Set the Table for Tomorrow
Set the table with the latest tabletop inventions! See how a dining table can be interactive art! Have the hottest place setting in town with tea light pots, credit card cutlery, topography dishes, modern lace, orecchitta pasta creations, porcelain flatware, and more. Be ready for tomorrow today with this Trendease special feature.
One of the most fascinating interactive installations in Milan during design week was “Play with Food” at Droog, designed by Osman Khan. Khan invites visitors to play with food—literally. The project “redefines the set table by focusing on the movements of the people around the table, like placing and replacing objects, eating food and gesturing.” Although an image is posted, a video is truly the best way to capture the spirit of the table. In the first video look what happens when people at the head of the table put their cameras near the tablecloth. In the second video watch what movement of the hand creates. It is really magical.
On a wittier note a group of creators were brought together to develop products inspired by orecchietta, a type of pasta shaped like little ears from Pulgia, Italy. While many items are slightly less than practical, others are quite salable. The various ceramics and napkin rings were Trendease favorites.
A very clever design is that from the IN/D Label Design Collective. The “Topoware” provides users with consumption topography measurements. One dish draws lines titled “father” and “child” and another illustrates “full” and “hungry”.
Trends in flatware include stackable collections and product lines which offer uniquely styled handles. Or then there is something entirely novel. The credit card cutlery states, “In case of craving hunger, don’t buy junk food, but good food. Be prepared and have your cutlery with you.”
The metallic trend continues throughout the home, this time making its way to the dining table. Table linens are also getting a little sparkle woven within their designs. Lacey designs featured here are far from what Grandma would have on her table and definitely appeal to the design-savvy.
The all in one factor is convenient for those who wish to balance everything on a plate or brew tea minus a stove.
There is no reason for a tabletop to be a bore. With all of these exciting options from interactive art to table topography today’s fashions are toppling forward.
—The Trendease Team
