The (Small) Beautiful Game

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To most of us table football, or foosball for the more cosmopolitan of you out there, is associated with student union bars and youth clubs. The battered table tends to be covered with a protective (scratched) layer of Perspex, a prefect resting place for pints of beer or packets of cheese and onion crisps. A warped playing surface and uneven legs tend to result in slope assisted score lines! So despite being a great game to play table football has about as much aesthetic appeal as a landfill site.

But this complete lack of design heritage didn’t stop two Dutch design companies from building a foosball table which wouldn’t look out of place in an ultra-modern Tokyo apartment. ‘11’ is a one-off, hand-crafted foosball table which rewrites the design book on table football. Mirroring recent architectural advancements in football stadia the designers sought to create something both spectacular and memorable, which would enrich the interior space where it would be placed.

The table’s sleek black exterior contrasts spectacularly with the plain white playing surface. The 22 players were machined from solid brass then finished in bright-silver chrome which required hours of polishing to achieve a perfect mirror finish. The table is given a broodingly ethereal atmosphere through the use of innovative lighting effects.

Unfortunately this table is unlikely to make an appearance at your student bar any time soon as there are no plans to mass produce them. Check out the video and website to get some idea of just how cool this foosball table is.