A Table for One is a minimalist table created by Melbourne-based designer Jess Humpston. In an age of multi-tasking furniture and infinitely adaptable spaces, A Table for One makes a quietly radical statement through its singular devotion to a simple act: holding a single drink. Like the now-obsolete smokers’ tables that inspired it, this piece celebrates the beauty of uni-functional design, finding poetry in purposeful restraint.

The table emerges from recycled macrocarpa wood, its curved top spun on a lathe with mathematical precision to create an offset hollow perfectly sized for a single glass. This deliberate void becomes the piece’s focal point – empty, it reads as pure sculptural form; occupied, it reveals its raison d’être. The 15-degree tilt of the pewter support bar introduces a subtle tension, while the poured pewter coaster nestled within the hollow ensures practical stability through an elegant material solution.

Humpston’s background in fashion and interior design manifests in her acute attention to the choreography between object and user. The table’s height (650mm) has been carefully calibrated for comfortable reach while seated, while its modest footprint (330mm width) allows it to slip effortlessly into intimate spaces. The marriage of materials – warm, recycled macrocarpa against cool, hand-poured pewter – creates a tactile dialogue that enriches the user experience.

This piece joins a fascinating lineage of purpose-built furniture that includes smoking stands, telephone tables, and tea trolleys – objects whose specific functions have largely been rendered obsolete by changing social habits. Yet where those pieces have become curious artifacts of their era, “A Table for One” offers a contemporary meditation on mindful consumption and focused moments of respite.