Massimo Vignelli and Lella Vignelli for Martinelli Luce.

MASSIMO VIGNELLI (Milan, 1931–2014) & LELLA VIGNELLI (Udine, 1934–2016) for Martinelli Luce.
“Metafora” coffee table, 1979.
Glass top and marble legs.
Measurements: 22 x 115 x 115 cm.
Designed in 1979 by Lella and Massimo Vignelli, the Metafora table is one of the most iconic works of late 20th-century Italian design and a testament to the close relationship between art, architecture, and industrial design. Conceived as a true functional sculpture, the piece transcends its everyday use. Its most distinctive feature is the thick tempered glass top, which appears to float without visible fasteners atop a base composed of elementary geometric solids: the cube, the cylinder, the sphere, and the pyramid. Inspired by Euclidean geometry, Metafora dispenses with any superfluous elements to reduce the design to its essential principles. Originally produced by Casigliani and later reissued by Martinelli Luce, Metafora remains one of the great icons of Italian postmodern design—a timeless piece that demonstrates Lella and Massimo Vignelli’s ability to transform the most basic geometric forms into a work of extraordinary elegance and profound conceptual depth.
Massimo Vignelli and his wife Lella were a prominent and renowned duo in Italian graphic and industrial design. Massimo attended a school in Brera before earning his degree in architecture from the University of Milan. Between 1953 and 1957, he also attended the School of Architecture at the University of Venice. Early in his professional career, he specialized in graphic design for product development and corporate identity. In the late 1950s, he received a scholarship to study in the United States, specifically at Towle Silversmiths in Massachusetts and the Chicago Institute of Design. He founded his own firm, Vignelli Associates, together with his wife. His work was rooted in modernism and simplicity, which is evident in his preference for geometric designs.