STENCIL ALUMINUM FURNITURE BY JULIEN CARRETERO

Julien Carretero reinvents aluminum molding

What happens when a designer is facing difficulties? French designer Julien Carretero wanted to use the flexibility and low-cost of aluminum to avoid the additional costs of aluminum injection molding. After a few try-outs, he found out aluminum didn’t need to be too warm to melt and thus came his idea. Carretero figured this reasonably high temperature of melting wasn’t going to be high enought to melt a steel mold. A high-temperature-resistant fabric made of silica was clamped in the mold to give the texture and pattern we see here. An idea that came from earlier experiment with a fireproof blanket.

This gives a very particular personality to each piece of design. The lines give the impression of being almost organic, contrasting with the material from which they’ve been made. The result is a very cost effective collection of lamps, tables and stools. The whole process doesn’t produce any waste, and the materials used in the mold can instantly be reused. Enough to look forward to Julien Carretero’s next productions!