Maison&Objet 2015: French designer Matali Crasset has paired concrete and metal to create four faceted objects, each for displaying different items.
Crasset's Multifacet collection for French brand Concrete LCDA includes a champagne bucket, a candle holder, a vase and a two-tiered display case.
Each design has the same standard fibre-reinforced concrete form, comprising an octagonal base and angled sides that create a partially enclosed space. Three of the sides are removed so that whatever is inside can be displayed.
"Multifacet is a series of concrete mini-areas with multiple possibilities," said Crasset. "Each mini-area is faceted, to be broken down on each side, to better show off the object on display: a flower, a candle or a bottle."
For the ice bucket, the missing sections are replaced by a mirror-polished pewter container that fits snuggly within the concrete shell. The bucket dips in the centre to allow the champagne bottle to rest on the lip.
Also lined with pewter, the candleholder has a small circular section raised slightly from the centre of the base to catch dripping wax.
Brass is used to form a cylinder for holding small flowers within the same concrete shape.
To create the larger display stand, one of the concrete forms is flipped over and placed on another. An eight-sided brass sheet with raised sides sits between the two layers to create a shelf, and the metal is also used to cover the horizontal surfaces of the base and top.
Crasset worked with metal smiths l'Orfèvrerie d'Anjou to create the metal sections of the pieces. "A masterful mix and staging of contrasting materials – concrete and metal – meet a need for durable beauty," said the designer.
The range will debut at the Maison&Objet trade fair in Paris, which opens on Friday and continues until 27 January. Other designs set to launch at the event include copper stationery by Tom Dixon and chocolates by Nendo.
Crasset previously created a collection for Concrete LCDA that included a lamp shaped like an interwar military listening device, presented at Biennale Interieur 2012.