The Parsons Table was developed out of a course taught at the Parsons School’s Paris branch in the 1930s by Jean-Michel Frank. According to a New York Times article, "Frank challenged students to design a table so basic that it would retain its integrity whether sheathed in gold leaf, mica, parchment, split straw or painted burlap, or even left robustly unvarnished. What grew out of Frank's sketches and the students' participation was initially called the T-square table..." The first example, as recalled by Parsons instructor Stanley Barrows, was constructed by the school's janitor and displayed at a student show.
Since its key proportions create visual balance - the width of the legs equals the thickness of the top - this crisp, clean, modern design works in a range of sizes and for myriad uses.
Copy via Wikipedia and Domino: The Book of Decorating; photo via West Elm.
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