The table
This beautiful, handmade, round table has a diameter of 1.40 metres. Its surfaces are made from olive wood and legs from walnut. The marquetry is composed of red palissandre, dark blue palissandre, lemon, walnut, ash and acajou. All the carvings and laquer work have been done by hand.
The table unscrews into 13 seperate pieces. The planning and construction took 11 months and the whole project consists of approximately 1,700 separate pieces of wood.
As one can see from the photos, this table would grace any home. It also represents a great investment opportunity as its value will rise over the years. It would also make a wonderful heirloom for future generations.
The craftsman
The table was made by Aristides Varthis who was born in Corfu Town in 1934. He started making furniture in 1948, at the age of 14 and studied free-plan drawing at the State Art School of Corfu. Aristides chose his profession because it gave him the freedom to design what he liked, the joy of creation and the satisfaction of transforming a simple drawing into something utilitarian and beautiful.
At the beginning of his career he designed and created furniture in simple French lines as well as in traditional Corfiot style working mostly with nut and olive wood. Later he moved onto furniture in angular styles and then furniture with more modern (Danish) design. As classical French lines (Louis XIV, XV, XVI) came back into fashion and he produced furniture in that style as well.
Aristides has created a large range of furniture over the years for both living rooms and bedrooms; from dining tables and chairs to sideboards and cupboards, writing desks and davenports.
He has also produced round tables and sideboards in the Venetian style.
All his furniture is made entirely by hand, from the moment the tree is cut to completion. Laquer is also always applied by hand.
Aristides' first shop opened in Mandouki in 1959 and since then he has furnished the houses of some of the most famous and important families in the island, such the Maniatopoulos, Ziniatis, Rizous, and Nathanials.
Although he has been oficially retired for many years now, his love and passion for his craft have not yet let him stop working.
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