ERIK WØRTS. COFFEE TABLE, "Reflex", IKEA, first half of the 1970s.

Glossy white lacquer on metal profiles. Clear glass disc. Wooden boxes lacquered in red and blue respectively. Four ball wheels.
Height approx. 42 cm, disc dimensions 106 x 105 cm.

"An exciting new form! It is an airy, functional table for the new, mobile living environment." This is how Erik Wørt's coffee table Reflex was presented when it made its entrance on page 70 of the 1972 IKEA catalogue. And there was probably talk of a new living environment at the time of the launch. New ideals, partly sprung from pop art and the space age but also from progressive winds that blew right into the Swedish living rooms, were the basis for new aesthetic expressions. So did the new materials of the time, which overturned a centuries-old carpentry tradition. In just a few years, solid woods were surrounded by plastics, metals and all kinds of art materials in Swedish homes. In short, a new interior fashion had settled over furniture Sweden. And in the living areas, it had settled close to the floor with low seating and flexible tables and storage furniture.
Coffee table Reflex was no exception in this regard. On the contrary, it was a colorful new addition to the market with fashionable ball wheels. To speak the language of the IKEA catalog author, Reflex was a: "Imaginative and inspiring furniture that is a coffee table and fun storage at the same time, environmental stimulation and comfort". Gone were the 1960s living rooms for representation and formal invitations. "Comfort" was the new rule and that the table was also allowed to be "fun" was completely in line with the tune of the 1970s.

"Do something fun with the coffee table function! Take Reflex!" readers were asked who had to pay SEK 475 for Erik Wørt's coffee table in the first year.

Like several of the more daring furniture models of the early 1970s, Reflex disappeared as quickly as it came. The table was only included in two catalogs before it was discontinued. It is also one of the reasons why it is so rare on the secondary market today.