Gae Aulenti Jumbo Coffee Table, Arabescato Marble, Knoll, 1960's

Gae Aulenti for Knoll “Jumbo” Table, circa 1960s in Arabescato marble

*Note on material: Arabescato marble ≠ Carrara. While often confused, Arabescato is a distinct and significantly more valuable stone, prized for its dramatic movement, depth of veining, and architectural presence. Its expressive patterning and limited quarry yield have long made it a preferred choice for statement works in high modern design.

This sculptural Jumbo table, designed by Gae Aulenti for Knoll in the 1960s, is a masterclass in architectural restraint and material drama. Carved from richly veined Arabescato marble, the table’s bold slab top is elevated by cylindrical marble legs, creating a composition that feels simultaneously monumental and refined; unmistakably Aulenti.

This particular example comes from the private home of a former interior designer and architect whose work helped shape the interiors of iconic Las Vegas casinos as well as residences for the city’s elite. The home was a true design time capsule ~ a who’s-who of mid-century and post-war European and American modernism that featured exceptional works by Knoll, Stendig, and other design heavyweights. Every piece was thoughtfully collected, lived with, and deeply understood.

Born Gaetana “Gae” Aulenti in 1927 in Palazzolo dello Stella, Italy, Aulenti was one of the most influential architects and designers of the 20th century. She graduated from the Politecnico di Milano in 1954 and quickly became a leading voice in post-war Italian modernism, later aligning with the Neo-Liberty movement, which pushed back against strict functionalism in favor of expressive form and historical reference.

Aulenti’s career spanned furniture design, architecture, exhibition design, and large-scale cultural projects. She is perhaps best known architecturally for the transformation of the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, as well as major commissions for the Centre Pompidou, Palazzo Grassi, and institutions across Europe, Asia, and the United States. She passed in 2012, leaving behind a legacy that continues to shape contemporary design thinking.

Aulenti began designing for Knoll in the 1960s, during a period when the company was actively collaborating with European architects and designers to expand its modernist language beyond the American canon. Her work for Knoll is defined by architectural clarity, sculptural mass, and an unapologetic embrace of material-- qualities beautifully embodied in the Jumbo table. These designs were not meant to disappear into a room; they were meant to anchor it.

Working in a male-dominated field, Aulenti was part of a generation of pioneering women who helped redefine modern design. Her contemporaries included Charlotte Perriand, Eileen Gray, Ray Eames, Florence Knoll, Cini Boeri, and Nanda Vigo, all designers who challenged conventions and expanded the role of furniture as both functional object and cultural statement.

This is not simply a coffee table, this is a cherished piece of design history. Bold yet timeless, architectural yet inviting, the Gae Aulenti Jumbo table is equally at home in a rigorously modern interior or a richly layered, collector-driven space. A true statement piece with provenance, pedigree, and presence.