Price Upon Request #8: I Don't Play Games, but
Let the games begin.
In a very surprising turn of events, I have found myself thinking a lot about games lately. Historically, I have never been a game person. As a short-fused neurotic, losing doesn’t sit well with me, but I am developing a fondness for them. There is something comforting about stepping into a world with a clear set of rules that everybody follows, where our disappointments and failures are due to an errant dice roll instead of our own poor decision making. And there’s also something charming about reducing the harrowing struggle of the human condition to an 18 by 24 inch board.
Stephen Sondheim was actually a great collector of games like this. (The maestro, in case you didn’t know, was an avid collector of antique games and puzzles.) And after perusing the 236 lots in his estate’s Doyle auction, I’m here to give you the highlights..
Voyage to the Cottage of Content was my personal favorite. I think we should bring this one back. Replete with alliterative gold, the game is exactly what it sounds like, with detours to patience pond, consequence corner, poverty path (for those less fortunate), and a journey through prudence passage to long-sought lane for those with a bit more luck. Another one I loved was Road to the Temple of Honour and Fame. The titles alone just reveal so much, and I find them very endearing. My last favorite was the simply titled Gothic Board Game.
Unfortunately, I don’t know where to find any of these games, as I believe most went out of production sometime in the 19th century. So for the sake of this newsletter, I thought it’d be easier to stick to the classics.
Necchi is responsible for some of my favorite design work coming out of Paris. Their deco sensibilities paired with their strong understanding of midcentury Milanese design comes through in all their work, whether it be an object or an entire space. And a good games table can really elevate the corner of any room.
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again—every good list needs a postmodernist player! I have wanted this chess set for years.
Or maybe you’re more of a backgammon person.
Maybe it’s the Marty Supreme of it all, infiltrating our collective consciousness, but this table spoke to me. You can remove the net for a 8-person dinner, but I love how menacing it looks in its ping pong form, as if it dares you to come near it, let alone play on it.
Less menacing, and a much warmer option. The details are quite beautiful, and I like what he did with the perforated leather net. Feels more California.
Another great games table by a designer I love. Piet Hein Eek is a Dutch designer making a lot of beautiful and incredibly thoughtful work with reclaimed material, and I am learning I love a table that comes with matching chairs?
Plot twist! Bowl alert. I thought this art deco bowl could be used for a lovely game of charades, or fish bowl, or whatever theatrical games you freaks are playing.
You NEVER disappoint — slay slay slay, Abs! You make me want to become a hoarder…
Loved the Necchi table, that deco sensibility hits just right. The thing about game tables is they're one of the few furniture pieces where function actually enhances the aesthetic instead of fighting it. I remeber seeing a similar tension in Bauhaus furniture where utility was the whole point, but these game tables go beyond that by making the act of playing part of the room's arhictecture.