Designing a table while taking into account both its functional and aesthetic aspects is very difficult. Indeed, if there are many very recognizable seats or design lamps around it, the functional constraints weighing on a dining table seem so strong that the remaining part for creation seems doomed to the minimum portion.
Scandinavian design is however rich in iconic tables, both functional and immediately recognizable either because of a brilliant idea – like the "L-foot" by Alvar Aalto or the "span legs" of the Super Ellipse by Fritz Hansen – or because of a particularly skillful use of materials – for instance the splendid wooden tables by Hans Wegner or the linoleum from many contemporary manufacturers – or esle a strong formal innovation like a Verner Panton.
