Japanese designer Nendo was inspired by the Japanese style to create a language rooted in his own time. This objective is reflected in clean forms, never lacking a touch of humour and friendliness. Nendo won the title of “Designer of the Year” at the Maison & Object show in January 2015, and his work garnered several international awards. His work is exhibited in the MoMA in New York, and in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs or the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. In 2011, Nendo stunned us again with “Thin Black Table”: lightweight and spectacular, this side table is an ingenious appeal against the force of gravity. It’s composed of two cubes, out of alignment, which are slotted into one another, creating the illusion of precarious balance. Mounted on a transparent glass tabletop, the upper cube doesn’t touch the ground and appears to float. The tabletop appears to literally float mid-air, defying the laws of physics! The slender, black metal structure creates a series of geometric lines, angles and transparency, all suggestive of the designs of Escher’s labyrinths. Playing with the perspective, the “Thin Black Table” side table disconcerts our references, throwing logic to the wind and flirting with absurdity. Nendo transforms a simple table into a complex and unique sculptural piece. Cultivating offsets, optical effects and interrogations, Nendo’s creations stand out with their simple design, essential lines, and the sobriety of the materials which create the lightweight and ethereal form.

In detail:

Variation : Transparent / Black structure

Brand : Cappellini

Designer : Nendo

Type : End table

Colour : Tabletop: Transparent / Black structure

Material : Metal structure and extra-light glass tabletop

Dimensions : 46 x 47 cm x H 51 cm

Weight : 0 lb

Characteristics : Model created in 2011 by Nendo – Optical illusion: coffee table formed by the intersection of two in-set, unaligned cubes, creating a play on perspective – Max. weight supported at the centre of the surface: 50 kg

Country of Manufacture : Italy