There is nothing more fundamental than the ritual of dining. And with open plan living the table is at the heart of the home, becoming the place where we sit with family and friends to eat, drink and talk about our day, it is also a workspace for children and adults alike as many of us work for at least part of the week from home.
Hence there is a good argument for choosing something to both cherish for the long term to and enjoy each and every day. This is precisely what commissioning client Babak Moini did in asking interior designer David Hartikainen of Space Atelier to liaise with Italian design house Edra in the creation of a one-off table depicting the streetscape of Sydney’s CBD.
Moini had seen the brand’s limited-edition Baghdad table which recreates the plan of the Iraqi capital in thousands of pieces of soldered aluminium. He was staggered by its intricacy and beauty but wanted a table that was more personally relevant. ‘I wanted the table to reflect where we were dining’ says Moini, whose apartment in Crown Towers overlooks Barangaroo and Sydney Harbour.
While this type of one-off furniture commission is a rarefied experience, the beauty and diversity of table ranges that cross materials and shapes ensure there is something for everyone. Round and oval pieces remove the formality of a head of table and promote a sense of togetherness at social gatherings, while breaking up the more formal architectural reliance on squares and rectangles, adding a visual dynamic while improving spatial flow.
The Seven Table from B&B Italia is internationally recognised for both quality and their collaboration with the world’s best designers, in this case Paris-based architect Jean-Marie Massaud, is characterised by its unusual triangular shape where every side is a different length. As the name suggests, the table accommodates seven people promoting a more communal dining experience with greater eye contact and connection. The metal leg structure cuts through the wooden top creating three graphic ‘branches' visually connecting the base with the table’s surface. This feature can be picked out in a contrasting colour or specified to match the tone of the wood selected for the top that feature different shades of oak or satin varnishes in solid colours.
While a triangular table is something of a rarity, medieval texts suggest that King Arthur seated his knights around a circular table to avoid any perceived favouritism. The circular shape forming a symbol of the world itself and of a harmonious, collective approach, the round table has more recently been lauded as a practical shape for maximising the number of seats within a given area.
The Dutch brand Moooi is well-known for radical design concepts, but their Container table by Marcel Wanders relies instead on an elemental form and its strong graphic presence. One version of the round tabletop with cone-shaped base is made from rotation moulded polyethylene, a utilitarian plastic material that is robust enough to make it suitable for outdoor use in conjunction with its high-pressure laminate top. An added benefit of this iteration is that the base is hollow and can be filled with water, pebbles or sand for windy apartment balconies or beach side terraces. Another variation uses the ancient technique of coopering (barrel making) to create a timber base of solid wood planks that deliver the cone with facetted sides. It’s highly tactile and beautifully constructed with all the social benefits that a round table brings.
The single draw-back of a large round table is that it becomes harder to reach into the centre to help yourself to food and drink. Piero Lissoni, the designer of the Materic table for Porro, counters this slight spatial flaw by the introduction of a ‘Lazy Susan’ (the central rotating plate said to have been invented by Thomas Jefferson for his daughter Susan) that allows food to be brought within the grasp of everyone seated at the table. The base is beautifully sculpted in ash wood, stainless steel or in burnished brass with the added sophistication of a marble tabletop. The central disc, that sits flush with the rest of the table surface, can be fixed or rotating.
Like Lissoni’s design the Xilos table by legendary designer Antonio Citterio for Maxalto, also features a rotating central disc, but this component is available in either wood or marble to complement or contrast the design’s all wood structure in either a perfect square or in circular tops in three large sizes. Xilos features a solid but extremely elegant leg structure that forms a cross at floor level and then tapers outwards to the underside of the tabletop. The oak structure adds an interesting sculptural element that breaks up large spaces in a restrained and timeless fashion.
Maxalto Xilio designed by legendary designer Antonio Citterio.
