Our clients, a couple of art collectors who love to entertain, requested that this dining table be simple, sculptural, and richly textured, a table that would project a sense of quiet luxury.

We had to aim for "impacting clarity" so the table would live up to its environment and coexist harmoniously with it. Numerous sketches and a laboriously reductive process led us to the final base design and a tabletop that would engage while complementing it.

When it came to using materials, we kept our minds open. We explored wood, concrete, glass, stone, and steel and adjusted each design scenario to the particular qualities of each material.

Finally, we decided to use steel because it gave us the most freedom of forms and structural capacity. The legs were built as hollow sheet-metal volumes, assembled as a single unit, and transported to an artist's atelier
where the gold leaf and lacquer were applied.

The tabletop is seven feet at its widest, which presented a problem as few marble slabs offer such a width. In addition, we needed a light stone with a very linear veining to contrast with the sinuous base. Add all those variables, and our search became a Via Dolorosa throughout every showroom and boneyard in town.

Altogether designing and managing the construction of this table was a most enjoyable experience. On the installation day, our clients were breathless, delighted, and full of compliments. This moment reassured us of the positive effect designers have on the human environment.