French manufacturer Lyon Béton marries the utility of Bauhaus with the material honesty of Brutalism in their artisanal concrete home furnishings. Born to that union is the Dice design system devised by Alexandre Dubreuil – a robust series that would be remiss to just identify as furniture. This new collection offers interiors bespoke architectural storage with modularity that can be reconfigured at the user’s behest with some 27 pre-configurations to start.
The greater kit of parts comprises three low-carbon concrete cubicles (aptly named for their mimicry of spots on a die), two types of recycled rubber connectors, and four oak veneer plinth solutions that provide a podium or shelf surface based on need. Simple, sustainable materials, intuitive assembly, and repairability ensure the product’s longevity well beyond direct-to-consumer brands, which promise chic furniture in the same vein. So too does the customizability as owners may invest in additional pieces with their growing spaces or usage changes.
Because of the system’s discreet structural elements and multifaceted design, Dice can be situated anywhere within a space as it evolves from traditional shelving or media cabinets to sofa tables and even room dividers. Its freedom from the wall makes it an exciting, pseudo-architectural device. Additionally, a multipurpose module with a fifth side – implemented as backing or a bottom – facilitates the seamless integration of decor like plant life and allows a little bit of nature to permeate an otherwise rigid construct. It’s a small nod to masters like Tadao Ando whose material language and form-making served as a means to commune with nature.
“Imagining an original system of concrete storage cubes is already a great challenge for a designer. I looked to architecture for inspiration.” Dubreuil says. “The rest of the story is about rigorous proportions and aesthetics. We’re just at the beginning of the history of this system.”
To shop the DICE Collection visit us.lyon-beton.com.
Photography courtesy of Lyon Béton.
