Architects can be a bit nosy. Part of their job requires them to really understand and get intimate with the people they are designing for, assuring that the final product can enrich the lives of the people occupying their buildings and spaces. This is probably why no small detail gets overlooked by great architects. So when a world-renowned architect decides to tackle designing a table, it becomes much more than just a table.
Designed by Renzo Piano, the Earth Table is made from Kauri wood from New Zealand is suspended clear resin to resemble a stylized world map, allowing for an interesting interplay between light and shadow. The bent iron base has been designed to symbolize the wreckage protruding from the rubble following the collapse of the World Trade Center. A somber reminder of the tragedy back in 2001, the table also serves to represent the “theme of peace and unity of the peoples where there are no prejudices, differences of class or race.”