PH Circle Table Designed by Poul Henningsen

The PH Circle Table: For the Circle of Life

What is the significance of a table? And why does the design detail of such a relatively simple piece of furniture really matter? Poul Henningsen (PH) was a designer and architect who believed that the small details of even the most ‘every day’ furniture really mattered. Although it’s presence may be quiet and it’s appearance refined and understated rather than flamboyant…a table is not just a table. A table is very often an essential conduit to our functioning as human beings and even to our success, since – as Poul Henningsen recognised – the things we encounter in our daily lives are some of the most important.  Even if their impact is subliminal rather than something that is at the front of our minds, living spaces and their associated objects year on year have the power to influence our experiences immensely.

Important times in our lives are not just the major events – just as powerful are the series of small events, those that can even be considered regular or ‘ordinary’, that linked together create an era that will become a significant memory in itself.  The people and things we touch everyday, see first thing in the morning and last thing at night are leaving an ever-lasting impression in our minds, even if we don’t realise it at the time. Very often it is the simple pieces of furniture in our kitchens or dining rooms, the intimate living spaces that we traverse though everyday that really matter to our quality of lives and our perception of ‘being’.

Therefore, when selecting a table for the kitchen or the dining room, it is important not just to consider the practical aspects of size, colour and price. When buying a table for this purpose it is a good idea to think more deeply. The conversations that are the threads that hold together familiar relationships will be had around this table against a backdrop of the inevitable passage of time. This is the table at which not just the big things will be commiserated and celebrated, but also the everyday.

Poul Henningsen believed firmly in the concept of design for utility first and foremost: everything should have a purpose. Beyond this basic philosophy of prioritising ‘function before form’, PH also dedicated his time to creating interiors and furniture that were not only practical, but also beautiful.

The PH Circle Table is a perfect example of this. The attention to detail with which PH designed the PH Circle Table can be seen in shaped of the table legs. The legs of the PH Table are refined and carefully angled to be not only strong and unobtrusive, but also simple and elegant. The shape of the table top is gently curved so that there is not a defined ‘head’ of the table, a reflection of Poul Henningsen’s democratic beliefs that he was designing furniture for the benefit of everyone.

In the 21st Century, PH Furniture’s Poul Henningsen designed Circle Table is available with a table top finished in Natural Oak, Black Oak or Royal White Laminate, while the table legs can be produced in Natural Oak or Black Oak.  Available in three sizes and with an optional folding extension leaf, The PH Circle Table produced by PH Furniture is a most versatile design. The optional folding extension leaf can be left to hang vertically under the table when not in use or can be removed from the table completely.

The Poul Henningsen designed PH Circle Table is created for the long term in mind – not just in terms of enduring service or as a piece of art to look at – but rather as an investment in enhancing the fabric of the every day: the PH Circle Table is created for the circle of life.

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