Samo Dining Table for Simon Gavin by Carlo Scarpa, Italy, 1970s

This Italian dining table from the 1970s exudes timeless elegance and beauty. It was designed by perhaps one of the prominent Italian modernist designers of the last century. What immediately catches the eye with this table are the architectural legs that have a sturdy monumental appearance. These are a stylized interpretation of a Roman column and are beautifully crafted from gray granite. The very dense stone has diffused small fossils and shells and radiates a soft glow. The ‘Samo’ table is part of Simon’s ‘Ultrarazionale’ collection and was designed and manufactured in a period when polyester conquered the world of design at lightning speed. This design was a kind of counter-reaction to this seemingly cheap and simple way of creating and mass-producing. The creation of these types of shapes in granite or marble was quite unusual in the 1970s because it was precisely the polyester that made it possible to easily realize the strangest shapes. That’s what made this table so special then and especially now. The oval top is not completely loose on the pillar-like legs but falls into four dowels. These dowels are attached to the legs and four holes are drilled into the top. The size of the top in relation to the legs is almost unreal but incredibly sturdy in all its simplicity. The condition of this table is good, but we would like to mention that a number of old restorations can be recognized on the long side of the top, and on one of the legs the granite has a chip of about one and a half centimeters.