Pienza Console Table

The baluster is the oldest profile in stone furniture — a full belly drawn into a narrow neck — and here it is doubled, two of them carrying a top long enough to read as a single unbroken line.

The lip is turned as two mouldings rather than one, so the edge catches light twice and the top looks thinner than its 2.5 inches. It runs continuously around both oval ends, which is the part that takes the time.

Because the whole piece is cut from one block, the veining carries from the top down through the pedestals rather than stopping at a joint. The colour here runs white through apricot to grey-violet, and no two blocks divide the same way.

The piece shown is representative. Yours will differ.

Dust with a soft dry cloth. Blot spills at once — pale stone is porous and marks readily, and acidic liquids will etch a honed surface. Use coasters and a tray beneath anything wet, and avoid abrasive or acidic cleaners.