George Nelson was a leg man. No, I don’t mean that in the usual sense; I’m referring to his focus on the legs of the furniture he designed, especially the pieces in the Nelson Swag Leg Group. Nelson, who was born in 1908 and died in 1986, is regarded as one of those responsible for founding American modernism. He worked extensively with other designers, especially when he became the design director of furniture manufacturing company Herman Miller.

One of Nelson’s pieces that continue to be produced by Herman Miller today is the Swag Leg Round Table. Measuring 29 inches high and 48 inches wide, it’s big enough to accommodate a group of four to six people – appropriate for establishments that have enough space for large-ish modern bar tables or restaurant tables. The stretchers are made of solid walnut, which are firmly screwed to the legs, ensuring the table’s stability. The table top is characterized by its laminate surface and walnut edge.

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Some things are just so gosh darn pretty, it’s a pleasure to look at them again and again. I’ve seen lots of many kinds of pretty furniture, and there’s one more I’d like to add to the list: the Apollo Table from Folkform. When I first heard about it, I had no idea what it looked like. At first I thought it was named after the god in Greek/Roman mythology. But nope, it turns out the Apollo Table was named for a species of butterfly.

It isn’t shaped like a butterfly – at least the table top isn’t. What it does have is a real butterfly embedded in the masonite hardboard surface. Organic decoration is one of Folkform’s design principles. The idea is to add organic materials to the design equation in order to create new sensations, form new impressions. Adding to the butterfly theme are the table’s leg and base, which look like they are surrounded by butterfly wings. It would look so pretty, either in the home or for use elsewhere, as contract bistro tables, perhaps.

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Is bigger really better? Maybe, maybe not. But in some cases it can really be impressive. Take this humungous dining table I stumbled upon at a blog called Spluch. An example of your typical bistro area tables it sure isn’t. Exhibited at the 5^th International Hospitality Equipment and Supplies Fair (HOSFAIR) in Guangzhou, China in June 2007, it has a table top that measures 25 meters in diameter, more than enough to accommodate as much as 25 people.

The table is constructed from fine hardwood. Its Chinese origins are evident in the elaborate woodwork, which features carved dragons and phoenixes. At the center of the table is a rotating disk, a characteristic of tables in most Chinese restaurants. Dishes are placed on the disk, which diners rotate to access the food they like – no need to ask someone else to “please pass the chop suey or the mu shu pork.”

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Most children love going to fast food restaurants, that’s an undisputed fact. It isn’t just the food they like, it’s also the toys, jungle gyms, and play areas. Many parents have had their share of going to and eating at these convenience food establishments, I’m sure. Still, fast food environments can only be tolerated so far. Sometimes adults want to patronize a dining facility that goes beyond the fast food experience in terms of food and furniture, something that has contemporary bistro tables and the like, but which their children can enjoy as well. A mix of childlike whimsy and adult sensibility would be a nice combination.

One such establishment that has achieved that is Restaurant Praq, which is located in Ouderkerk near Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The word “praq” comes from a Dutch expression that denotes the mashing of food, but you can see from the picture above that it isn’t a mishmash of designs at all! The car-shaped tables and the more conventionally-shaped ones in the restaurant don’t clash at all. Tjep, the design agency responsible for creating the restaurant’s look, attempted to integrate playfulness with class and practicality – and it looks like they succeeded.

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If a restaurant, bistro, bar or café has space constraints, it stands to reason that the type of furniture to be selected should enable the operator to make the most of that space. One way of doing this is by choosing furniture that is easy to set up, re-arrange, and configure according to meet particular demands at any given time – such as folding tables.

It’s easy to imagine various scenarios that can call for certain bistro dining furniture arrangements. Say a small bistro or café located in a busy area becomes popular through word of mouth for the food and drink it serves. It’s probable that such an establishment could expect a greater number of customers during peak hours, such as lunch breaks or after office hours, when employees want to relax for a few minutes with a nice snack or drink before going home. Having just fixed seating would not be a good idea for such an establishment; how would accommodate the extra traffic? This is where the benefits of having folding tables come in. They can be set up in just a few minutes to permit more customers during busy hours, and set aside just as easily to allow for more elbow room among diners during non-peak periods.

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Café Hollander has been designated the Best Bar for 2007 in, no, not the Netherlands, but Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The fact that readers of onmilwaukee.com voted this establishment to the top of the list is a testament to how popular it has become in the area.

As its name suggests, though, Dutch and Belgian influences run pretty much through the bar’s operations, especially in the type of food it offers. I’m not sure whether these influences extend to the bar’s furniture and furnishings. It’s been described as part Dutch coffee bar and part Belgian restaurant, the site on which Café Hollander stands used to be the location of Gil’s Café, a popular local hangout. Fortunately for Diablos Rojos, Café Hollander’s owners, this bar seems to be going over well with the locals, becoming a popular dining venue for both city residents and visitors.

The downstairs dining section is split into a smoking and non-smoking section, with the large curved bar taking center stage. It has become a popular destination not only because of the food and drink it serves, but also because of the cozy atmosphere it provides despite having a spacious layout. Perhaps the use and configuration of contract bar furniture and other pieces of furniture in the bar and restaurant play a big role in its popularity too.

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The annual Dutch Design Week wrapped up last month, and as usual, there were many great product designs exhibited at the show. Highlights of the show included new tables and chairs, for residential and/or commercial used, created by either established or up-and-coming designers in the Netherlands. While they may perhaps not be applicable for use in certain situations, as outdoor bar furniture, for example, it’s still fun to see what new things creative minds in Holland have come up with. Let’s take a look at some of the tables that were showcased at the exhibition, which was held in Eindhoven.

The portable teppan-yaki table is Ted Piskora’s version of a Japanese style of cooking and dining. He created this version especially for inclusion in Dutch Design Week. Tabletop cooking, or shabu shabu, is a popular activity in Japanese restaurants, and this design makes both cooking and eating more convenient. Sides of the table can be folded down for easier access to the cooking area at the center, and then folded back up to create an eating surface. This table was entered in the exhibition as a collaborative effort between I-partner and TeamWorks.

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There aren’t too many successful furniture designers who did not undergo formal training before they started their careers, but Tom Dixon is one of them. After suffering a motorcycle accident in his 20s, he turned his attention to creating various pieces of furniture, including the S-bend chair. An Italian furniture company called Cappellini came across the chair, liked it, and collaborated with Dixon on its manufacture. Who would have ever realized that Dixon’s welding skills - plus a one-day course in plastic bumper repair - would lead him to where he is now?

A number of Dixon’s furniture creations are seen in the hotel furniture uk industry and elsewhere. Beat lights he designed can be found at the Sanderson Hotel’s Suka restaurant, which specializes in Malaysian cuisine. His Cone Lights grace the guest rooms and social areas of the Hotel Uberfluss in Bremen, Germany; Mirror Balls designed by him are also part of one of the hotel’s dining areas.

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Though the term bistro has historically French roots and connotations, you don’t have to be French or be living in France to be able to appreciate certain types of modern commercial furniture such as contemporary bistro tables. Countless numbers of cities, big and small, all over the world count bistros among their commercial establishments: small, informal restaurants that usually offer simple, uncomplicated meals and drinks. And where there are bistros, of course one would be sure to find a group of bistro tables.

While the bistro concept appears to be part of modern sophistication, the term was actually first known to be used in the latter part of the 1800s. Bistro chairs and tables of the 20th century and today, though, stay true to the concept’s idea of quick and easy service - they just add a bit more flair to it.

Probably the most common type of bistro or cafe table is the small folding type, with either a round or square surface. But today many other innovative designs have emerged. One of the trends seems to espouse the smaller is better idea, and we can see this in establishments whose tables seem large enough only for a few cups of coffee, and a sandwich or two perhaps. That would be suitable for maybe one or two persons, but seeing four or more people seated around such a small table, with their drinks and food crowding on the tiny tabletop can be a bit funny sometimes.

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