Typewriters are cool again. And vinyl is big. As in music albums, not day-wear. So perhaps it should come as no surprise that two entrepreneurs in South Dakota designed a coffee table (tayble, actually, but we’ll get to that) to look exactly like the front of a cassette tape deck.
You remember cassettes, right? The music medium your toddlers (or you) managed to unspool faster than they (you) could flush their (your) favorite Toy Story action figures down the john. You (your folks) couldn’t wait for CDs to come along. Nothing to unspool. Tough to flush.
Now those tape decks are retro-cool with Taybles Cassette Tape Coffee Table. Nah, it’s not a typo. Is it a take on playable? If so, it’s not. Playable, that is. But it’s pretty outstanding. The two inventors don’t look like they can shave, so it’s hard to imagine they’re looking back nostalgically on their art form. Unless they were the little bastards unspooling their folks’ tapes.
Their table (er, Tayble) drew rave reviews and sales in ten countries in four continents when priced at $1,700. Knowing they had to cut costs for mass audiences, the partners have initiated a Kickstarter campaign to redesign and reconfigure raw materials.
They kept the retro hipness. Their Tayble is made entirely to scale and form except that the spool holes are actually stainless steel cup holders. There’s a hidden shelf for storage and George Jetson steel hairpin legs. The surface is dry-erasable for felt marker playlist scribblings. Or your weekly grocery list. Up to you.
Take a look. If you like what you see, get out your typewriter and write the kids a note.