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Although people don’t often think of furniture and jewelry as being related, the fields have some undeniable parallels. Both cut from rough materials to expose a polished piece within, and both utilize secondary materials to mount these finished works in a way that enhances its inherent beauty. Furniture simply does so in wood while jewelry cuts diamonds from the rough. That is what makes the design of the Carati side tables so endearing, as they celebrate the elegance of both fields in a new way.
Crafted by Italian designer Mario Alessiani, the Carati collection (Italian for “carats”) rethink the relationship of the tabletop to its legs by taking inspiration from the mounting of diamonds onto rings. Just as the edges of the precious gem are held in place by a horizontal force applied equally on opposite sides, so too are the Carati wooden tabletops cusped by the metal hands of their supporting legs. The result is sublime, as the wood seems to float midair, with no fear of toppling down. This is due to the carefully carved edge of each table, which matches up perfectly with the 90º angles of the top of the iron legs, requiring no additional measures to hold the table in place. Such a feat is only possible when the craft is considered with the utmost regard, and is accomplished thanks to each table being entirely handmade by Alessiani in Italy. The tables disrupt the usual relationship of a top to its legs while solidifying a relationship to another field many people would otherwise miss. And with this simple move, the Cariti collection helps push the boundary for what people imagine furniture to be capable of.
