Generally, living rooms have a focal point around which everything is centered; often this is the coffee table. While people want to reflect their individuality and style in their d?cor, they often need comfortable and functional furniture in their living rooms. Styles are wide and varied, so there are many options from which to choose; often, people opt for the hip and retro look of the modern furniture.
Noguchi table dates from the art deco twenties to the pop-art seventies, and the term retro typically denotes the innovative forms of the forties through the sixties. The best-known retro furniture can be seen in the forties, fifties, and sixties and no matter the decade one will always recognize the retro style. Its form defines retro style: clean lines, organic shapes, and modular capability. Post World War II materials advancements resulted in fiberglass and synthetic lacquered pieces.
Due to the upswing in casual styling, retro coffee tables became popular. After the war, the interior landscape became more relaxed and people were looking for furniture that was different from their parents’ generation, furniture that utilized new forms and new materials. 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 eileen gray 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. This table offers a variety of forms with its two half circle shapes that can be place together to form a circle, can be lined up to give an ‘S’ shape, or can be stacked on top of each other to give height. 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 example, in the 1940’s Paul Frankl’s Big Foot coffee table called to mind 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 d?cor.
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