Which chair or table was the first to lose centimeters? The debate has started and, like the chicken and the egg, no one can really decide. For Jean-Paul Bath, director of VIA (Valorisation of innovation in furniture), a structure whose mission is to promote French Design, it is undoubtedly the seat which started the movement.
“In recent years we have seen the emergence of a “lounge generation” appreciating large lounge-style sofas, very cozy, on which we can sit in groups, watch TV, lie down… And while they were gaining in generous shapes, they saw their height decline, he explains. Because the lower a piece of furniture is, the cooler it appears. Chairs and armchairs followed, and their backs tilted 15 to 20 degrees so that the back was less stiff and the posture more pleasant. And, quite naturally, for reasons of balance and aesthetic harmony, their height has decreased by around 10 cm. From the moment the chairs are lower, the tables also have to be adapted.”
A widespread standard
If Jean-Paul Bath is banking on seats as the driving force behind this drop in measurements, designer Emmanuel Gallina, for his part, is moving more towards the table. In April 2023, he presented his Monolith table with a round top at the Milan Furniture Fair, at Poliform, in an outdoor version 65 cm high, instead of the 74.5 cm of the original version.
“I have a very specific memory of a trip to Venice during which I went for an aperitif in a traditional café,” he says. I realized that in these places, the tables were always lower. They weren't coffee tables either, more like something in between. I asked the boss if there was a historical reason. He didn't know how to answer me. He just argued that this type of furniture was more favorable to conviviality. When you think about it, in many cultures, both in Japan and in North Africa, in the Middle East, we eat at ground level. During a trip to Uzbekistan, I was even struck by the fact that we ate meals on a platform 30 cm from the ground, where mats were installed. This is how little by little this desire to create
low dining
furniture was born ,
i.e. a height 5 to 10 centimeters lower than the standards of the classic table. I then spoke to the Poliform teams about it, but they were not receptive. It was while thinking about outdoor furniture that I was able to move the project forward, because the outdoors is a world with a more relaxed dimension.” What about the chairs? The Magnolia's feet have just been raked by 5 cm! “At the beginning, it was for tests,” adds Emmanuel Gallina, “but the proportions and comfort being perfect, we chose this option.”
Tsunami
Emmanuel Gallina had a fine nose. Because since then, this format has been everywhere. In Molteni&C's 2024 outdoor collection, Vincent Van Duysen has designed a Fairmount Lounge
tea table
in solid teak, 64 cm high, which goes well with the Petalo armchairs. For the artistic director and architect, “we don't eat the same inside and outside. It's about taking your time with the people you love, while sitting comfortably. One last point, very important for the development of such a product.”
Same turning point at Minotti, where the family of Bellagio Outdoor tables by Gordon Guillaumier is enriched with a “little sister” with a height of 67 cm, compared to 72 cm for its “elder.” The phenomenon takes everything in its path, including design icons such as the Dine Out table by Rodolfo Dordoni published by Cassina, the size of which goes
from 73 cm to 66 cm for the
low
version. Why revisit it? “This responds to current trends in outdoor dining. Its low height creates a friendly atmosphere for eating, meeting and relaxing, which fully embraces the concept of conviviality,” explains Luca Fuso, CEO of Cassina.
Extreme coolness
At Knoll, the legendary Saarinen table is also available in 66 cm and for indoor use. But contrary to what one might believe, this is not a new release but a reissue. “This height was actually the original height. Florence Knoll noticed that the lower the table, the larger the surrounding room seemed. The lower height was called “continental height” and brought the seated person closer to the ground, creating a less formal and more intimate atmosphere,” explains Jonathan Olivares, senior vice president of design at Knoll.
“At aperitif time, when everyone is sitting on the sofas and eating while reaching out to the coffee table, there is immediately a good atmosphere,” adds Emmanuel Gallina. The
low dining
table meets this need for relaxation. It invites you to get together in a less conventional way, to share dishes like tapas, which are increasingly common among us. It therefore also corresponds to these new uses in terms of meals. And then, in summer, it is more versatile than a classic high-leg model. We will sit there to have our coffee when we get up, we will stay there to read the press in a relaxed manner. Lunch time will come, when it is ideal for getting together without fuss… In the afternoon, we will chat there while drinking juice, a little slumped but without complexes, and in the evening, we will set the table again!” These are arguments which should establish in the long term the reputation of this table, neither too high nor too low, above all relaxed.
poliform.it; minotti.com ; molteni.it ; cassina.com ; knoll.com