Product Story - The perfect balance - literally -
between art and furniture. Sculptor Isamu Noguchi created
his distinctive table by joining a curved, solid wood base
with a freeform glass top. The ethereal result does not
diminish the practical design - a sturdy and durable table.
This marriage of sculptural form and everyday function has
made the Noguchi table an understated and beautiful element
in homes and offices since its introduction in 1948.
Design Story - Anyone can make a three-legged table.
That challenge, thrown down to Japanese-American sculptor
Isamu Noguchi by a designer he believed had "borrowed" an
idea of his, was what led to the design of his classic table.
Noguchi tells the story in his autobiography. "My first
industrial design was, I suppose, some Italian sugar cake
molds that I did when I was 20. Then there was 'Measured
Time', a clock, and in 1937 the 'Radio Nurse.'"
Delicate Balance - The table is just three pieces.
A 3/4-inch plate-glass top rests on two curved, solid wood
legs that interlock to form a tripod for self-stabilizing
support. This delicate balance is not surprising, given
that from 1942 until his death in 1988, Noguchi designed
all of choreographer Martha Graham's sets. Although it looks
delicate, it is solid, perfectly balanced, durable. It's
also a good size: 15-3/4 inches high, 50 inches wide, 36
inches deep.
Truly Authentic - When a piece of furniture is so
distinctive and desired, copycats come out of the woodwork.
To let you know that your table is authentic, the signature
of Isamu Noguchi appears on the longest edge of the glass
top and on a medallion on the underside of the base. Under
the medallion, his initials are stamped into the base.
