Retro Coffee Tables – One is perfect for your room
Living rooms are focused on relaxing or entertaining and typically are centered around one piece of furniture: the coffee table. While people want to reflect their individuality and style in their decor, they often need comfortable and functional furniture in their living rooms. There are many different styles to choose from to obtain the desired look, and when it comes to the living room people often choose an Eileen gray table as a hip alternative.
In the history of design, the term retro often conjures up the funky styles of the sixties and seventies; however, it falls within the style of modern furniture that can date from the twenties all the way to the seventies. Whatever the decade, retro furniture has very recognizable traits. Identifiably, retro is about the form: clean lines, organic shapes, and modular capabilities. Too, because of the materials that became readily available after WWII, it often incorporates non-traditional materials such as fiberglass and synthetic lacquers.
Retro coffee tables were often designed because families were adopting a more casual atmosphere into their homes. People wanted to have innovative forms and materials that were not as formal as their parents’; they wanted a home that was more open and inviting for adults and kids alike. Luckily, designers understood this and were fortunate enough to have new technology and materials such as plastics, chromium-plated steel and plywood at their disposal. Designers were able to mold these materials into new and interesting forms, and manufacturers were able to mass produce furniture yet still keep them durable.
The ubiquitous Isamo Noguchi table, designed in the forties, is comprised of a “free form” glass top supported by two identically sculpted pieces of wood pinned together at an angle to form the base is a well-known retro coffee table. Another is by Harvey Probber, called the Nuclear Table, and it is a good example of the casual lifestyle that families desired to incorporate into their homes. Designed as a modular piece, its basic circular form is actually two half circles that can be rearranged into a snake-like form by lining them up, can be stacked on top of one another, or can be put at opposite ends of a sofa. The well-known Tulip Table by Eero Saarinen is another innovative retro design. Its lacquered steel base is a pedestal form and was designed to reduce the “clutter” of legs that typical tables have.
Contemporary furniture produced today is often reflective of some of retro coffee tables being offered by antique dealers. For instance, Paul Frankl’s Big Foot coffee table from the 1940’s, with its amorphic shape, is reminiscent of Zaha Hadid’s futuristic designs. Retro coffee tables come in many shapes, materials and sizes and they are a welcome addition to a room that needs a simple, yet interesting and fun, solution to one’s living room décor.
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