Who said transforming furniture had to look cutting-edge, sleek and modern? This rather lovely dark wood table-and-bench combination is made from recycled walnut from the bottom of the frame to the top of the table and looks like an antique at first glance in either of its forms.

The joints are a critical secret to the construction of this unique furniture object. As these pictures show, they are cleverly concealed as spaces between slats running parallel and perpendicular to the length of the table.

A folding wood table top is nothing new – it is, in fact, a great way to save space, generally done by dropping leaves located at either end. This rather beautiful but conventional-looking table by EcoSystems is, therefore, perhaps the last place one would expect to find a hidden function such as a wonderfully simple bench.