MYTHILO Vol. 9 // JEAN PROUVÉ // EM TABLE
Updated: Jun 7, 2022
The table is the heart of every home - the place where the family comes together. Where meals are eaten, handcrafts are made, games are played, arguments take place and the tax return is prepared once a year. The place where Jesus called his disciples together, the piece of furniture in the Kremel that clearly shows you what they think of you. In this sad case, size really matters!
It is therefore not surprising that this piece of furniture wants to be purchased wisely. But which one should it be?
In contrast to the Highlander, of which there can only be one, the table question is much more difficult. There is, for example, the classic by Eiermann (1953).
Although I like the table very much due to its reduced design, it has become a supposed must-have over the last few years: While in Berlin-Kreuzberg, without too short oversize corduroy pants to white socks in sandals you do not really belong to the hipster-community, so little can you escape this table as an architect. It already seems to me as if the table is delivered at the same time as the diploma.
Good news: there are alternatives: My choice falls on the EM Table by Jean Prouvé ( 1950).
I immediately fell in love with the bold steel construction. The table embodies what a table should be: The focal point of a living space, which in today's world must serve more and more functions. Today's home is also an office, a workshop and often the basis on which new ideas and life concepts are developed. Life today is a permanent construction site and the EM Table is the most suitable tool for this challenge.
While puristic emptiness must reign on the Eiermann table and the black Koh-I-Noor pencil should always be placed at a 90 degree angle to the white Post-it pad, the schnitzel can be knocked flat and beer pong played on the EM Table. Red wine stains and tears give it the familiarity you want from such an important piece of furniture. EM Table - You are who you are and that's fine. You are not hiding under a thick protective plastic film, as you often find in Chinese restaurants. The Peking duck can be as crispy as you like. Under such circumstances, I'd rather eat my undercooked chicken from the barbecue at the EM Table at home and enjoy every new splash of fat on the tabletop.
EM Table you belong to the family - I love you!
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