Slender and shapely: The stapeltischchen is a very practical beauty. Hans Bellmann devised this nest of stackable tables in 1954. It was produced by horgenglarus between 1954 and the early 70s. Now, after almost 40 years, it is awakened from its deep sleep to start its second career.
Bellmann’s main concern was designing functional and easily moveable furniture. Rooms in those days were, however, mostly furnished with farmhouse and country-style furniture. The flexible and lightweight furniture designs of the 50s bewildered the people while particularly reflecting the zeitgeist. Bellmann, like many of his contemporaries, wanted his designs to be easy to take apart and as economical in means as possible.
horgenglarus catalogs from the 50s and 60s confirm that the little tables were a regular feature of the Glarner Manufaktur product line. It was produced in Glarus from 1954 to 1970. In 1960, the concept called "easy-to-stack nest of tables" received its first award "Die gute Form" from the Swiss Association of Workmen. The update, available after November 2016 is offered in walnut or beech, in a natural, black, or stained finish.
Apart from material-saving constructions and quick assembly, the main benefit of this design is its extremely flexible use. As its name indicates, the little table is easy to stack. It can easily be carried from one room to the next or taken from indoors to outdoors. Hans Bellmann himself liked using the stapeltischchen to deposit his painting utensils. It enabled him to work very flexibly and move the table, laden with a host of different things, to wherever he needed it.
With the wooden tray and the flaring matte black legs, the tabletop and legs are very distinct in terms of texture and material choice. The tray is 53 × 43 cm and rises to a height of 39 cm on delicate legs. As with other Bellmann designs, his einpunktstuhl or ateliertisch, for example, the stapeltischchen has flaring legs with a central attachment. Since the 50s, Bellmann was using the same principle: two screws and four contact surfaces, except for the einpunktstuhl—whose name itself suggests that only one screw was used.
Bellmann’s stapeltischchen is yet another timeless and shapely concept of a Swiss designer and architect to be added to horgenglarus’ product line. The updates’ launch is kicked off by a limited and numbered special edition in three of the original 50s colors.
