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Relationship Tables

By Rain Noe - June 13, 2012

in Furniture Design

More than one ex-girlfriend has made the classic dinnertime gripe that I'm not listening to her. To paraphrase Dana Gould, I maintain that this is due to her choice of subject matter: If she was discussing the role that snipers played in the battle of Stalingrad, I'd be more inclined to tune in than if she's asking me what I think Stacy's boss meant by sending that e-mail.

Furniture design can't address such problems—or can it? I'm reminded of a table I saw by the artist Frank Kunert, a German photographer who creates and shoots miniature interiors that offer wry social commentary:

Also along those lines is a design we caught a glimpse of at Milan; here are more shots, and an explanation of, designer Marleen Jansen's Courtesy Table.

Part of Jansen's dissertation on table manners, the Courtesy table is designed with a see-saw seat for two. Kinetic fun is besides the point: The purpose of the balanced seating is to prevent one diner from leaving the table before the other's finished. (As an unintended consequence, I think it'd also encourage you to date someone close to your own weight.)

I'm dumping you

o

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Temenouzhka Zaharieva

12 years ago

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I think that the aim is not only to prevent one diner from leaving the table before the other's finished - also to let the rude glutton wait for his partner and then start eating. I can imagine how frustrated the designer has been to create that table :) - what a great way to teach some people not only table manners.
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