The Best Table for the Best Talk

We think that the shape of a table shapes conversation. Those knights in King Arthur’s court and the literary wits at the Algonquin figured it out for us—the round table makes for the best conversation. Think about it. You never see people standing and talking or huddled before a football play in a rectangle.

The art of conversation is fragile. A table that keeps people too far apart separates their remarks as well. Better an animated group, shoulder to shoulder, each member fully a part of a magic circle, than all the elbow room in the world.