Matera Side Table

The urn is the oldest shape in the stonecutter's repertoire — a full belly drawn into a narrow neck, the profile that vases, balusters and fountain stems have all borrowed from. Cut at this scale it holds the floor without taking up much of it.

The top is dished rather than flat, with a lip turned into the outer edge, so it works as a tray as much as a surface. The lip is deep enough to stop a glass travelling and shallow enough to disappear across a room.

The stone is dark almost to black, broken by pale crystalline clusters that read like weather across the surface. Because the pattern is geological rather than applied, the distribution differs from block to block.

The piece shown is representative. No two are identical.

Dust with a soft dry cloth. Blot spills at once — stone is porous, and acidic liquids will mark a honed surface. Use coasters beneath glassware, and avoid abrasive or acidic cleaners, which dull the polish.