If you haven't noticed, the sitcoms and films want us to believe there are only two shapes of conference table: blah rectangles (think 'Office Space') or gigantic, over-the-top monstrosities (think the Mode office of 'Ugly Betty'). It makes wanting a funky table seem daunting, since all we see are false examples of how useful a large meeting table can actually be.

Thankfully – for the sake of maintaing sanity – Knoll has pioneered the way for decades now. It’s almost as if the Oval Table Desk by Florence Knoll says what Kanye West wrote in his song back in 2008, “It’s amazing, I’m the reason” about it’s effect on any space. After all, the table won the Design Center Stuttgart Award back in 1969-1970, and has maintained its steady resurgence as a quiet warrior for the art of clean lines and vibrant color.

Florence Knoll Table Desk. Designed by Florence Knoll for KnollStudio.

Florence made the oval-shaped table in two different sizes: 78″ W x 47 3/4″ D x 28″ H or in the larger 96″ W x 54″ D x 28″ H. As a person who studied everything design-related, from architecture to interiors to advertising, this lady knew from the start what was important to an object within a space. For this reason, the table comes in a smaller Round Table Desk measuring 54″ W x 28″ H.

Choices: even though it's a top of the line piece of furniture, you can choose between three laminate tops (1.5" thick), veneer (1.18"), and marble (3/4"). Additionally, the marble is coated with a transparent polyester that preserves its eye-catching first impression. Underneath whichever table top you decide upon there is a single, heavy gauge welded steel post that distributes the weight evenly between its four legs in either a polished or satin chrome finish. Although a base might seem less like a design feature, the shiny chrome platform beneath complements the Oval Table Desk's desire to remain simple and perfect, with no worry of banging knees on multiple posts.

The Oval Table Desk surfaces come finished in white laminate, natural oak, pearwood, medium brown, mahogony, medium red mahograny, ebonized oak veneer, or five choices of marble. With the wide variety of colors, sizes, and materials available makes a designer out of each person who decides to invest in the original designer, Florence Knoll, who famously studied alongside Eero Saarinen, Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer and Wallace K. Harrison before creating her company (and this table).