Putin’s Enormous Table is Italian

Everybody has seen the pictures of Putin with dignitaries seated at the opposite end of an enormous, but did you know it was made in Italy!

The table was designed and manufactured in Italy, not far from Lake Como in the town of Cantu by design and architectural studio Oak. Oak is a family-run company and is now run by the second and third generations of the Pologna family.

Oak began as a furniture shop the 1950s and developed into a world-class interior design studio working with international clients in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the entire Gulf area, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan.

Over twenty-five years ago, from 1995 to 1997, Oak was commissioned to supply the new furnishings of the Kremlin Palace in Moscow: the prestigious presidential offices, the library, the Catherine Room, the corridors and some meeting rooms. It was a project covering 7000 square meters on two floors to design and supply furniture, floors, boiserie, all the lighting bodies, fireplaces, plaster ceilings, marble finishes on the walls and more.

Vladimir Putin and António Guterres (2016-11-24)/ *Wikimedia*

The table is 6 meters long and 2.6 meters wide. It’s made of white lacquered wood with gold leaf profiles and handmade decorations on the surface. In an interview with Corriere della Sera, Renato Pologna said that the table is probably worth about 100,000 euros today.

The table which was designed to host delegations has been poked fun at on social media for the way Putin has used it for one-to-one meetings. Pologna took the comments and photomontages in stride saying, “Yes, it’s really funny. It has obviously made an impression on people! I saw that someone turned it into a swing: brilliant. Someone else put dance poles on it. They even made it into a curling rink. I guess we can say that it is a table that sparks creativity.”

On a more serious note, he said, “It’s great to see my work in the background of something important. I hope it brings good luck to resolve the war.”

Oak has designed 85 private residences, including 47 villas, 44 Royal Places, Embassies and government offices and 23 Luxury hotels and golf clubs throughout the world.

The Galleria collection by Oak is the most complete classic collection. It showcases 30 years of experience in the production of luxury made in Italy classic furniture.