Gandhara Carapace Coffee Table #1

This precious collectible design work is part of the ‘Gandhara Carapace’ collection, a set of tables and seats with minimalist lines highlighting mosaic surfaces of semiprecious stones (lapis lazuli, amazonite, onyx, malachite) and marble stones. The project uses traditional stone inlay techniques and a palette of beautiful colors to realize a very contemporary look and feel. For the Florentines of the 16th-century Italian Renaissance, who brought this art to its apogee, this meticulous act of cutting and adjusting stones into intricate and exquisite forms was akin to painting – "painting in stone".

‘Gandhara Carapace’ illustrates Nada Debs' world-renowned multicultural approach to design, as well as her talent for revisiting fine crafts in a contemporary light. For the Levantine designer, craft is an ideal vehicle for uplifting communities, preserving ancient knowledge, and bringing people together across borders, timelines, and identities. It is an approach she calls “handmade and heartmade”, drawing inspiration from the places she has called home – Japan, the US, and the UK – to rejuvenate craft traditions and create multicultural expressions with 21st century appeal. In September 2023, the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris awarded her with the Design Grand Prix d'Honneur.