STORY BEHIND... Vitra Noguchi Coffee Table

THAT LOOKS MODERN: It was designed in 1944. WHO IS IT BY? Isamu Noguchi (19041988) also known for his sculpture, stage sets, ceramics, gardens and lighting. WHAT INSPIRED

HIM? He trained under the Italian artist Constantin Brancusi, working in his studio in Paris between 1927 and 1929. He was influenced by modernism and abstraction. CAN I BUY THE COFFEE TABLE? Of course. It’s from £1,390, heals.com. His playful paper lamps are less expensive — from £155. WHAT ELSE? You can see more of Noguchi’s work in Long Island City, New York, at the museum he designed. His sculptures are displayed in a courtyard garden, noguchi.org.