Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Advantageous Ambiguity

Question: Is it a bench? A sofa? A table? An ottoman?
Answer: Depends on the application.
Question: Does it?

OK, most of the time it does depend on the application, but basically it is the same fundamental design.  The first piece of furniture that I learned about in college was a 3-legged stool used for milking animals (or something); 2 Legs were too unstable so a 3rd leg was added and voila! Stool.  And then there were tables, aka bigger stools with 4 legs. Skip ahead thousands of years and here I sit at a "desk" with a "printer table" next to me.  In your home you probably have a "dining table", or a smaller version but same application (mostly by college students) a coffee table.  Or is it an ottoman?  Where is it?  Is it in front of your sofa, next to it?  Is it in your entry or at the foot of your bed?

For the sake of writing a blog and not philosophy paper, I will call these ambiguous furniture pieces benches.  I love benches, they are low, linear (sometimes) and have millions of different uses.  They can define a space, they can be completely utilitarian, decorative, or dare to say.....both? Formal, informal, playful or interactive, benches are probably the most versatile piece of furniture.  If you don't already have one, here are some images to inspire you! Ah, the beauty of a good bench.
Traditional
Modern
Conceptual
Architectural

My new must have, gossip chairs!!!!