10 tables that have made the history of Italian design Please use a coaster

The table is an object that has accompanied human civilization since its beginnings. It is no coincidence that it is one of the few pieces of furniture that still retains all its deep social meanings in contemporary times: the table is the center of conviviality, where we gather, eat together and work – and that is why its cultural importance, as well as its size, make it one of the central parts of the house. In the world of Italian design the types of tables are many, there are the classic ones that are usually also the most concept ones, such as the "Quaderna" series by Superstudio or the TL22 model by Franco Albini and Franca Helg; others such as Gio Ponti have created coffee tables that, by virtue of their decorative and detail function, lend themselves to structural experimentation; then there is a whole intermediate category in which the idea of the table has been abstracted and reworked freely, as in the cases of Magistretti's "Demetrio" or in the "Massolo" signed by Gilardi for Gufram. 

That of design tables is a complex world, rich and, especially in the case of Italy, densely populated. For this reason nss magazine has drawn up a list of the 10 tables that have made the history of Italian design.

1. Gio Ponti – Coffee table D.552.2 (c. 1950)

This table designed by Mendini for Zanotta is part of the Zabro collection, born as a celebration of Italian artistic craftsmanship and for this reason, unlike the other tables on this list, it is not technology or innovation that are the traits explored with this project but the connection between art and design. The homage to classic craftsmanship translates here on a formal level, while the materials are those of modern 80s design such as fiber, polyurethane, steel and aluminum panels. The artistic element is instead communicated through color blocking that transforms the vaguely traditionalist structure of the table into an almost gallery piece.