Wood Frame Coffee Table, Italy, 1970s

This 70s italian coffee table's design features constructive solutions taken straight out of architectural joinery's playbook. The slender wooden beams, in packs of five, interlock in the middle, then go off to the sides, where they turn 90° towards the floor. Halfway down, a metal crossbeam connects them together, ensuring that the whole structure is sound. The materials used are colour-coded: black for wood and red for metal. The wooden bits are rectangular, the metal ones cylindrical, and thick smoked glass, featuring gently beveled corners, tops everything. The resulting piece is as much rational as it is elegant.