What’s your first inclination when mentally examining the design idiom options for an end table? Whether your tastes range from experimental to conservative, I’d bet it would never occur to you to model the side panels of your bedside table after the intricate interstices of a block of Swiss, or the cellular division of an amoeba, or the infinite striations of a chalky river bed.

Sael Side Table. Designed by Micol and Sael Bartolucci. Manufactured by Isotrope.

Isotrope’s Sael Side Tables Are Varied, Versatile, and Avant Garde

Who would such a notion occur to? The principles of design studio Isotrope, of course. That is to say, sisters Micol and Sael Bartolucci, both of whom conceived of the intriguing Sael side tables as an homage to the varied and endlessly hypnotic manifestations of landscape and topography.

Given the various and sundry influences of weather, time, tides, and cosmic uncertainties, it’s a tall order to match the above, but the Bartolucci sisters have certainly done their darnedest. The collection features side tables (16” cubes) in the varied incarnations of birch and acrylic, with finish options in white wash, medium brown, and dark brown.

The featured element in each, however, is the carved side panel containing more mystery than a Rorschach Test. The panels are modular elements that easily slide in and out, one behind the other in a rich interplay of texture and shape.

Sael thus goes beyond the usual utility of your average side table. This clever piece, with its varied materials, multiple color options, and pronounced aesthetic flexibility, will appeal to those of particularly imaginative bent, or to anyone who’s ever been captivated by the mysterious machinations of natural phenomena.

About the Manufacturer: Right off the bat, design firm Isotrope’s got a couple of things going for it: the first is the dynamic duo of sisters (designers and founders) Micol and Sael Bartolucci; the second is their sunny California locale. One could fairly discern the influence of both upon the company’s output of sculptural side tables, which are mostly inspired by natural elements: “The fascination of topography and landscape led to the creation of a collection of tables which are sculptures in and of themselves.” Isotrope’s line includes side tables Sael, Geo, Alpi, and Archa, each of which explore the interplay of varied materials and multiple textures.