when was the last time you ate at a round table? It’s been awhile for me, it seems there are many more rectangular tables in our culture than round ones. However, I think outdoor tables tend to be round more often than rectangular.
Some links: Jury decisions with rectangular tables correlated with harsher penalties. Round tables for better dialogue. Any more links would be greatly appreciated.
There are some round tables at my college, in the cafeteria. There are only a few, though. I do agree, though, that they are better for group conversations. But, my friends and I sit at the rectangular ones, and that works out well, since there are so many of us, and so we can just scoot more than one table together to create one big table for all of us. That’s one advantage that rectangular tables have over round tables… you can’t really effectively combine round tables together to create bigger spaces. Interesting to think about. 🙂
i have a round table in my kitchen and we much prefer it over our rectangular dining table. i guess you could call that round table the center of our house since that’s where most conversations occur.
another good thing about round tables is that there aren’t any corners to gouge yourserlf with.
We have a round table – I suppose it’s nice being able to possibly fit more people at a round table, instead of having “sides” dictate placement…
i never thought of the fact that round tables are most common for outside. I guess it’s cuz round things are more organic. So a round table is better suited for outdoors. It is very rare to see rectangles and squares in nature. Rectangles and squares are really a product of man. So it makes more sense to see rectangular tables inside a house becasue houses by their nature are anti-nature.
I’m surprised nobody has mentioned the fact that when people are sitting at a round table, everyone is equal. There is no “head of the table” so-to-speak. Round tables make for easier and more lively conversation, and as Noel “pointed” out there are no corners on which to kill yourself.
My dining hall has lots of round tables. I eat at them all the time.