Noguchi table
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| Designer | Isamu Noguchi |
|---|---|
| Date | 1947 |
| Country | United States |
| Materials | Hardwood and glass |
| Style / tradition | Modernist furniture design |
| Sold by | Herman Miller |
| Height | 40 cm (16 in) |
| Width | 91 cm (36 in) |
| Depth | 127 cm (50 in) |
The Noguchi table is a piece of modernist furniture first produced in the mid-20th century. Introduced by Herman Miller in 1947, it was designed in the United States by Japanese American artist and industrial designer Isamu Noguchi. The Noguchi table comprises a wooden base composed of two identical curved wood pieces, and a heavy plate glass top.
The Noguchi table was an evolution of a rosewood and glass table Noguchi designed in 1939 for A. Conger Goodyear, president of the Museum of Modern Art. The design team at Herman Miller was so impressed by the table's use of biomorphism that they recruited Noguchi to design a similar table with a freeform sculptural base and biomorphic glass top for use in both residential and office environments.
The 1947 Herman Miller catalog described the Noguchi coffee table as "sculpture-for-use" and "design for production". The base was carved from solid walnut, and consisted of two identical parts; when one part "is reversed and connected to the other by a pivot rod, a base appears which has a smoothly flowing form and an interest rarely found in furniture of any period". The shape of the two wooden supports produces a self-supporting and stable base, allowing the heavy plate glass top to be placed without the use of connectors.
The base was originally produced in walnut, birch, and cherry. It was later offered in ebonized walnut. Cherry bases were made only during the first year the table was on the market, and have been highly sought since. Birch bases were discontinued after 1954. As of 2016, the table is available in an ebonized finish, walnut, white ash and natural cherry.
The top was originally issued in 7⁄8-inch (22 mm) heavy plate glass. In 1965, the thickness of the top was reduced to 3⁄4 inch (19 mm), and its base height was raised, increasing the table's total height from 15 inches (380 mm) to 15.75 inches (400 mm).
Since the late 1980s, indexing pins have been installed on the pivot rod with matching slots milled into the legs to ensure that the two leg elements are set up at a 52-degree angle for maximum aesthetic appeal and optimal stability.
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