Paper

‘Paper’ is the inaugural furniture and lighting collection of London-based designer David Horan. Informed by French craft traditions of decoupage and the Japanese Mingei movement, Horan innovates with layering handmade paper to create a new applied ‘vegan vellum’. ‘Paper’, designed exclusively with Béton Brut gallery, sees Horan as a modern decoupeur, applying his material to an original series of works: seating, a coffee table and a screen. Horan grounds the magic of ‘Paper’ in forms as precise as they are architectonic. Evoking Deco and Classical, the geometries contain harmony in ratio.

Horan’s design process begins with rigorous material research. ‘Paper’ as much an experiment in de-composition as re-composition. Of ‘rip it up – and start again.’ For the ‘Vellum’ coffee table and lounge chairs, he experiments with a combination of Kozuki-Mingeshi paper, lacquered to a mirror finish or sealed matte. The Dragon Skin armchairs and daybed, left raw, are made from vintage Sekishu, a Unesco-heritage kozo, reclaimed from the giant dragons of Kagura dance theatre. Horan worked with Mineo Kato from Japan Fine Papers in Hackney to source the washi. From the discards of the dragon’s Orochi-gami skin, remnants are restored piece-by-piece by the workshop of Kajigase Takashi, before Horan takes it through a final metamorphosis. The idea for Paper sprung from a goatskin parchment cabinet by Aldo Tura in Béton Brut’s collection. David Horan says: “I wanted to adapt the effect I witnessed. From afar, you admire the simple form of the piece. But up close, you level in on the exquisite detail of the surface. I found in my experiments with layering handmade paper, I was able to achieve a vellum effect without the use of animal products.”

Director of Béton Brut, Sophie Pearce says: "We have worked closely with David since the conception of 'Paper'. The result is a series of timeless almost classical forms in a moon-like skin."David Horan (born in Dublin, 1982) is a multidisciplinary designer and manufacturer based in London.

With a Master of Arts in Design Products from the Royal College of Art 2013, he cut his cloth with London designers Faye Toogood and Michael Anastassiades, before opening his own studio in 2021. Horan’s practice springs first and foremost from material research in his London workshop. Via sampling and experimentation, geometries then evolve. ‘Paper’ is his first solo collection and is exclusive to Béton Brut gallery.

Béton Brut presents rare, design-led furniture from Europe and Japan. The collection, drawn from over a century of design, coheres around functional art and sculptural forms. All pieces, sourced or commissioned by design dealer Sophie Pearce, are available for purchase and hire. With a permanent studio in Hackney Wick, the gallery is currently in residence at Paul Smith, Albemarle Street, London.