This week, Aire met with Lyon Beton , a French company that manufactures concrete furniture. Join us to discover their responsible manufacturing methods and their inspiration for creating innovative furniture !
Can you introduce yourself in a few words?
Lyon béton is a French design studio that creates bold concrete furniture and accessories using a different design approach , based on working with a molded material.
How did you get into the world of concrete furniture?
We entered the furniture world more than 20 years ago. We were then intermediaries between major French distribution brands and factories or manufacturing workshops abroad. The only variable that interested our customers was the price , it had to be as low as possible. There was almost no appreciation for design work and products with a very short lifespan. We quickly understood that we wanted something else .
Why did you choose concrete furniture as your preferred furniture?
When we design furniture from molded material, we enter into a fundamentally different creative logic. The starting point is no longer a flat panel machined or folded with a machine. It is no longer a question of assembling known elements. The form becomes totally free . Creativity has almost no limits. We use concrete, a complex material to work with that imposes its constraints, provides a framework. This framework is our space of freedom, our playground. We invite a few daring designers who have understood our approach and its potential .
Can you describe your creative process and how you work (especially with your designers and your concrete furniture)?
A Lyon Béton product must pass 3 filters:
- Be functional
- Be aesthetic
- Tell a story.
It's probably this last point that makes our products stand out. It's also the hardest to grasp. We like to think that our creations are unique while having an anchor in our collective memory. We are a bit nostalgic for certain eras of design without being backward-looking. If our products can also bring a little poetry into people's lives, then we know we've achieved something. This is the case of the Cloud toilet paper holder, designed by artist and designer Bertrand Jayr, which remains one of our bestsellers.
We take this opportunity to give a little nod to our friends at Popee
Do you think your profession will have to reinvent itself? Especially with the pandemic we're going through?
Yes and no. We are quite convinced that people's basic needs haven't really changed. We still have to adapt to certain new uses that have emerged, such as the rise of working from home or the explosion of online shopping. Just a few years ago, people liked to touch or try things before buying. This barrier has been removed, and it's not uncommon today to buy an armchair without ever having sat in one. This is an opportunity and a challenge for us, because our products are much more convincing in real life than through a screen. It's up to us to be better communicators.
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Can you explain to us what FRAG is?
FRAG is a product that has been close to our hearts for a long time. Urban art inspires us a lot, and we were looking for a relevant medium to bring it into our homes. The existing media weren't convincing. Is street art on canvas still street art? Concrete, which we already knew well, seemed like the obvious choice.
A FRAG is 4 cm of raw concrete , fibered to be stronger and lighter. Its surface is flat and smooth to the touch while retaining the raw appearance of concrete that urban artists are familiar with.
The simple, invisible hanging system attaches the Frag to the wall. The effect is striking: a real piece of wall ripped from the street.
The first to adopt this medium were the Lyonnais from the Birdy Kids collective, with whom we still work.
This medium is suitable for all street art techniques: spray paint, collage, chalk, stencil, etc., and we are also able to print works directly onto concrete in partnership with a printer specializing in art publishing.
In your opinion, do decoration and therefore furniture have an impact on our moods and our well-being?
Le Corbusier , who inspires us greatly, once said: “Where order is born, well-being is born.” We tend to agree with this statement. Well-designed and aesthetically pleasing furniture brings serenity and well-being. For decoration, it’s a little different. It can contribute to this well-being, but the role we prefer is to bring a little madness and the unexpected, a source of creativity.
How are your products sustainably responsible?
We are against the principle of disposable furniture and decoration. From design to manufacturing, everything is designed to ensure our products last a long time. Concrete is a material that works very well for this. If you take care of it, our furniture will outlive you. Our dream is to see Lyon Béton furniture being sold in antique dealers or second-hand shops in 40 or 50 years .
We're working to limit the environmental impact of our creations at every level: in product composition, manufacturing, packaging, and transportation. We're making progress every day. We still have a long way to go.
What are your sources of inspiration?
While our inspiration is influenced by the urban world and architecture, its source is deeper than that. We are absolutely fascinated by the aesthetics and logic of the Bauhaus school. We sometimes look to other movements that explored the combination of geometric forms in the service of a philosophy or an art of living: the De Stijl school, Art Deco, Brutalism, or more recently Memphis.
And finally, what do you think of the Pegboard and modular design? Should we prefer a single-function object? Or does multifunctionality provide solutions that are in line with our lifestyles?
We love seeing how people integrate our products into their daily lives, even if they divert their primary use.
The Pegboard you made is a good example. At Lyon Béton , some of our furniture has this playful and multifunctional aspect . The Dice modular storage cubes have revealed their full potential in the hands of our customers. Some use them as hi-fi furniture (they are the right size for storing vinyl records) or as a log rack, others as a room divider or bedside table.
Our concrete planter in the shape of a nuclear power plant chimney has also been repurposed many times to become a trash can, an umbrella stand, or even a pencil holder.
We're currently working on a somewhat hybrid piece of furniture that's both a side table and an aquarium or terrarium. We don't yet know what our customers will do with it, but we can't wait to see what happens!
Don't hesitate to consult our latest article: Ekhi Busquet, creativity at the service of the common good
Interview by Clara Didier
Formatted by Coralie Mottu
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