The Talisman Table from the Louis Vuitton Objets Nomades Collection exemplifies designer India Mahdavi’s multicultural sensibility. Inspired by the nomadic hospitality of the Mediterranean and the Middle East, it features a marquetry top made from no fewer than 112 pieces of leather, smoothly lacquered with a transparent varnish, evoking the iris of a benevolent eye. Underneath, 10 leather-lined wooden panels open like a book around a central hinge, allowing the table to appear for tea time and to be stored away for siesta time. This is a side table that becomes the centrepiece of the décor.