Nendo designs leaning marble tables for Marsotto Edizioni
Milan 2016: these marble side tables by Japanese design studio Nendo look like they are leaning over.
Nendo's Sway tables were designed for Italian marble furniture brand Marsotto Edizioni, and are available in black and white.
The designers wanted the tables to "exploit" the weight of marble, so decided to create pieces that tilt to one side.
Although the legs appear to be buckling under the heavy tops, the tables are stabilised by the weight, as well as the positioning of each leg.
"The weight of marble is often perceived as a negative factor, but this element has been actively exploited, resulting in the creation of a table that is tilted to one side," said the team.
"The table is precisely stable due to the weight of the leg section and its appearance of instability in turn provides a new expression of agility to the marble."
The pieces will be shown at Marsotto Edizioni's exhibition space at the Spazio Bigli during this year's Milan design week, which takes place from 12 to 17 April 2016.
The exhibition will be divided into right and left sides using black and white colours. Furniture will be arranged in a symmetrical formation in each space, which visitors will be able to appreciate by standing right in the centre of the room as they enter.
"A visual effect was created as though the spaces were reflecting each other like a mirror, along with the pillars that were rhythmically arranged," said Nendo.
The Japanese design studio, led by Oki Sato, will also be showing a series of 50 chairs at the Facoltà Teologica dell'Italia Settentrionale in Milan – which are each based on the abstract lines and grids used in graphics for manga-style comic books.
Nendo is well known for its vast annual output of products, interior design and architecture projects. In an interview with Dezeen last year, Sato said that working on up to 400 projects at a time relaxes him.
"I can't keep up," he said. "The more ideas I think of, the more ideas I come up with. It is like breathing or eating."
Photography is by Akihiro Yoshida.