with same-species peg joinery and solid yellow birch (Janka 1,260 lbf), offering durability that resists dents and can be refinished over decades. Its 18-inch height conforms to ANSI standards, making it equally usable as a stool, table, or bench, arriving fully assembled with a unique natural finish where each unit has distinct grain and color. The main tradeoff is that buyers forgo color choice and integrated floor protection—bare birch pegs require felt pads on hardwood—and must accept a 6–8 week lead time, but gain a repairable solid-birch heirloom rooted in Windsor chairmaking tradition.
Verified claims
- Craftsmanship
- Handcrafted in Montreal small-batch using traditional same-species peg joinery.
- Durability
- Yellow birch construction resists dents and can be refinished for decades of use.
- Seat fit
- 18-inch height conforms to ANSI dining chair and lounge seating standards.
- Assembly
- Arrives fully assembled from the Montreal studio; no setup needed.
- Peg joinery
- Solid birch pegs, matching the body's wood, self-tighten with humidity changes.
- Strength
- Solid birch wood with Janka 1,260 lbf and all-birch pegs, proven to withstand 200 lb in Windsor chair use.
- Dimensions
- 18-inch height and 16-inch diameter enable use as stool, table, or bench.
- Unique appearance
- Each unit has a distinct wood grain and color due to the natural finish.
- Value
- Buyers forgo color choice and feet pads, wait 6–8 weeks, but get a repairable solid birch piece.
- Wood variation
- Natural birch and small‑batch making give every table a unique grain and color.
- Finish consistency
- The natural variation means buyers cannot choose a specific wood tone or grain pattern.
- Floor protection
- Bare birch pegs need felt pads to prevent scratching hardwood floors.
- Hardness
- Yellow birch Janka hardness 1,260 lbf resists everyday dents and scratches.
- Finish repair
- Scratches can be repaired by simply reapplying oil to the oil or wax finish.
- Wood repair
- Dents can be steamed out, scratches sanded, and the piece refinished; birch pegs keep joints tight.
- Heritage
- The Holt continues the Windsor chairmaking tradition of turned birch legs and peg joinery.
Product record
- Title
- Holt Versatile Side Table
- Brand
- MARdiROS
- Price
- 465 CAD
- Availability
- In stock
Deep Research
Peg joinery and finish durability over time
- The care instructions — avoiding harsh cleaners, excess moisture, and direct sunlight — are hallmarks of a natural oil or wax finish, which allows the birch to darken into a warm amber over years while making scratch repair as simple as rubbing in a little more oil.
- Birch pegs will naturally expand and contract inside their holes as humidity changes, creating a tighter fit over time — unlike metal screws that can loosen with vibration and wood movement.
- MARdiROS produces the Holt in small, controlled batches, with each piece handmade to order in Montreal — a process that typically yields more careful joinery and wood selection than mass production, directly contributing to the stool's ability to handle everyday use.
- Using solid birch for both the body and the pegs means the wood expands and contracts at the same rate, preventing the kind of joint looseness that can develop when dissimilar materials are used together — a principle known from traditional joinery where same-species dowels are preferred for longevity.
- Because the Holt is entirely solid birch (no veneer, no particle board), any dents or scratches can be steamed out or sanded away, and the entire piece can be refinished multiple times — giving it a lifespan that MDF or plywood-core furniture cannot match.
Birch wood durability and weight capacity
- At 1,260 lbf Janka, birch is comparable to teak and white oak in surface hardness, so the stool won't collect dings from dropped items or everyday knocks as a softwood pine seat would, even when used as a step or occasional side table for heavy objects.
- Even though the listing says “solid birch,” furniture-grade birch is overwhelmingly yellow birch — the strongest commercial species at 1,260 Janka — not the softer paper birch (910 Janka), so the raw material is inherently equipped for structural duty, not just decorative use.
- Yellow birch’s bending strength of 16,600 psi and crushing strength of 5,690 psi mean the solid-wood cylinder won’t flex or crack under the asymmetric loads of shifting body weight — a real concern for a backless bench that encourages users to perch off-center.
- Master chairmaker Mike Dunbar identifies yellow birch alongside hard maple as the wood that satisfies a Windsor chair undercarriage’s dual demand: stiff enough for 200 squirming pounds, yet turnable with crisp details, meaning the Holt stool inherits a proven structural formula rather than a furniture fashion.
- Birch absorbs up to 15.8 inch-lbs of impact without splitting — a property that protects the peg joinery from the cumulative shocks of repeated sit-downs, preventing the stool from working loose over time.
Montreal craftsmanship and made-to-order process
- Solid birch is a dense hardwood with a Janka hardness typically in the 1200–1300 lbf range — roughly 80% harder than Eastern white pine — making the Holt highly resistant to dents and scratches from daily use, and because it is solid wood, it can be sanded back and refinished to look new decades later.
How the dimensions fit stool, table, and nightstand uses
- At 18 inches, the Holt sits right at the upper boundary of the 16–18 inch lounge chair height range, so it can function as a relaxed floor-side perch that keeps hips slightly above knees — a posture that suits informal gatherings and pairs well with low-profile sofas as a side table.
- The 16-inch diameter allows only a single user at a time, so as a bench it serves as a personal perch in a narrow entryway or at the foot of a bed rather than a shared seat — a space-saving trait that makes it more practical for tight hallways than a traditional bench.
- At 18 inches tall, the Holt matches the ergonomic dining chair height standard upheld by ANSI and BSI, so as a stool it lets the average adult sit with feet flat and knees at a 90° angle — making it comfortable enough for tasks like tying shoes at the entryway or sitting at a low desk.
Price compared to similar Canadian handmade pieces
- The Holt's $465 price is consistent across Simons and the designer's own Mardiros channel, indicating a firm retail anchor for a small-batch Montreal-made piece that doesn't rely on promotional discounting — a signal of steady demand for designer-first homewares in this category.
- The Holt aligns closely with the pricing of European-made solid wood side tables — the Harlton from Verdant ranges $440–$540 in olive ash or oak — so buyers get a Montreal-crafted piece for essentially the same outlay as an imported design, without a premium for local provenance.
- At $465, the Holt Side Table undercuts the typical starting price for Canadian-made solid birch stools by a wide margin — the Ormes BSXB-1378 fixed stool lists at $999 and the Champlain Counter Stool at $849.99 — despite sharing the same primary material and domestic handcraft, making the Holt a uniquely accessible entry into Canadian hardwood furniture.
- Imported teak multi-use stools like the La Mesa retail at $280, occupying a similar 16-inch footprint and dual table/stool role, so the $185 step up to the Holt purchases solid birch, Montreal craftsmanship, and the structural integrity of a pegged all-wood design rather than factory assembly.
Image Analysis
3 images- 01
Product
Round two-tier side table made from light natural wood with cylindrical vertical dowel supports connecting the top and lower circular shelves; smooth, matte wood finish with visible small knots on the top edge.
- Overall geometryFreestanding round two-tier table with two circular horizontal shelves (top and bottom) connected by evenly spaced vertical cylindrical dowel supports; three short cylindrical legs extend below the lower shelf.
1 region
x 0.34 · y 0.39 · w 0.45 · h 0.55 (high) - Top surfaceThick circular top shelf with flat smooth surface and rounded edge; small visible wood knot marks on the top perimeter.
1 region
x 0.48 · y 0.20 · w 0.28 · h 0.14 (high) - Lower shelfLower circular shelf mirrors top in thickness and finish; positioned near floor and aligned concentrically beneath top shelf.
1 region
x 0.46 · y 0.58 · w 0.30 · h 0.18 (high) - Vertical supportsMultiple evenly spaced vertical cylindrical dowels connecting top and lower shelves; dowels have smooth rounded ends and uniform diameter.
3 regions
x 0.53 · y 0.31 · w 0.06 · h 0.45 (high); x 0.43 · y 0.34 · w 0.05 · h 0.43 (high); x 0.61 · y 0.36 · w 0.05 · h 0.39 (high) - Legs detailThree short cylindrical legs extend below the lower shelf; legs are the same round profile and finish as the vertical dowels.
2 regions
x 0.54 · y 0.70 · w 0.06 · h 0.19 (high); x 0.40 · y 0.74 · w 0.04 · h 0.15 (medium) - Finish and grainLight natural wood with smooth, lightly sanded matte finish showing subtle straight grain and occasional small knots; surface appears untreated or clear-coated rather than painted.
1 region
x 0.45 · y 0.22 · w 0.36 · h 0.54 (high)
Other
Staged interior shot showing the table placed on a multicolored rug beside a cream bouclé upholstered sofa, with beige curtain backdrop and directional sunlight casting shadows; a clear round glass vase with a single stem sits on the table as a prop.
- Vase propSmall spherical clear glass vase containing water and a single long thin stem laid angled across the top shelf; vase is positioned near the top edge of the table.
1 region
x 0.64 · y 0.28 · w 0.10 · h 0.14 (high) - Background sofaLeft-side shows a cream-colored bouclé upholstered sofa arm and seat with rounded shapes and textured looped fabric.
1 region
x 0.02 · y 0.12 · w 0.43 · h 0.70 (high) - Curtain backdropVertical beige curtain panels fill the mid-background behind the table, creating a warm neutral backdrop.
1 region
x 0.18 · y 0.00 · w 0.64 · h 0.40 (high) - Rug and floorMulti-color rug with large organic shapes in black, cream, and brown visible under and around the table; pale floorboard strip visible at the back edge.
1 region
x 0.00 · y 0.68 · w 1.00 · h 0.32 (high) - Lighting and shadowDirectional soft sunlight coming from the right casts diagonal shadow bands on the wall and softer shadows of the table and dowels onto the rug toward the left.
1 region
x 0.65 · y 0.00 · w 0.35 · h 0.60 (high) - Shot compositionThree-quarter front view framing that captures the table slightly right of center with surrounding staging elements; image crops top of curtain and lower edge of rug but shows full table height.
Colors
light natural beech· wood surfaces (top, dowels, lower shelf, legs)- Overall geometryFreestanding round two-tier table with two circular horizontal shelves (top and bottom) connected by evenly spaced vertical cylindrical dowel supports; three short cylindrical legs extend below the lower shelf.
- 02
Product
Close-up of a two-tier round wooden side table showing the circular top and lower shelf joined by multiple vertical cylindrical wooden dowel legs; visible finish is a light natural wood with smooth machined edges.
- Top discCircular top with a smoothly rounded edge and visible wood grain; top surface visible at the upper edge of the frame.
1 region
x 0.04 · y 0.00 · w 0.92 · h 0.19 (high) - Lower shelf discCircular lower shelf parallel to the top, showing a smooth machined edge and visible grain where vertical legs pass through.
1 region
x 0.04 · y 0.38 · w 0.92 · h 0.26 (high) - Vertical dowel legsMultiple cylindrical vertical dowel legs connecting top and lower shelf; legs have a uniform rounded profile and same light wood finish as the discs.
5 regions
x 0.26 · y 0.12 · w 0.07 · h 0.65 (high); x 0.40 · y 0.12 · w 0.07 · h 0.62 (high); x 0.60 · y 0.12 · w 0.07 · h 0.62 (high); x 0.76 · y 0.18 · w 0.07 · h 0.50 (high); x 0.48 · y 0.72 · w 0.07 · h 0.20 (high) - Joinery detailVisible round leg sockets where dowel legs meet the lower shelf with clean circular cutouts; slight shadowing indicates a flush fit.
1 region
x 0.32 · y 0.54 · w 0.36 · h 0.18 (medium) - Surface textureSmooth sanded and sealed wood surface with faint natural grain and occasional small knot or sapwood mark visible on the top edge.
1 region
x 0.60 · y 0.02 · w 0.18 · h 0.10 (medium)
Other
Tight, well-lit studio close-up showing the table cropped off-frame; background is a multi-toned circular-patterned rug with soft directional lighting casting legs shadows.
- Shot compositionVertical close-up crop focusing on the mid and lower portion of the table; top edge of the tabletop is partially cropped at the top of the frame.
- Background rugSoft textured rug with large circular color fields in beige, brown, and black beneath the table, visible as out-of-focus areas.
1 region
x 0.00 · y 0.58 · w 1.00 · h 0.42 (high) - Lighting and shadowsSoft directional light from the left casts distinct but soft shadows of the dowel legs onto the lower shelf and rug, indicating a single primary light source.
- Image qualitySharp focus on table surfaces and legs with shallow depth of field toward the background; no visible text or labels in frame.
Colors
light natural maple· wood discs and legs#CA9C83shadowed light wood· leg end caps- Top discCircular top with a smoothly rounded edge and visible wood grain; top surface visible at the upper edge of the frame.
- 03
Product
Close-up of a two-tier round wooden side table showing the top surface, dowel-style leg posts, lower shelf, and round plug details in the tabletop.
- Top surface shapeRound tabletop with a slightly rounded outer edge and visible wood grain across the surface.
1 region
x 0.06 · y 0.02 · w 0.88 · h 0.38 (high) - Round plug fastenersThree circular plug insets set flush into the tabletop surface; plugs show a slightly darker wood grain and two of them display a fine dividing line across the plug.
3 regions
x 0.82 · y 0.09 · w 0.12 · h 0.12 (high); x 0.68 · y 0.23 · w 0.08 · h 0.08 (high); x 0.08 · y 0.36 · w 0.09 · h 0.09 (high) - Leg postsCylindrical vertical leg posts with a smooth, turned appearance; three posts are visible connecting the top and lower shelf.
3 regions
x 0.45 · y 0.43 · w 0.08 · h 0.36 (high); x 0.24 · y 0.50 · w 0.07 · h 0.33 (high); x 0.72 · y 0.75 · w 0.07 · h 0.22 (medium) - Lower shelfRound lower shelf mirroring the tabletop material and finish, visible beneath the top and supported by the leg posts.
1 region
x 0.14 · y 0.58 · w 0.72 · h 0.28 (high) - Finish and textureSmooth, sanded matte wood finish with visible natural grain patterns and slight color variation between boards.
Other
Angled close-up shot of the tabletop and upper portion of the table placed on a two-tone rug; soft directional lighting from upper left casts gentle shadows.
- Shot compositionAngled top-down close-up framing that crops part of the tabletop and shows the upper section of the lower shelf and legs.
- Background and surfaceTable sits on a textured rug with a darker brown area beneath the table and a lighter beige area at the top right of the image.
2 regions
x 0.00 · y 0.66 · w 0.56 · h 0.34 (high); x 0.68 · y 0.00 · w 0.32 · h 0.24 (high) - Lighting and shadowSoft directional light from the upper-left producing gentle shadows of the leg posts on the lower shelf.
Colors
light natural wood· top and lower shelfpale natural wood· cylindrical leg postsmedium warm wood· round plugs#F3D9C5- Top surface shapeRound tabletop with a slightly rounded outer edge and visible wood grain across the surface.
Documents & Data
Q&A
4 answered- What type of finish is applied to the solid birch? Is it a natural oil, lacquer, or wax?
- The product listing does not specify the exact finish, but the care instructions recommend gentle dusting and avoiding harsh cleaners and excessive moisture, which is typical for natural oil or wax finishes [1].
- Does the side table arrive fully assembled, or is some assembly required?
- This item arrives fully assembled. The listing describes it as a handmade, solid birch piece shipped from our Montreal studio with no mention of assembly required [1].
- The listing shows 'Assorted' as the only variant - can I choose a specific wood stain or color, or is it assigned randomly?
- The 'Assorted' variant means each piece is made from natural solid birch, so the wood color and grain vary uniquely with each handmade item — you cannot choose a specific stain or color; it is the natural finish of the wood [1].
- Does the base have felt pads or protective feet to prevent scratching hardwood floors?
- The Holt stool/side table has solid birch pegs as feet, without any felt pads or protective feet [1]. To prevent scratches on hardwood floors, we recommend adding your own felt pads.