Whether it's a throwback to ancient Babylon, where upper-class households were typically furnished with low tables and chairs, or a reference to modern-day Japan, where eating while seated on the floor is a part of everyday life, low living has come to the fore as a design trend. Many design-conscious households are starting to incorporate low tables and chairs in one section of a particular room, adding elements of cosiness and comfort.
Numerous cultures with a tradition of low furniture have influenced modern design - just think of the hefty floor cushions covered in silks and brocades that are a staple of life in Morocco, Egypt, Pakistan and India.
'These lower pieces speak to the mix of Asian and modern elements in interior design,' says Cheryl Gardner, a noted Los Angeles-based interior designer who has used the low-level trend in many of her projects, including a deliciously over-the-top Moroccan decor in the penthouse of the Luxe Hotel in Beverly Hills.
Low furniture is popping up everywhere and at all prices. At Mallett, a high-end dealer of antique furniture with branches in London and New York, antique panels dating from the early 1700s are being mounted onto low (about 35cm high) bases to create a range of coffee tables. The range includes a 1730 parquetry table top with brass accents and a Chinese black lacquer surface covered with the likenesses of peacocks, cranes, peonies and pavilions.
Acclaimed designer Frank Gehry has designed a set of three low tables, ranging in height from 39cm to 50cm. Many American chain stores - among them Target and Cost Plus - are doing their own variations, which might include hand-painted, small, ornate tables paired with embroidered floor cushions.
Gardner believes there is something 'more comfortable and more simplistic' about the look, and that it works best when not taken too literally. 'I like to mix and match it with more eclectic pieces, and often custom design furniture, including low couches,' she says.
