This pyramid-shaped marble table standing on its end looks like an impossibly heavy monument. It seems to balance on its smallest point, a feat that anyone who knows anything about the laws of physics might find a bit impossible.

The table, called Lythos, was designed by French designer Toni Grilo for furniture label Haymann Editions. Grilo wanted to work with marble but realized that the weight of the material would present some practical challenges.

Initially trying – and then rejecting – a metal honeycomb structure, the designer eventually settled on a lightweight but very tough plastic substrate for the thin marble slices.

A small stone counterweight and leather strap help to both keep the tabletop in place and make it easier to move when necessary. The little trick that makes the table look like an inverted pyramid also makes the piece functional.