Alain Gilles began Blocco with the image of a large block of wood lifted clear of the floor and set on two supports — something closer to an archaeological find on display than a conventional desk.

The design turns on a contrast between two kinds of form. The top is rigorous and minimal, drawn in straight lines; the supports beneath it are softer and more substantial, rounded enough to read as pillars rather than legs.

For all its graphic presence the desk stays genuinely usable: a concealed drawer takes pens, notebooks, chargers, a tablet or a laptop, and its line lightens the volume without compromising the monolithic look. Blocco Desk is made in Canaletto walnut.