Contemporary café chairs that become wobbly, dining tables that suffer scarring due to cigarette burns or scratches or water stains, these are only some of the problems that owners of restaurants or other similar dining establishments encounter with their furniture. Sometimes the turnover rate for their furniture is too high, so it’s understandable that many of these proprietors go with inexpensive items that can be replaced at a moment’s notice.

If I owned a restaurant though, I wonder if I could pass up on owning something like the coffee table designed by Isamu Noguchi. It just looks so classy. Sure, I’d probably worry about the damage it might sustain in a commercial application where traffic is heavy. Still, maybe it would be worth the investment because of the glamour it would bring. Customers like being surrounded by lovely furniture while they eat, and I think this coffee table would be a delight for them to see and use.

Just look at the table’s base; it almost seems like a work of sculpture. I like the delicate sense of balance that it conveys. The oval glass top completes the table’s modern look. It’s a bit surprising to think that Noguchi created this piece of furniture more than 60 years ago already, it seems so contemporary. It was originally designed specifically for the home of A. Conger Goodyear, president of the Modern Museum of Art (MoMA) in the 1930s.

The original table had rosewood supports in the base, while the latest version, being produced by the Vitra Design Museum for the European market, has a varnished solid wood base. Herman Miller is the table’s manufacturer for the US market.

Noguchi himself stated that this coffee table was his best design ever, and he isn’t the only one with this view. It is regarded widely by many as a classic example of fine craftsmanship and design.