Expand Furniture Review: The “Junior Giant Table” Transformer

We love expandable tables that double function as console tables and full-size dining tables.

The JUNIOR GIANT table from Expand Furniture is the best version we have seen yet of this table.

We are especially interested in this type of table as we actually set out to build our own version of it several years also:

We wanted to build a table that we could use for many years and also considered selling the plans for the build (like we did for our Murphy Bed design) but we found out how hard it was to build.

Also – the finished product WE build ended up weighing 97 pounds (44 kg) and 22 lbs per extension leaf (10 kg). Way more than the sleek model from Adam and Jared from Expand Furniture did, as you will see below.

So, we don’t recommend you build your own version of this table!

Also, the retractable metal system is super-expensive and very hard to find.

Back to the Junior Giant Table

So, just how good is the Junior Giant table from Expand Furniture?

Well, we decided to find out, and Expand Furniture was kind enough to shoot a video with us to show us all the hidden features and answer all our questions.

So, if you’re more into video – start below!

You can find the table here at Expand Furniture’s online store:

Here you can find the table

Here’s the bench from the video

And here are the chairs

What We Really Like About This Table

The Junior Giant table has some really cool features that we haven’t seen before.

Let’s dive in!

#1 – Magnets to Keep Everything in Place

One little clever detail that makes this table stand out above the competition. You can see that the designers and builders really thought this out and added some cool details.

When you insert the extension leaves they snap together thanks to small magnets that are positioned just right in order to keep everything in place.

#2 – Very Affordable

We spent around $1,000 on materials alone (!) when we built our own. Trust me, it’s not worth it when you can purchase this for $2,495.

You can see the table for sale here in their online store.

$2,495 is a steal when you consider the number of square feet you can free up. How else would you seat 12 people in a tiny apartment space?

When square feet are expensive and you have very limited space – solutions like the Junior Giant extending console table is just brilliant!

#3 – Center Leg Swirls to Create Leg Space

This is a feature that stands out. It’s just one of those little things that makes it so much more usable every day.

I guess everybody has tried to sit at a table where you constantly bump your feet into the legs, and this can be avoided when you rotate the center leg.

Very cool upgrade and something that alone would make me choose this over any other similar retractable table systems!

#4 – 5 Year Warranty

5-year warranty on a table like this is just great.

It’s way more than you can ask for, actually.

The extendable (telescopic) system on the Junior Giant is one-of-a-kind (we had to order ours from Sweden as they couldn’t be found here in Denmark!) so it’s really nice to have the 5-year warranty on these movable parts as you cannot really replace them easily.

It’s also easy to tell from the video we did with Expand Furniture that the telescopic system used on the Junior Giant table is better and sturdier than the ones we got from Sweden.

Adam showed us how the table can carry his weight even when it’s fully extended.

That’s very impressive.

He jumped up on the table and sat on it – even around the middle of the table. I wouldn’t recommend that for our own table 😉

#5 – Weight

It’s really convenient that the Junior Giant table can be moved by one person.

Our table (which we built ourselves) weighs too much to be moved around by a single person – we need both Maria and myself to lift it out from the wall.

We also love the fact that the extension leaves are thin and lightweight so you can move them easily and store them easily in a small space.

#6 – No Assembly is Needed

The table comes fully assembled which means you don’t need any help or tools.

It’s just ready!

This is really cool and obviously only possible because the assembled console table is as small and compact as it is. It’s a really smart move from Expand Furniture to just ship it like this as many customers will be living in a confined urban space.

#7 – Handly Little Details

The table also features handy little details to help you manage it daily.

One example is the little hatch that helps you keep the console table together:

All in all, we think this table can make a great dinner table in almost any small space.

I cannot tell how many times we have pulled out our own model.

For everyday use, we just have our table ready to seat 4-5 people as we’re a small family of 3 (and we often have a guest or two over). But when we have more guests over or when we have a party or birthday it’s really convenient to be able to seat 10 people comfortably (12 people when you cause the ends of the table).

This makes so much sense now that we’re back up in the city and living in a little over 1,000 sq.ft (100 m2).

The weight of the leaves is important

One other thing I want to touch on with the Junior Giant table is the weight of the extension leaves.

It’s really important that these aren’t too heavy. As I write above, our own table has some really heavy leaves (22 lbs / 10 kg each!) and it’s a big hassle when we need to go to the basement to get 3-4 leaves to extend the table to full capacity.

It’s so nice to see Adam in the video above easily take down a few leaves from the wall mount and place them on the table.

These everyday tasks need to be easy and convenient. Otherwise, you will always debate with yourself whether it’s worth the trouble to get them up.

What About Seating?

We normally just pull out a few chairs from our basement when we need more seating.

BUT… we also live on the main floor.

If you live on the second or third floor etc. it’s a bigger task to get to the basement or attic to pick up extra chairs when you need more seating.

We love how Adam and Jared have constructed a pull-out bench (called “Mini Scatola”) that goes so well with the table.

“Scatola” is Italian for “box” – which makes a lot of sense.

It’s so smooth and we love how it can be extended in the same way so you get to decide if you want seating for 4 people, 6 people, 8 people, or 10 people.

So cool.

Check out here how smooth the transition is:

The telescopic system that allows you to pull out the Mini Scatola bench (and the Junior Giant table) is really sturdy. Again, Adam showed us how he could actually sit on the table when it was fully extended.

Very impressive!

You can see the whole transformation in the video at the top of the post.

Is It Worth The Money?

Absolutely.

As we mentioned, we actually built our own version of this. Just because Maria loves a good challenge and we also thought we could save some money.

Turned out we really couldn’t.

Also, the quality of the Junior Giant table above is really high as you can tell from all the detail shots in the video.

This is a table that will last you a lifetime and we will always recommend you add this to your shopping list when you move into a small space – whether it’s a tiny house, small apartment, or even a cabin.

We also recommend you consider the Mini Scatola bench along with the table. This will take care of seating on one side of the table and you’ll only need to have 4-5 chairs for the opposing side and the end of the table.

Very clever.