U Trek Coffee Table

Expert Opinion: As a book person, I should really love [this] table because I think you can put your books or magazines underneath and still have space for whatever else—glasses, cups, flowerpots, whatever. It’s very practical. You’d have to decorate [your stuff] because it’s so visible. I like straight-forward things like the Mies van der Rohe or Kjærholm [coffee tables], but this one is a little too practical.

Expert Opinion: As a book person, I should really love [this] table because I think you can put your books or magazines underneath and still have space for whatever else—glasses, cups, flowerpots, whatever. It’s very practical. You’d have to decorate [your stuff] because it’s so visible. I like straight-forward things like the Mies van der Rohe or Kjærholm [coffee tables], but this one is a little too practical.

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Breeze Table

Expert Opinion: This table is too crazy for me; I don’t understand the ripple. What is it for? This is a problem. I’m the old German: Form follows function. It’s not my cup of tea.

Expert Opinion: This table is too crazy for me; I don’t understand the ripple. What is it for? This is a problem. I’m the old German: Form follows function. It’s not my cup of tea.

What We Think: It’s true that there’s no functional purpose to Forster’s flourish, but it does offer a unique take on the tradition of bent wood in Scandinavian modern design. Also, we are big fans of the Swedish manufacturer’s commitment to sustainability, and apparently the Swedish government is as well: The company was awarded the ISO 14001 certificate in 2002 for its commitment to making its manufacturing processes more environmentally sound. While this piece may not be as refined as some of the other tables, it embodies a younger generation’s more whimsical aesthetic and environmental conscientiousness.

What We Think: It’s true that there’s no functional purpose to Forster’s flourish, but it does offer a unique take on the tradition of bent wood in Scandinavian modern design. Also, we are big fans of the Swedish manufacturer’s commitment to sustainability, and apparently the Swedish government is as well: The company was awarded the ISO 14001 certificate in 2002 for its commitment to making its manufacturing processes more environmentally sound. While this piece may not be as refined as some of the other tables, it embodies a younger generation’s more whimsical aesthetic and environmental conscientiousness.

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Low Table

Expert Opinion: I cannot explain why, but this one is my favorite. I love it. I like the glass on top, its transparency. I think it goes with almost any furniture. It’s very strange. I had this table in our house in Los Angeles, with Arne Jacobsen and Pierre Paulin [chairs]. We didn’t even put the Platner chairs with it, and it still looked good. I don’t know why it’s so beautiful. The optical effect: It’s like Op art with its fine lines that start to move and blur. It’s very elegant. I like the round shape of it. The coffee table [form] is especially nice. It’s classic, but it’s not too simple. It’s one of my favorite pieces of all time. I just like to have it around me.

Expert Opinion: I cannot explain why, but this one is my favorite. I love it. I like the glass on top, its transparency. I think it goes with almost any furniture. It’s very strange. I had this table in our house in Los Angeles, with Arne Jacobsen and Pierre Paulin [chairs]. We didn’t even put the Platner chairs with it, and it still looked good. I don’t know why it’s so beautiful. The optical effect: It’s like Op art with its fine lines that start to move and blur. It’s very elegant. I like the round shape of it. The coffee table [form] is especially nice. It’s classic, but it’s not too simple. It’s one of my favorite pieces of all time. I just like to have it around me.

What We Think: What’s amazing about this table is that it is so distinct and yet, as Taschen says, it goes with anything. But also, with the Platner chairs surrounding it, the ensemble still manages to be mutable; it’s not over-whelming. We agree with Taschen: Out of all the mid-century classics, the Platner is our favorite.

What We Think: What’s amazing about this table is that it is so distinct and yet, as Taschen says, it goes with anything. But also, with the Platner chairs surrounding it, the ensemble still manages to be mutable; it’s not over-whelming. We agree with Taschen: Out of all the mid-century classics, the Platner is our favorite.

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Osorom

Expert Opinion: It’s a seating product and I cannot see how you’d use it as a table, because a glass would fall inside and a lamp would [wobble]; it wouldn’t be stable. But I think that the form is really beautiful; it’s like a sculpture in the room. I like the transparency of it. If you don’t need to use it, and you just put, say, a magazine on it, then it’s nice. But it would not work as a table.

What We Think: Since we’re likely to kick over a glass anyway, we can’t help but throw caution to the wind with this table/seating element. Grcic was able to be both delicate and substantive at once, and this table would hold up well to a shod foot. If space and seating is an issue, it could double as a chair, which is useful in both small apartments and lounging areas.

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Low Slab Table

Expert Opinion: It’s a little retro-looking, which I don’t like so much. I think it probably goes well with many apartments and modernist furniture. It’s a clever idea to make one big table that you can take apart and spread [around] in the room—I think it’s the new trend, that you don’t have just one corner, but you have several points with various chairs spread in the room. I think for that, it’s a really nice table.

Expert Opinion: It’s a little retro-looking, which I don’t like so much. I think it probably goes well with many apartments and modernist furniture. It’s a clever idea to make one big table that you can take apart and spread [around] in the room—I think it’s the new trend, that you don’t have just one corner, but you have several points with various chairs spread in the room. I think for that, it’s a really nice table.

What We Think: For those who have enough trouble committing to one table, Dixon’s multipiece set might be a bit overwhelming. Luckily, the material and form are quite subdued, allowing it to be paired effortlessly with a variety of furniture. The multiplicity of this piece makes it adaptable despite the threat of its aesthetic obsolescence.

What We Think: For those who have enough trouble committing to one table, Dixon’s multipiece set might be a bit overwhelming. Luckily, the material and form are quite subdued, allowing it to be paired effortlessly with a variety of furniture. The multiplicity of this piece makes it adaptable despite the threat of its aesthetic obsolescence.

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Eames Elliptical Table

Expert Opinion: This is another classic that will, for me, always be beautiful. And it goes with any furniture. I have a sofa from Shabby Chic, and in front of this romantic sofa, I have this Eames table, and it works—it’s very strange! You could put it in front of antique furniture, and it makes them look more refined, and the proportions are really beautiful. And I like the legs. I like the construction. It doesn’t have the standard four legs, but it has this interesting wire frame construction. Maybe it’s the same with the Platner—maybe they are beautiful because they don’t have normal legs.

What We Think: Like the Platner, the Eames is a classic for the strength and timelessness of the design. That said, we would take the Platner over the Eames any day. Perhaps this is because all things Eames are starting to have the “Impressionist syndrome,” where they seem less special due to ubiquity, like a Renoir or a Monet print. While this table is a classic, it might need to be shelved for a while for us to really get behind it again.

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Plate Table

Expert Opinion: I love [Morrison’s] minimal, intellectual, and conceptual approach. I think this table is pretty great. It’s a great contemporary version of the Mies van der Rohe or the Florence Knoll tables. It’s really beautiful in its simplicity—here it really works. Here the simplicity has elegance and the conceptual idea about this table is much more sophisticated; it’s much more deep and thought-through. You can see that Jasper Morrison is really just a great designer, when you look at this table. It will be a classic. You will still like it 50 years from now—I’m sure about that.

What We Think: Unlike the U Trek by Bendtsen, the simplicity of this table will never be trumped by the objects laid upon it. The choice of material and form give this piece an ultra-refined feel. We imagine that it could look equally elegant in a tony town-house or a claustrophobic condo.

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