Marquetry is a minimal side table by Manchester-based designers David Winter and Natasha Kurth. The table’s intention is to change our perceptions of material value, workmanship and artistic impression. The piece is influenced by Junichiro Tanizaki’s essay In Praise of Shadows, in which the comparisons of light and darkness are used portray contrasts between Western and Asian cultures. The surface effect is created using inlaid wooden veneer (marquetry) inspired by the tonal variations in graphite. The single-color veneer creates subtle tonal changes as the viewer interacts with the work. Light and darkness become equally important to the visual experience. The design also sources inspiration from Leonard Koren’s writing on Japanese aesthetics. The precision machine turned graphite legs trace their life path, revealing the impermanent and transient nature of materials and objects in our world.