I just posted images of this Jens Quistgaard silverware set that we just got on the recent acquisitions thread. When I first bought it, I questioned the notched detail in the handle, but the more I looked at it and the more I handled it, the better I liked it. I've encountered several flatware designs that I thought were very handsome to look at, but when I used them I was very disappointed. They did not feel good in my hand... too heavy, too light, poorly balanced... and worse, if they do not feel good in your mouth where most people are very sensitive to tactile sensations.
I wonder if when people are shopping for flatware they would ever be permitted, or even think to try, to put them in their mouth and see how they feel. I imagine that if one really considered it, you would realize a real preference for the shape of knife, the length of fork tongs, the length and depth of the bowl of a spoon...
That got me to thinking about the nature and design of flatware. It struck me that it is a very intimate thing to design or make. By that I mean, you hold these things in your hand wile doing something very human, very basic, something you do several times every day... eat. You not only hold them in your hand, but put them into your mouth. How many other designs do you interact with that closely?
Having also just had my eyes examined and been told that I've hit that magic age and now need reading glasses, I got to go thought this same dilemma. Balancing form, function, aesthetics and having to work with your facial features can be quite challenging. It took me forever to select a pair of glasses, and I'm still not sure it's the best solution as I'll have to log some time wearing them to find out if they are truly comfortable and properly correct my vision.
I also wonder if there are other items that we interact with on a very intimate, personal level that we have distinct preferences about but might not have given a lot of thought to, or perhaps is not the topic of discussion as often as Eames chairs are. There are some items that are perhaps more obvious: underwear, toothbrushes, "personal" massagers, beds and mattresses (we spend more time in those every day than any chair) but are there things you can think of that are more intimate designs which are often overlooked and might warrant more critique? 
I have had
the same critique thoughts concerning flatware. One thing that is a quick tell for me is handles that are not substantially wider than they are thick or generally underscaled. They want to roll between your fingers, especially when loaded. Dansk Odin are particularly bad for that and there are others. I couldn't be rid of mine fast enough. I suspect the Jette would do the same, which makes me sad as it is my favorite Quistgaard pattern visually. We currently use the variation iv which while slender in the handles has the knurling and enough flare in the middle to be very stable. Gense focus is similarly stable. I also like ones with a flared butt end like the Dansk thistle. We haven't wielded much more than a couple dozen different patterns by a handful of makers but more than enough to tell by looking if there are potential issues like this.
Thanks, Pegboard
The Quistgaards you posted have been in daily use at our house for more than 25 years. To this day I never handle a spoon without a little zing of pleasure.
But nothing is universal:
My spouse insists the implements "don't work," and tolerates them only in return for some small design concessions I've made elsewhere.
I find it interesting that she's one of those people who literally cannot open a milk carton or a potato-chip bag without mangling the package. Not a criticism -- just an observation that each of us relates to physical objects differently.
Yeah, the flatware dilemma
Some of the most beautiful flatware is awful to use. Friends have had a set for 30+ years that I think they got at Crate & Barrel back when it was mostly Danish designs. I don't know the designer but the handles are very heavy and they always fall off the plates when clearing the table. Very annoying.
I have had the Paul Revere pattern by Oneida Community Stainless for just as long. I would like to have something more stylish looking (though there are many that are less stylish) but it's so perfect otherwise that I'm sticking with it for now.
Sometime in the
late sixties or early seventies, when the new Design Research building in Cambridge, MA, was up and running, I visited with friends and encountered the most amazing stainless tableware. The pieces were like a hybrid of minimalist jewelry and some sort of surgical implement. Each piece had a handle composed of a perfect and long cylinder, mated to a smaller cylinder which in turn grew into the necessary utensil form -- spoon, fork, knife, etc. The handle might have been 5/16" or 3/8" in diameter, and at least six inches long (as I recall it).
Not only were the pieces elegant to behold, but they were weighted in such a way as to enhance the sensation of surgical precision and control -- at least in the store setting. I can't say what the dining experience would have revealed. . .
Sadly, I have no idea who made these pieces. I haven't seen them since.
Like *spanky*, I'm a bit of a traditionalist
when it comes to some things. It's Frederick's of Hollywood or nothing at all!
Ahem. But seriously, we have Towle "Boston Antique" stainless flatware and I must say I love 'em. for a number of reasons. Among them are; quality alloy, good heft, proper balance, timeless look, familiar and comfortable feel, long pointy tines on forks, excellent tip control on knives, and easy to add or replace pieces.
Edit: And, oh yes, zero pretense.
.
Mr Behrens, link, also did some concept work on implants, but can't seem to find it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haptic_technology
http://www.nano-effect.com/en/04.html
I suppose cyborgs, muscle memory, haptics and all sorts of medical technologies would come into it but more simply anyone who has ever used a good hand tool for long enough will know the pleasure of it becoming second nature.
The stylus here apparantly gives physical feedback to the hand when sculpting the 'clay'.
Sorry for the scattered post, in a rush.
http://marcbehrens.com/proj/apparatus.html
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