The idea of mindfulness, staying present, and creating meaningful moments has exploded, proliferating across many fields.
While browsing a home design site, I came upon Sati Tala, which means “a mindful surface”. Tany Jarus, a design student created a new intimate dining table for her final project. It consists of stools and a wooden table surface which balances on a couples’ knees to physically connect them during meals. The goal is to focus on each other.
There are numerous comments posted on social media bashing the design, calling it codependence, nonsense, as well as turning a meal into a balancing act. Hey! No one is telling you to order it on Kickstarter, but the notion of attending to each other during a shared meal has its merits. Expanding on this concept, research has shown that having dinner as a family helps us eat healthier, promotes real dialogue, and builds better relationships. Isn’t that good design?