The first step of redesigning this table was to decide on a hinge mechanism. Initially, I looked into slides, which allow the flaps to drop to the sides of the table. However, this felt overcomplicated, and hinges gave me the option of the tabletop halves opening into more table space.

While these open flaps would not be load bearing, they would allow the user to spread out jigsaw puzzle pieces. This is beneficial because I wanted my table to be as small as possible to fit the limited space of my living room, so it is only slightly larger than an average 1000 piece puzzle.