Miniforms serves up the monolithic Plauto desk | Information | Architonic

Cappello points out that his Jumbo desk, also designed for Miniforms, has a similarly sculptural quality. Yet Plauto doesn’t look heavy or imposing thanks partly to its top, whose underside curves upwards where it meets the outer edge, resulting in a slender profile. Plauto’s legs, too, avoid looking bulky or cumbersome since they are formed of two curved sections that converge to create a sharp, straight edge.

While recalling the abstract, organic sculptures of such 20th century artists as Barbara Hepworth, say, or Jean Arp, the table doesn’t exude formality. For the designers, warm, tactile wood – available in a light, mid or dark tone (flamed oak, Canaletto walnut or black ash respectively) – was the obvious choice of material for the piece. ‘We chose wood as it’s warm and natural,’ they say. ‘We didn’t want the piece to look at all cold.’