Stadera Table

Overview

Stadera is a desk-table by Franco Albini made of two side-by-side trapezoidal tops, one smaller than the other, carried by a single steel support. The sheet's "Designed by" line reads "Franco Albini, 1954" and its "Produced" line "Cassina, 2015".

Construction

The sheet lists a top in wood particle panel (chipboard) with solid-wood perimeter parts and veneered surfaces, finished in natural American walnut. Under the top sits a cross frame in steel plate, with a steel leg on a round base in steel plate covered by turned steel sheet, all in black matt finish, and black plastic feet.

Specifications

• Code 840 01: 143 cm wide, 83 cm deep, 76 cm high
• Top: two trapezoidal tops, the higher of the two available with a leather top
• Cover: saddle hide cover for the main top

Balance at play

Cassina's page titles the piece "Balance at play" and describes a desk-table whose two side-by-side trapezoidal tops rest on one steel base. The name refers to the Roman balance, called stadera in Italian, a weighing scale with a beam of two arms of different lengths and a counterweight that slides along the graduated, longer arm.

A single leg and a frame

The page and sheet say the single-leg support might suggest a lack of balance, and that equilibrium is established on the principle of the Roman balance. A frame delineates the shape of the planes, and one plane is thicker than the other. The sheet adds that the table can be supplied with a leather cover placed on the main top to emphasise its tactile and visual qualities.