I’ve certainly got a special place in my heart for designer Jean-Marie Massaud. The French auteur/designer/architect authored the first piece I ever covered for 3rings—the sexy-as-all-get-out Aspen Sofa. He’s also graced us with the lovely likes of Aston 1918 (Arper), The Holy Day Lounge (Coalesse), and the Achilles Chair (MDF Italia). Indeed, Massaud seems to thrive on working with various manufacturers, an approach that pays big dividends for A&D aficionados across the aesthetic spectrum. Massaud’s recent Woodstock Coffee Table Concept for Poliform expands the repertoire, as it’s sure to rein in devotees of modular, linear, and ultra-functional designs.

Woodstock. Designed by Jean-Marie Massaud for Poliform.

The Vaunted Versatility of the Rectangular Block

Woodstock begins with the linear potentiality of a simple rectangle (102 x 21 x 200 cm) and introduces a modular element that brings user creativity to bear. The individual units can be combined one to the next in an accreting arrangement that culminates in a grand geometric volume—rife with interesting striations, displaying a quintet of intriguing textural modulations. Resembling a giant set of piano keys, Woodstock has a decidedly Modernist aesthetic. The rectangular modules can be run directly together or offset, the latter choice creating visual interest as well as a perfect projecting perch to sit and tie your shoes.

Poliform offers Woodstock in any combination of its 28 colors of matte lacquer, spessart oak, or white elm. This expansive pallet encourages some free-form experimentation, which may explain the name. For when I think of Woodstock, I picture a vivid array of tie-dye t-shirts and technicolored shoes. Poliform, however, seems have to chosen the conservative route in their pics of Woodstock, which are all black and white. I guess that means it’s up to you to take the notion and run with it, to enliven Massaud’s latest low table with all the vibrant joie de vivre it deserves.