Today's Times Home & Garden section has devoted space to telling readers where to find Parsons tables. Parsons tables! You really can't walk a block in the design district of any metropolitan city without finding a very tasteful Parsons Table at any price point. Heck, I can't even go to the doctor's office without seeing one of those holding up a collection of outdated Time magazines.
Anyway. Occasional tables are the Jan Bradys of the furniture world. They usually aren't designed to be statement pieces, because they are either meant to merely compliment other, more glamorous items, or are holding up some lovely objet d'art of some sort. The Parsons table, I think, appeals to people because it's the most unobtrusively designed piece of furniture, and has a certain minimal style.
At left, is proof that an occasional table can still co-exist peacefully with your other items, while still making its own statement. This is a Parenthesis table by Philadelphia-based VJD3 Designs. The lines wouldn't compete with your other pieces of furniture, but the curves add a dash of the unexpected. Other proportions and finishes, including custom options, are offered, but the luminous sheen of this particular piece (the veneer is a bleached maple) caught my eye.
