Getty Images / Elizabeth Beard
They’re chic, versatile, and anything but lazy — a turntable can be a serious home-dining upgrade
A friend recently started making a lazy Susan a mainstay on their dining room table, and I was struck by how smart the idea was; not only did their checkerboard lazy Susan look cool on the table with a beeswax pillar candle and some sleek salt and pepper shakers, but when it came time to eat, a flight of chutneys and sauces was just as easily assembled on its surface and spun to reach every dinner guest. Plus, it made cleaning the table itself super easy (just lift the Susan). I remember thinking, Why doesn’t everyone have one of these?
When I hear the words “lazy Susan,” I usually think of afternoon tea spreads at my grandmother’s house, or of the Lucite lazy Susans in my apartment’s pull-out cabinets. (While there is debate over how they got their name, one popular — although unsubstantiated — theory is that the term was coined by Thomas Jefferson.) However, in addition to circulating cucumber sandwiches or expertly stashing my vinegar selection, lazy Susans — which really should be called clever Susans, given their helpful design — have also become a mainstay of Chinese restaurants in the US and abroad, and deserve to find a center-stage place on your home dining table.
As someone who is frequently reorganizing their kitchen and dining room, this coherency of form and function has me hooked, and after seeing how much a lazy Susan enhanced my friend’s home dining experience, I was ready to draft up a few requirements for an ideal dining table lazy Susan.
The terms were that I should invest in noble or rustic materials such as marble, stone, and wood; reserve the clear plastic lazy Susans for cabinet storage; look for designs that would look great on your table even if they were naked; and remember that you can even layer lazy Susans (think, a 9-inch wood lazy Susan atop a 14-inch marble lazy Susan). Most importantly, remember that a lazy Susan isn’t just your saving grace from “Can you pass the salt?” fatigue. It’s also a place to showcase your bud vases, trinkets, and whatever else your heart desires.
Wood touches can look chic (even when they’re affordable)
For a lighter look, this bamboo option
A gorgeous way to hutch your everyday seasonings
A wood lazy Susan with wrought iron-like details
A little French charm
Check, please
A rustic take on check
You’d like a little height (but not too much)
You love dirty martinis
This amber cast glass masterpiece
You own a Patrick Nagel print
Invest in a table with a built-in lazy Susan
Happy spinning.
