“ELBOWS
…the rules about elbows are as easy to remember as they are rigid: Keep them off the table at all times when an implement, cup, glass, or piece of food is in hand; keep them close to the sides when cutting food; apologize if an elbow touches a neighbor at a table.”

Ms. Miller, probably armed with a 13-inch ruler for smacking forgetful hands that grab the wrong fork, and the era of table dictatorship have passed. Table memories from boarding school mealtimes to Hofbrauhaus toasting lead me to ponder the interactions and behaviors of people at their tables and how the design of a table influences behavior. Does the designer of the table consider these variables when sitting down, at a table, to design a table? What does the designer think of the table?

I selected six recent tables, each of which represents a different definition of what a table means. I spoke with the designers that created them, to find out their thoughts during the design process:

Marcel Wanders

An early member of the Dutch design collective Droog, Marcel Wanders is responsible for such ground-breaking objects as the Knotted Chair (1996), the Snotty Vase (2001) and the Two Tops Table (2006).

“While eating I guess the attention of people is more on top of the table and over the table. I do think the table is a centre of friendships and will always remember to invite friends in around the table. The table is a piece of architecture that functions as a shrine for friendships.”

…and in direct reference to his Two Tops Table:

“I made a mistake, I fixed the table-top under the supporting bars instead of on top, and found a space which was always there but was never seen, I created a lid to cover and to hide and change that space and reinvent a few hundred years of classic table-making.”

Dirk Wyants

A hundred kilometers south of Droog headquarters, Belgian Dirk Wyants has built his outdoor furniture company Extremis on the mantra: “Tools for Togetherness.”

“We have only reached our goal when our products become tools for togetherness with family, friends or relatives, thus improving the social quality of our lives.”

In his growing collection is a large round table with an integrated Lazy Susan at is center, 12 legs fanned about, each with its own pie shaped segment of the top, providing seating for 12, aptly named Arthur.

“In times long past King Arthur gathered 12 of his best knights around the legendary 'Round Table' to ask them to help him bring peace and tranquility to the country. Today, this table still remains a symbol of justice, equality and joy in life. Arthur is a synonym for encounter, communication, gathering, hospitality and togetherness.”

Erwan and Ronan Bourellec

My first step in designing is asking my clients about their desires for the project, or I envision the intended use of the object and work towards answering those needs in my work. So it was with wild surprise that I heard the responses of Erwan and Ronan Bourellec, French brothers and the design duo responsible for the Vitra “Joyn” table system, developed in part for the Seattle Public Library.

“We design in the studio. We create objects from our experience. We do not look at the end user. It is the responsibility of the people that acquire our objects to form themselves to the object, to learn how to live with our designs.”

Arne Quinze

Whoever assumes the seat at the head of a table occupies a sociological position of power over the flanks. Intergalactic designer Arne Quinze created his Maze table asymmetrically to intentionally leave only one head of the table.

“With Maze I leave one person in charge of the table by fixing a wide leg at the other end. When I watch people sit at the table I always find the person taking the head is the natural leader in the group; this is what I wanted for the design of Maze.”

Ross Lovegrove

Ross Lovegrove, self-proclaimed “captain organic,” designs all manner of objects, from water bottles for Ty Nant to solar-powered concept vehicles for Swarovski. He has challenged global brands to reduce consumption through better design. His recent Liquid Tables for special auction at Phillips de Pury & Company in New York City defines minimal material use.

“I build furniture that fits architecture. Design, nature and art are the three things that condition my world and my furniture. I am interested in the way things grow, fat free design, holistic design, healthy products. If it can happen in nature we can design from it, designing as a way of dreaming.

I take away anything extraneous. With the Liquid Table there is nothing extra. It is a single surface product of flowing aluminum minimized to just enough material to get the job done.

The Liquid Bioform tables dematerialize space and melt into the context of their environment. The experience of dining is made poly-sensorial as the food appears to float in space extending the organics of food into the organics of light and liquid deformation of people.”

Niels van Eijk and Miriam van der Lubbe

And finally the Godogan table designed by Niels van Eijk and Miriam van der Lubbe for Droog and Barry Friedman Gallery. The design mashes an Indonesian fairy tale of a frog (the Godogan) that turned into a prince with a minimalist “plank form” walnut table.

The visual interpretation of the tale is realized through a combination of laser etching and intricate hand carving. The table-top is quite literally imbedded with the story, creating a conversation piece for its users.

“In this particular design we very much considered the buyer in the design process. Actually, that is what the whole idea started from. We didn’t look at the functional or emotional demands of the product to the buyer, but much more the financial input he will give to the project. We know that the buyer for this type of product must be a wealthy customer, and we wanted to use that financial input to help the developments of crafts on the other side of the world. We developed the most complex decoration in order to have as many people for as long as possible working on this item. In fact, the more he would spend, the more craving he could get and the more an object the product would become.”

Six tables, six stories from eight designers with six points of view. The table as icon and design form has been reconstituted a multitude of times through the millennia. As in the world of chair design, tweaks in materials and shapes keep new tables coming. A few basic variables remain constant: people sit at them, they present a horizontal plane between users and they have to be supported somehow from above or below. In the end how many more chairs or tables do we need? Probably enough to set each new generation of designers apart from the one that came before. Tables will be restructured, regurgitated and reborn as long as there is a fresh batch of designers with ideas on how to reinvent the icon. Perhaps some of them will even have table manners.

“At the end of a meal, the hostess catches the eye of one or more of the women, lays her napkin beside her plate, and begins to rise. Everyone rises with her, each man helping the woman on his right with her chair. The hostess leads the way to the living room. The guests follow in any convenient order, with the host last.”

Thank you, Ms. Miller.