Side tables – Laminated, Chiselled and Casted Eyecatcher

Side tables are more than just a place to put things. They also play a role in defining the character of their neighboring upholstered furniture. The little table plays an assisting role, the star of the show is the bigger upholstery. If it is rounded, the table can be edgy and straight lined. If the sofa is standing on delicate legs, a sculptural solid table can successfully complement it. The following models show creative play with light and new forms as a result of close cooperation between design and manufacturing. The engineering process allows for specific interventions that enable exceptional effects. It is clearly shown by these remarkable eye-catchers, with their archaic shapes and bold colours, that it doesn’t always have to be the usual type of table on four legs.


BISEL designed by Patricia Urquiola for Glas Italia, is an exciting result of the long-term cooperation between the designer and famous manufacturer in Italy. By the use of a laminating process 5 mm thick mono coloured glass layers are glued together and unfold in the colours of the tables. The edges are facetted to bring out a slanting color gradient, which varies depending on the incidence of light and angle of view.


FOUNTAIN designed by Tokujin Yoshioka for Glas Italia, is a piece of art made of Murano glass. Through old-fashioned glass craftmanship, the manually shaped glass container is first laid upon a supporting form as a hot moldable disk. Then the overhanging parts are chiselled by several men simultaneously. This makes each piece unique and results in the characteristic surface. The table is poetically reminiscent of frozen water.

ALWA designed by Sebastian Herkner for Pulpo, is made of 5 cm thick casted glass and a formally reduced steel base frame. The massiv disk holds traces of manual crafting, the surface is corrugated and the glass contains locked-in air bubbles. The disk reminds me of an oversized lozenge, with hues resembling eucalyptus, honey or salt flavors.

CHOU CHOU by Pulpo, carries the handwriting of Lorenzo Zanovello. By his principle "I am where clay is", emerged this stool or side table made of clay for the German design label Pulpo. His design moves consequently between fine art and applied art, and no clear-cut border between industrial manufacturing and craftmanship can be identified.

PANNA COTTA designed by Ron Gilad for Molteni, is a simple table that finds an elegant answer to the issue of stability. The delicate iron base and the massive marble stone establish a unity, that is almost spiritual in appearance, caused by the contrasting character of both shapes - Oom.