Benni Allan presented by Béton Brut
UK
Béton Brut is a vintage design gallery in East London that presents rare architect-led furniture and lighting from Europe and Japan. The collection, curated by design dealer Sophie Pearce, is available for purchase and hire. The team works with individuals and the trade to source, restore and curate. With a permanent studio in Hackney Wick, Béton Brut is also currently in residence at Paul Smith in Mayfair.
Low Collection is a new series looking to question the various ways of sitting in cultures worldwide. These minimalist ‘sculptures’ echo sensual forms and suggest places to rest and interact. Playing with scale and stature, Benni Allan (EBBA Architects) arrives at new 'floor culture’ or ‘Zazen’ for modern living. Here, we sit on liminal ground between art and function. Between the organic and rational.
Curvilinear forms are extruded with precision. Or cleanly crosscut to reveal the quality of the end- grain.
Made from solid oak grown in the UK, Low also combines modern manufacture and traditional craftsmanship, each piece hand-"finished by Allan. The collection was shortlisted for the 2022 Dezeen Awards for Furniture design.
Benni Allan is an architect, designer, and maker. His practice EBBA intersects architecture and the visual arts, creating objects and spaces that explore materiality, construction, proportions, and form. The Low Collection is his "first full collection of furniture, exclusive to Béton Brut. And was inspired by recent research trips to Japan, and his background living in China and Southern Spain.