Monumental in scale, with strong lines and tremendous presence, William Sawaya's dining table gives a whole new meaning to "three-piece suite". "It's based on one I created for a house that I designed in Qatar," says the Lebanese-Italian architect and furniture designer, of the piece that he revealed during this year's Milan salone. "My client wanted a dining table that would seat a large number of guests but had two provisos: it was not to be a conventional elongated rectangle, and it should also be suitable for smaller groups."
Made of cast resin and lacquered in softly iridescent colours, Linea-Doppialinea-Punto (which translates loosely as "dash-double dash-dot") locks neatly together like a puzzle, giving it a playfully quirky air. And, when guests are fewer than would need its full span of almost 13 metres, the pieces lend themselves to being arranged separately in a room - each with its own sculptural presence, the softly sinuous profiles of the tabletops appearing to float above the sharply cut legs. The gentle arc of the suite gives it a warmth and intimacy that would encourage conversation among those seated at it.
Radical and utterly modern - perhaps even "beyond modern" - Linea-Doppialinea-Punto is as much a work of art as an item of furniture. Like so much of Sawaya's work, it transcends time and fashion and, to my mind, has the dignity to work equally well as an office desk (for the right person, of course) or a dining table. Available to order only, from Sawaya & Moroni, Via Manzoni 11, 20121 Milan; +39 02 8639 5201; www.sawayamoroni.com