Pair of Low Tables (1970–1980)
Carved acariquara wood
Dimensions: 61 × 56 cm (each)
Country of origin: Brazil
This expressive pair of low tables, created by José Zanine Caldas between the 1970s and 1980s, exemplifies the designer’s deep connection to nature and his sculptural approach to furniture-making. Crafted from solid acariquara wood, each piece is carved from a single trunk section, preserving the organic contours, natural voids, and textured grain of the native Brazilian hardwood.
The star-shaped tops and hollowed trunks reveal the designer’s reverence for raw material and form, transforming the natural into the architectural. These tables are as much functional furniture as they are works of environmental sculpture—rooted in Zanine’s philosophy of sustainability, craftsmanship, and reverence for the forest.
José Zanine Caldas (1919–2001) was a pioneering Brazilian designer, architect, and craftsman whose work bridged vernacular tradition and modernist innovation. Often working outside conventional industrial methods, he championed the use of reclaimed and native woods, shaping them by hand into bold, monumental, and deeply tactile forms. These low tables are emblematic of his legacy—a fusion of nature, utility, and artistry.
