Mid-Century Modern Interior Design
What Is a Noguchi Coffee Table? Sculptural Style in Your Living Room
Nothing fastens the glass to the base on a Noguchi coffee table. The top just sits on two identical interlocking wooden pieces, and that is the whole structure.
Isamu Noguchi designed it. Herman Miller makes it for the US market and Vitra covers Europe.
Nobody agrees on how old it is, which is odd for a piece this famous. Herman Miller’s own store page (2026) gives 1944, 1947 and 1948 in different places.
The table measures 50 inches wide, 36 deep and 15.75 high (Herman Miller, 2026). It’s low and wide, built to sit in front of a sofa.
What is a Noguchi coffee table?
Isamu Noguchi was a Japanese-American sculptor, and he regarded this table as his best piece of furniture (Vitra). The top is a freeform sheet of glass. The base is wood, split into two identical parts, with no hardware tying the glass to either of them.
It turns up constantly in mid-century modern interiors, and both makers still sell it. Solid wood for the base, plate glass for the top, nothing else.
Unlicensed copies circulate widely, so the maker matters as much as the shape.
How the two-piece base and glass top fit together
Two identical L-shaped wooden pieces join at a single metal pin, and the glass top simply rests on them. Nothing fixes the top to the base.
The Brooklyn Museum catalogue describes each wooden part as an L with pointed ends and rounded corners. Vitra describes one part as reversed and pinned to the other at a right angle, and the point where the two meet forms the third leg.
Sources name the joint differently. The Brooklyn Museum calls it a cylindrical metal pin of about 3 7/8 inches, while a UK Vitra retailer lists a steel pivot rod.
Early tables used aluminium. The Vitra Design Museum’s record of an IN-50 table, produced between 1947 and about 1955, lists varnished birch, glass and aluminium.
The two curved legs form a tripod, which Herman Miller calls self-stabilizing, and Noguchi himself called the design a tripod table (V&A). The 3/4-inch glass rests on those legs, and Herman Miller says it sits securely.
The glass isn’t fixed, though, so GR Shop’s buying guide advises against dragging the table across the floor.
Herman Miller ships the table unassembled and publishes assembly instructions for it.
Woods, finishes and glass used in the Noguchi coffee table
The base is solid wood and the top is thick plate glass. Each maker offers its own set of woods.
| Attribute | Herman Miller | Vitra |
|---|---|---|
| Base woods | Black poplar, walnut, white ash, white oak | Black ash, maple, walnut |
| Glass | 0.75 in thick | 19 mm, ground rounded edges |
| Finish | Not stated on product page | Walnut oiled, black ash and maple lacquered |
| Wood origin | Not stated on product page | Ash and maple from Western Europe and/or Poland, walnut from the USA, Western Europe and/or Poland |
Vitra’s wood specification changed between 2013 and 2023
Vitra’s 2013 factsheet lists the whole base as solid wood with a lacquer finish and gives no wood origin.
The 2023 factsheet gives walnut an oiled finish and states the origins: ash and maple from Western Europe and/or Poland, and walnut from the USA, Western Europe and/or Poland. The current product page repeats the 2023 wording.
Check the factsheet year before comparing finish claims between retailers. Some retailers still describe the walnut base as lacquered.
Early production used birch
Early Herman Miller tables had birch bases.
The V&A dates its birch-base example to between about 1947 and 1955. The Vitra Design Museum gives the same 1947 to about 1955 window for its birch IN-50.
Choosing a base finish
Walnut is the warm option, and Herman Miller pairs it with brass and copper.
White ash and white oak are lighter, and Herman Miller suits them to cooler, Scandinavian-leaning rooms. Black gives the strongest contrast against the glass. For light-filled spaces, Herman Miller recommends black poplar.
A retailer guide from GR Shop makes the same point from the other side: the finish decides whether the base or the glass draws the eye.
Walnut asks for some thought about the rest of the room. A guide to which colours sit well beside walnut covers walls and fabrics.
Noguchi coffee table dimensions and weight
The Herman Miller table measures 50 inches wide, 36 deep and 15.75 high, and it weighs 155 pounds. Vitra’s version is 1280 by 930 by 400 mm.
On Herman Miller’s store page (2026) the footprint reads 50 in W x 36 in D x 15.75 in H. Vitra’s factsheet (2023) gives 50 1/2 in x 36 1/2 in x 15 3/4 in, or 1280 x 930 x 400 mm. The glass is 0.75 in thick at Herman Miller and 19 mm at Vitra. Herman Miller lists the weight at 155 lb, with a load capacity of 200 lb.
The Brooklyn Museum holds a table designed in 1944 and manufactured in 1945 that measures 15 3/4 by 50 by 36 inches. Those match today’s Herman Miller figures.
Vitra’s footprint runs about half an inch larger in width and depth.
Fit and clearance
Measure clearance at the widest points, not the average.
The top is irregular, so the gap between table and sofa changes along its edge, according to GR Shop’s guide. Measure from the sofa front to the spot where the table will sit.
Herman Miller suggests clean-lined seating so the base stays the focus. Keeping the table’s low height and wide footprint in step with the seating comes down to scale and proportion.
Where the size causes problems
At 155 lb the table gets placed once and stays where it is. Moving it around for vacuuming is not really on the table (sorry).
Both makers also list a single footprint. If the room can’t take 50 by 36 inches with clearance, the Noguchi coffee table is the wrong pick, and neither maker lists a smaller size.
Who designed the Noguchi coffee table, and when?
It started as a rosewood and glass table Noguchi made for A. Conger Goodyear in 1939, and the credit for the design is his. When the production table appeared is much less clear, with sources giving dates anywhere from 1944 to 1948.
The Goodyear table, 1939
The V&A records that A. Conger Goodyear, founder and first president of the Museum of Modern Art, commissioned the first version in 1939. Sotheby’s describes it as rosewood joined with Herculite plate glass.
Vitra’s product text places it only in the 1930s.
How Noguchi, Nelson and Herman Miller came together
The redesign began as a bit of spite. T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings used a scale-model Noguchi coffee table in an advertisement without permission, and Noguchi redesigned the table as revenge (V&A, citing his 1968 autobiography A Sculptor’s World).
George Nelson, then Herman Miller’s design director, saw it while it was still in progress. 1stDibs says Nelson was writing an article called “How to Make a Table” and used the prototype to illustrate it. Maine Home Design tells it differently and says Noguchi was making the table as a birthday gift for his half-sister, Ailes Gilmour.
Noguchi had worked as Constantin Brancusi’s assistant in Paris. 1stDibs notes the base’s sinuous shape resembles Brancusi’s work, although the table came some 15 years after Noguchi left the studio. Sources date his stay in Paris to 1927 or to 1927-29, so the gap is roughly 15 to 17 years.
A Drouot auction note adds that the 1947 Herman Miller catalogue carried the table next to work by Nelson, Charles Eames and Paul Laszlo, among the mid-century modern furniture designers Herman Miller published that year.
Why the dates differ
| Source | Date given | Event dated |
|---|---|---|
| Vitra | 1944 | Modified design, from a 1930s original |
| Brooklyn Museum | 1944 and 1945 | Designed, then manufactured |
| V&A | 1947 | Designed |
| Herman Miller store page | 1944, 1947 and 1948 | Design (three statements), production start 1948 |
| Vitra Design Museum | 1947 | Start of Herman Miller production for the US |
Herman Miller’s own page gives three different design dates. The production start splits too: 1945 at the Brooklyn Museum, 1947 at Vitra, 1948 at Herman Miller.
The sensible way through is to read each date by the event it names. 1944 fits the redesign, 1947 fits the table entering the Herman Miller line, and 1948 is the production start Herman Miller states. The Brooklyn Museum’s 1945 is the earliest manufacture date, and the other sources retrieved do not confirm it.
Herman Miller vs Vitra: who makes the Noguchi coffee table?
Herman Miller makes the table for the US market, and Vitra makes it for Europe. Both work with the Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, which owns the rights to the design.
Herman Miller is licensed as the only authorized maker in North America, according to museum director Brett Littman (Curbed, 2018). It gives a 5-year warranty on the table, and its production dates to 1947 or 1948, depending on the source.
Vitra began producing the table for Europe in 2002, per its own product text, and makes it in cooperation with the Foundation in New York.
Production has not been continuous, according to the V&A. Its record says production ceased at least between 1973 and 1983, and possibly earlier. Herman Miller’s own FAQ says it has made the design continuously since 1948.
Licence territories are described two ways. The museum’s director names North America, while a UK retailer says Herman Miller holds the sole licence for the US and the Far East, so a UK table cannot be exported to the US.
The simple rule is to buy from the licensee for your region. If you live in Asia or Australia, ask the maker about territory first.
How to tell an authentic Noguchi coffee table from a replica
Look for Noguchi’s signature etched on the glass edge, then confirm the seller is an authorized retailer. Replicas copy the shape, and the marks and paperwork are what separate the licensed table.
- Check the longest edge of the glass for the etched Noguchi signature.
- Look under a Herman Miller base for an oval medallion carrying the signature and the Herman Miller logo.
- Compare the glass and wood against the maker’s published spec.
- Ask the seller for proof that it is an authorized Herman Miller or Vitra retailer.
One caveat on the signature. An auction house note says the glass signature arrived in 2003 at Herman Miller and in 2010 at Vitra, but neither maker’s page states a start date. If the note is right, an older authentic table has no glass signature, so rely on provenance instead.
Herman Miller points to wood quality and joinery precision as the other tell between its tables and unauthorized copies.
Two parties claim trademark rights in the design. The Noguchi Museum shop states that the table’s configuration is a registered trademark of the Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, while Herman Miller’s product page says Herman Miller holds a registered trademark for the table’s unique configuration.
In 2018 Curbed found Walmart listing a Poly and Bark Sculpture Coffee Table at $309.99, against roughly $1,800 for a new Herman Miller table. Herman Miller said it believed the table was counterfeit.
How much does a Noguchi coffee table cost?
A new Herman Miller table lists at $3,495 in the US, and Vitra’s lists at GBP 2,310 in the UK. Replicas sell for roughly $300 to $410.
| Option | Price seen | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Herman Miller, US | $3,495 | Herman Miller store, October 2026 |
| Vitra, UK | GBP 2,310 regular, GBP 1,963.50 on sale | Utility and Aram pages, October 2026 |
| Replica, US | $409.99 | Wayfair listing |
| Replica, Australia | AU$399 | Myer listing |
List prices have climbed a lot. A 2018 Design New Jersey feature priced a new Herman Miller table at $1,795 to $1,895 through Design Within Reach, so today’s figure is about 1.8 times the 2018 top price, though the finishes are not matched one to one.
The licensed table makes sense if you want the etched signature and base medallion, Herman Miller’s 5-year warranty, or a table you plan to keep for years. A replica is enough when the table is a stopgap or the budget stops at a few hundred dollars.
Check the base material before buying a copy. MoneySense found one Toronto imitation with a hard plastic base instead of wood, and the rights holder treats unlicensed copies as infringement.
Noguchi coffee table FAQ
How do you clean a Noguchi coffee table?
Wipe the wooden base with a soft, slightly damp cloth, adding mild detergent only for stubborn dirt, according to Vitra’s care guidance. Harsh cleaners and anything containing silicone or abrasives are out.
Herman Miller publishes separate care sheets for its finishes and veneer.
Is assembly included when the table is delivered?
Not always. The Noguchi museum shop’s in-home delivery places the table and removes the packing, but assembly is not included.
Herman Miller publishes instructions for the job.
Are Noguchi coffee table replicas legal?
Legality depends on the country and the specific copy, and a lawyer is the right source for a verdict.
The rights holder’s stated response is to identify the manufacturer of a copy and ask it to stop (Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, via Curbed, 2018).
Is the Rudder table the same design as the Noguchi coffee table?
No. The Rudder table (1949) is a separate Noguchi design for Herman Miller, with an asymmetrical wooden top on chromed steel legs.
The Cyclone table, designed for Knoll in 1957, is another, with a base of chrome-plated steel rods. Neither has the interlocking wood base or the glass top.
How do you style a Noguchi coffee table?
Keep the surface nearly empty. Herman Miller’s product FAQ suggests one or two objects, such as a stack of two or three art books.
Nothing should be large enough to block the view of the base.
Does Vitra make the Noguchi coffee table in oak?
Not in its standard range, which stays with black ash, maple and walnut. John Lewis & Partners lists a solid oak version made by Vitra at GBP 3,070, and a Dutch retailer lists oak as a fourth base option.
Ask the retailer to confirm the edition before buying.
What to Check Before Buying a Noguchi Coffee Table
Confirm the seller is licensed for your region before buying a Noguchi coffee table, then measure the room against the fixed footprint. Both checks come before finish or price.
The order matters because the Noguchi museum shop cancels furniture orders only within three days of purchase and accepts no returns (Noguchi museum shop, 2026). Base finish comes after the licence and the room check, and price comes last.
The trade-off is a narrower field. Buying inside the licence territory limits the choice to the retailers that territory covers.
This sequence reflects the Herman Miller and Vitra pages as checked on 7 October 2026. A change in either maker’s licence territory would change the first step.
Once the table is chosen, these mid-century modern living room ideas show how to build the surrounding room around it.
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