Noguchi designed the first version of this table, with a glass top resting on interconnected rosewood supports, for the private residence of MoMA president A. Conger Goodyear during the 1930s. In a modified design from 1944, which reflected his great interest in sculptural, biomorphic structures, Noguchi transformed the original idea into a base consisting of two identical wooden elements, one of which is reversed and pinned to the other at a right angle. The Coffee Table has been produced for the US market by Herman Miller since 1947; the Vitra Design Museum began production for the European market in 2002. It is regarded today as one of Noguchi’s best-known designs.
Materials
Varnished solid wood base, 19 mm glass top with rounded edges
Designer: Isamu Noguchi
Switzerland
