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It looks like the cross-section of some log, sliced in half and set upon metal legs – a nice side table to set against a wall, its rounded edge facing outward. But there is a twist.

Like a crafty Chinese box puzzle or some elegant piece of Japanese origami, a hidden set of interior curves slides out from the core to create a three-quarter or full-circle pattern (or, one supposes, anything in between).

While such a design might not be terribly practical for, say, a dinner table, if one assumes this smaller secondary surface is for larger, more permanent and/or decorative objects, the slots should not pose much of a problem. You also can’t help but appreciate a piece of transforming furniture that works not only in its two ‘intended’ conditions, but also could function at any point between those extremes.

Designed by Isariya Boon, the so-called ‘Rotension’ table goes beyond being well-designed: it is incredibly detailed, from its interlocking mechanisms and joinery to the simple metal supports that let the wood be both the literal and visual centerpiece of the work.