Appreciating the Appeal of Concrete With Omniton’s Heavy Table

Reimagining the Way We Visualize the Beauty of Raw Materials

Name:
Omniton
Photography:
Courtesy of Omniton
Words:
Marissa Stempien

So often our love of design stems from the beauty and structure of the final product—the way a piece of furniture sits in a room, the way the light fills a space, or the way artwork brightens and improves a blank wall. If something is done well, rarely do we consider the components that go into making it; the idea of base materials completely alludes us. But for Russian studio Omniton, their architectural forms are focused solely on the materials—they start with a strong sculptural, structural, and quality component, building from the ground up to create pieces that will suddenly stop and make you wonder—what is that made of?

The piece that’s drawing our attention now is their new indoor/outdoor furniture, Heavy Table, a high-end, luxe table made of the brand’s environmentally-friendly concrete material—a mix of sand, water, pigment, and stone flour. It was designed and developed by James O’Brien and Joseph Van Der Steen, British architects who focus their creativity on interior pieces. They strived to showcase a piece that was eco-friendly, beautiful, and modern in both material science and design.

The result of their work was Omniton’s Heavy Table, an indoor/outdoor table which comes in three colorways, offers a sleek, beautiful shape, and suggests the luxury of marble or limestone but with the longevity of concrete. In partnership with Monika Dubinkaite, they presented the furniture piece with sprouted ears of corn and frozen comets of wildflowers—the juxtaposition of natural frailty with eternal-standing stone, created a striking visual statement.

As Omniton has worked with designers and architects to create projects in modern private and commercial premises, public spaces, and children's institutions for both practical and aesthetic applications, it seems their concrete material is as versatile as it is beautiful. With Heavy Table, they created an objet d'art that was both visually stunning and functional. Due to the extreme nature of the Russian climate, the material is designed to be as durable as natural stone, water-repellent, heat-resistant, and fade-resistant. Add that it can withstand freezing and boiling temperatures, emits no harmful substances, and is as “smooth as glass and exquisite as marble,” and it’s easy to see why this table works no matter where you choose to showcase it inside (or outside) your home.