Knock on wood

PART Da Vinci, part Nakashima, the designs at www.bottegamontana.com are a wonderful introduction to the talents of Francesco and Marco Gillia. The brothers from Monte Porzio Catone, Italy, relocated to Lima, Mont., to pursue their vision of sculptural fine wood furniture that can be banged together without nails or glue. Using an innovative four-piece joinery system, the Gillias build white oak and black walnut tables such as the three-legged, wobble-proof, shield-shaped Scudo, which adds a modern craftsman’s edge to medieval shapes. After premiering at the CA Boom design show in Santa Monica last summer (where we photographed Francesco, above left, with Marco) and creating skateboards for the Hermosa Beach firm Powerline 6, the brothers have posted new concept sketches for bookshelves, a desk and a 7-foot-diameter round table on the website of their company, Bottega Montana. Production on the one-of-a-kind pieces is limited to fewer than 100 a year, and prices are steep, though they do include the handsome, hand-turned and leather-wrapped mallet used to assemble their weighty constructions.