"Really, there's no such thing as a good round table."
I've been saying this phrase countless times for the past five years or so.
It can seat about 4 to 6 people, is about 70cm high and 120cm wide.
If possible, it would be a dream to have the height change electrically. The price is within 150,000 yen. The color is light.
I searched long and hard, and just when I thought I found it, it was out of print or not available in Japan, so it's been a pretty miserable experience, but it's been three years since I found it.
What I found out was,
- Given the housing situation in Japan, round tables are difficult to sell, making it difficult for foreign brands to enter the country.
- Round tables are much more difficult to cut from wood, so they are much more expensive than square ones.
- In the first place, it seems there are very few craftsmen who can cut circles neatly.
I asked a designer friend if I could get one made for me, but it was over 200,000 yen even though it was a fairly standard model.
Since we were reaching the point where we could no longer afford to let time pass without finding an answer, we went to Vanilla Furniture in Murakami's hometown and purchased an Eames-designed contract table by Herman Miller .
Although the size is just short of 120cm, it keeps the room neat and tidy, allows for smooth movement, and the melamine top is easy to clean and the edges are made of a rubber-like material so it doesn't get scratched easily.
Also, the oval plate looks great .
I really like it.
At the same time, I realized that this is not the final answer.
The journey to find the ideal round table continues.
