A little piece of architecture: Rodolfo Dordoni’s Boboli table December 22
Sometimes I come across furniture items that, if their dimensions were increased a thousandfold, would actually look good as buildings or other similar structures. But as they are, they look like terrific examples of architecture on a small scale. One example would be the Boboli Table by Italian designer Rodolfo Dordoni.
The table’s base brings to mind the facades of some modern buildings. While maybe no existing one may look exactly like that, it isn’t too farfetched to imagine one looking like it. There are two versions of this table, but both basically have the same base structure, which looks like a cage of some sort. However, they aren’t like animal enclosures or jail cells in that they don’t look like rigid bars. If you indulge your fancies for a minute, the thought just might enter your mind that the eye-catching aluminum strips that form the base are somewhat like strips of fabric that establish boundaries, or maybe something that does not keep the one inside from going out, but the outside from coming in.
Maybe it’s a form of modern aluminum sculpture too, one that’s functional in addition to being decorative. This brings to mind the famous Boboli Gardens in Florence, Italy. Started in the 16th century, those gardens are noted for their architecture and their sculpture, among other things. Extensive restructuring has been done on the Boboli Gardens, but they remain true to their historic roots.
Dordoni, an Italian designer himself – though from Milan, not Florence – may not have comparably grand aspirations for his Boboli Table. Nevertheless, this table shows his background in architecture, in my opinion. Contemporary bar tables and the like that are designed not only attractively, but uniquely too, are indeed worthy of a second or even a third look.
