Centerpiece by Zaha Hadid

Zaha Hadid's new modular Niche just fills the modernist centerpiece void. (Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times)

March 14, 2009
In search of a modern centerpiece? Pritzker Architecture Prize-winner Zaha Hadid's new modular Niche just might fill the void. Together, the five free-form pieces in jet-black melamine resemble a small sculpture, much like her fluid, dynamic architecture. They can be displayed together (they come with a diagram, thank goodness) or pulled apart like some three-dimensional puzzle. Small concave receptacles are perfect for holding nuts and candy or perhaps rubber bands and paper clips. Although melamine is generally dishwasher-safe, at $168, Niche is best washed by hand. Alessi, 301 N. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles; (310) 276-7096; www.divafurniture.com.

-- Barbara Thornburg