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Round and oval tables have emerged as the latest trend, winning over fans with their soft, flowing lines and encouraging interaction and dialogue between people. Rising to the challenge, rectangular tables have immediately followed suit by rounding off their corners. While the central legs – sometimes very elaborate, as is the case for Delcourt – are making a stand, four leg tables are also holding their own. Mixing materials – stoneware, metal or concrete and wood – has become a must, as has the ever-popular marble, also combined with metal or wood. Delicacy is a word that can now also be applied to the dining tables themselves, Jean-Marie Massaud’s table for MDF Italia being an excellent example. Its elegant silhouette is characterised by a central conical base in lightweight concrete and a very thin top in oak or walnut, giving the impression of weightlessness. Its inseparable companion, the seat, which can be shell-shaped, upholstered or fitted with armrests for greater seating comfort, sometimes competes with the solid wood or canework bench. The style of the room is kept minimal and cosy, right down to the furnishings, to better highlight a table that is now used for much more than just dining.
Francis Amiand | DELCOURT COLLECTION,NIN Table. christophedelcourt.com
MOLTENI | Mateo Vincent Van Duysen_Porta Volta Herzog & de Meuron. molteni.it
GOMMAIRE | indoor teak furniture drake dining table. Gommaire.com
Wood is one of the most popular materials selected for table tops because of its warmth and ability to adapt to any interior style. It comes with a reputation for solidity and unfailing sturdiness and is available in a wide range of species, all with their own special characteristics. While timeless oak may still hold the monopoly, rotproof, exotic teak is making inroads into interiors, while walnut, whose classic and precious reputation precedes it, is making something of a comeback. Finishes – whether oiled, glazed, varnished, waxed or painted – play an aesthetic and protective role.
POLTRONA FRAU, Mesa table with Due leather column by Lella and Massimo Vignelli, Viola armchairs by AB Concept – poltronafrau.com
LIAIGRE, Craie table – studioliaigre.com
LIGNE ROSET, Intervalle table by Guillaume Delvigne, Alando sideboard by Eric Jourdan – ligne-roset.com
One model, ten experiences
Tables are putting on a show, offering an infinite range of choices and possibilities. At Poltrona Frau, Mesa Due combines circle and cone to create a piece that can be reinvented at will in terms of shapes and materials. As always committed to craftsmanship, Liaigre called on Karen Swami, more accustomed to making ceramic vases, to design this hand-turned stoneware base worthy of a sculpture, topped with an oak top. With Naïa, Ligne Roset offers a table combining oak and marble-look porcelain stoneware that can be niftily adapted with one or two extensions.
At a time when tablecloths have virtually gone out of fashion, a decorative table top, sometimes serves as a work of art in its own right. For Taol, Paola Lenti has chosen a wooden table top of fluvial origin that has undergone numerous mutations, giving it unique characteristics. A linen fabric has been inserted between each sheet of wood, guaranteeing its strength and particularly fine appearance. The Bol table designed by Zaven combines lacquered rigid polyurethane with MDF tops in the same colour. Ado Chale’s exclusive creations, which have fascinated from Brussels to New York, need no introduction.
Sergio Chimenti | PAOLA LENTI srl, Taol table in Abonos wood by Francesco Rota. paolalenti.it
Gilles van den Abeele | ADO CHALE, Water drop, table in cast aluminium model, 420cm x 130cm. adochale.com
ZANOTTA, Bol table by Omar Sartor | Zaven Design, Daisy chairs by Mist. zanotta.it
Strikingly original
Nothing enhances the aura of a room quite like a boldly designed table. For the designers at G-Code, it all started with a folding toothbrush, which has today been worked and transformed into elegant architecture where the canaletto walnut structure, topped with 92 three-dimensional cylinders, is combined with a bevelled marble top. Fly by Flexform is part of a vast family that combines a metal base, available in a range of finishes, with a marble or walnut top in a variety of shapes. Abolishing the boundaries between art and design is the philosophy pursued by Italian designer Jacopo Foggini, who proves it once again with the Egeo table. Its thick, irregular top of faceted glass fragments is reminiscent of the rugged coastline of the Aegean islands, and is available in black or gold. The polycarbonate armchairs add a distinct touch of poetry.
GIORGETTI, G-Code table by Dante O. Benini and Luca Gonzo, Hero armchair by Carlo Colombo, Floema porcelain by Roberto Cambi – giorgettimeda.com
MINOTTI, Brady dining – minotti.com
FLEXFORM, Fly table and Crono dining chairs by Antonio Citterio Design – flexform.it
EDRA, Egeo table, Ella chairs by Jacopo Foggini – edra.com
Geometry shaping up
The hospitable Sengu plays with the various possibilities offered by a table’s legs, one of which is oval and is linked by one or two crosspieces to the two cylindrical legs, all the while emphasising different materials. The PK54 table is a clever combination of square and circle and satin-brushed stainless steel with a marble or granite top. What makes it special, however, is its maple expansion ring, divided into 6 sections that can be stored separately on a dedicated stand. Meticulous simplicity is the hallmark of Knoll’s Collection, with its aluminium frame and steel legs topped by a black glass or marble top, perfectly complemented by a cotton rope bench.
Valentina Sommariva | CASSINA, Sengu table, Dudet small armchair by Patricia Urquiola – cassina.com
FRITZ HANSEN, PK54A table, PK9 chairs by Poul Kjaerholm – fritzhansen.com at Dominique Rigo
Federico Cedrone | KNOLL, Collection table and Klismos bench by Antonio Citterio, Tulip chairs and armchair by Eero Saarinen – knoll.com
