Jinye Side Table

French architect Virginie Moriette and Chinese designer Xu Ming of Studio MVW draw on their distinct backgrounds and cultures for collaborative pieces that elegantly reimagine expected forms of furniture. The duo uses eclectic materials and sculptural forms for creative pieces as well as in their designs for interiors and architecture.

Moriette and Ming are especially inspired by nature as something that links both Western and Chinese design. Ming studied at Penninghen Graphic Arts and Interior Architecture High School in Paris as well as with designers including Didier Gomez, Eric Raffy and Paul Andreu before returning to China in 2004. Moriette studied at the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-La Villette and likewise worked with Andreu, meeting Ming while working on a project in Shanghai. Their first furniture designs came out of the pieces they were creating for their own home, such as wooden bookshelves that evoked the shapes of tree trunks. Together they cofounded Studio MVW in Shanghai in 2006.

Moriette and Ming now work on smaller scale projects like limited-edition objects and individual furniture pieces as well as entire interiors, regularly harmonizing disparate materials such as bronze, jade, marble and lacquer. Their Jinye series, for instance, features tables made from Patagonian quartzite while their JinShi console involves discs made of pink jade that are illuminated from within. Their architecture and interior designs include the Aoyama Lab Dessert Bar in Beijing, which juxtaposes glass and mesh with wood and stone, and the Shanghai showroom for Pierre Cardin where circular portals frame the housewares.

As they told Design Anthology: “Whatever the object or project, we draw inspiration from its context, the client’s needs and personality and always from nature, with the objective of giving all projects a special identity with a hint of poetry.” Studio MVW’s work has included designs for Giorgetti, Roche Bobois and Richemont Group.

Find authentic Studio MVW tables, case pieces and storage cabinets on 1stDibs.

The right vintage, new or antique tables can help make any space in your home stand out.

Over the years, the variety of tables available to us, as well as our specific needs for said tables, has broadened. Today, with all manner of these must-have furnishings differing in shape, material and style, any dining room table can shine just as brightly as the guests who gather around it.

Remember, when shopping for a dining table, it must fit your dining area, and you need to account for space around the table too — think outside the box, as an oval dining table may work for tighter spaces. Alternatively, if you’ve got the room, a Regency-style dining table can elevate any formal occasion at mealtime.

Innovative furniture makers and designers have also redefined what a table can be. Whether it’s an unconventional Ping-Pong table, a brass side table to display your treasured collectibles or a Louis Vuitton steamer trunk to add an air of nostalgia to your loft, your table can say a lot about you.

The visionary work of French designer Xavier Lavergne, for example, includes tables that draw on the forms of celestial bodies as often as they do aquatic creatures or fossils. Elsewhere, Italian architect Gae Aulenti, who looked to Roman architecture in crafting her stately Jumbo coffee table, created clever glass-topped mobile coffee tables that move on bicycle tires or sculpted wood wheels for Fontana Arte. 

Coffee and cocktail tables can serve as a room’s centerpiece with attention-grabbing details and colors. Glass varieties will keep your hardwood flooring and dazzling area rugs on display, while a marble or stone coffee table in a modern interior can showcase your prized art books and decorative objects. A unique vintage desk or writing table can bring sophistication and even a bit of spice to your work life. 

No matter your desired form or function, a quality table for your living space is a sound investment. On 1stDibs, browse a collection of vintage, new and antique bedside tables, mid-century end tables and more .