Saturday, December 23, 2006

An exceptional piece of engineering . . .

"Please understand that this is an extremely special piece of furniture, of exceptional quality and design," says the sales copy on David B. Fletcher's website. "It is not for everyone by a very very long way and can only be afforded by the lucky few of us with exceptional wealth."

Talk about a marketing strategy focused on a narrow audience!

The special piece of furniture to which Mr. Fletcher's website refers is a table . . . an expanding table . . . a table that goes from seating six to seating 12 in less than 10 seconds. And is absolutely gorgeous. Truly an exceptional design.

I have no idea what one might cost. All of these tables, we are told, are "exclusively designed and built, and each one numbered. . . . Every piece is of exceptional quality, and was custom designed and built for a single individual or family. . . . Nothing is copied, nor are any two pieces ever created the same. . . . Nautical tables are so constructed that they are able to resist a harsh marine environment to the point that they may be positioned permanently on an exposed deck."

Only a few capstan tables have been designed and manufactured so far . . . for example, this one for the Yacht Ilona.

(Not sure, ultimately, exactly what Fletcher means when he says "nothing is copied." --Obviously, something is being copied from one table (modified from an 1835 patented design by Robert Jupe) to the next.
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