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Furniture

Attiture puts balcony-friendly furniture design on the table

The Premise. Living in a small space can make arranging furniture difficult, and having a small balcony only adds to the challenge. Many outdoor tables have larger dimensions that are designed for those with more copious decks.

The Product. The Mercury Table is specifically created with tiny balconies in mind. From the tabletop to the legs, this little table will help you make the most of a small space. The tabletop isn’t symmetrical, but rather offers a rounded edge that slopes at an angle. In addition, the top is outfitted with holes that will keep the table from flipping in high winds. The legs are slender and curve inwards, which allows for chairs and their occupants to fit comfortably.

The Pitch. The video on Kickstarter is a little odd. The video content is viewed exclusively on a simulated old-school television frame. This leaves a lot of blank space on the sides, which is strange but not terrible. The film is narrated by the developers and relies mostly on drawings and one mock-up of the product. They are raising money to start production at local companies in Minnesota. They also included lots of diagrams about the product, both in the video and in the text description. The campaign is striving to raise $48,000.

The Perks. One challenge for the campaign of this pleasant enough little table is the reward tiers. Backers don’t receive a product until $359 for an aluminum version due in March 2014; that represents a supposed $60 discount versus retail. This seems to be a ridiculous price for a small, collapsible table until one sees that the stainless steel versions cost nearly $540 and up.

The Potential. The Mercury Table addresses a legitimate issue and does it in thoughtful style, but there’s nothing proprietary about making a small table, and for significantly less. It’s somewhat surprising that Attiture didn’t at least consider offering matching chairs. Perhaps the campaign will inspire makers of outdoor furniture will become more creative in their smaller table designs.