Solid elm coffee table, France, 1980s

This coffee table puts the elm in the spotlight. Its design, reduced to the essentials, allows the warm grain and generous proportions of the wood to take centre stage. The wide bevels appear to have been shaped with a single stroke of a plane. The vertical panels naturally extend the tabletop, giving the whole piece an almost monolithic presence that the elm softens. Set close to the ground, its simple, horizontal silhouette exudes an almost Japanese serenity. The wood speaks for itself; it would be a shame to interrupt it.