D'Hauteville Concrete Chair

The extraordinary D'Hauteville seating rethinks classic mid-century chair design with a contemporary industrial sensibility. Designed by Julie Legros and Henri Lavallard Boget, these chairs liberate steel and concrete from the confines of architecture and transform them into edgy, attractive seating that is surprisingly comfortable. The design pays homage to the materials, revealing form and construction in naked simplicity.

The craftsmanship of these chairs is revealed in the meticulous details of construction. The original designs were cast in plaster for prototyping. When the design was perfected, it was followed by fiberglass toolings for final production. The cement mix for the molds is a classic formula of sand, water, and cement, but two layers of high-performance cement are used and ultra-fine sand gives the seats a smooth finish. The legs are fully welded before being positioned in the moulding, and the finished chair is allowed to dry for 10 days.

The original models called for reclaimed rebar for the legs, but increased production has outstripped the supply of reclaimed materials, and new rebar is used in current designs. When the chair is fully dried, an invisible matte finish is applied to prevent staining of the concrete and to avoid rust in the legs. Rubber caps are added to the feet to prevent damage to floors. The resulting chairs and stools are visually striking, lightweight, ergonomic, and make a powerful statement in a variety of settings where superior craftsmanship and appreciation of materials and methods are prized. Available in Gessato's store.