Sustainable furniture inspired by the beauty of solid birch wood.
Montreal-based, award-winning firm APPAREIL Architecture has opened a new studio, APPAREIL Atelier. The multidisciplinary practice brings together architects and industrial designers with the aim to create bespoke furniture, products, and prototypes for a wide range of clients. One of the studio’s collections is Piloti. Originally created for Bedside Habitat, an APPAREIL Architecture project that involved the development of 75 wilderness cabins, the furniture collection has a minimalist design that also showcases a distinct visual language. The benches, sofa, and shelf take inspiration from the beauty of solid birch wood.
All of the pieces feature a specific pattern that references the rhythm of the Bedside Habitat cabins’ wooden slats. For example, the Piloti sofa comprises several modules with a visible wooden structure and solid, weighty legs. A built-in side table provides the perfect place for a book, a laptop, a lamp, or a cup of coffee. Likewise, the Piloti benches have visible joints inspired by traditional wood joinery and massive legs that give excellent support. Available in two versions, the benches allow the user to convert them from seating into side tables as needed. The Piloti collection also includes a shelf.
Crafted from solid birch wood, the range features light colors as well as organic textures. To bring the Piloti collection to life in a sustainable way, APPAREIL Atelier collaborated with local cabinet makers L’Autre Atelier. As a result, this furniture line celebrates both the charm of birch wood and the quality of traditional craftsmanship. The studio launched the collection online and at the annual design fair SOUK, held in 2021 in Montreal between 1-5 December. Photography© Félix Michaud.
