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Alain Gilles’ Different Take on Cabinetry

Interesting furniture design from a man with an interesting background: Alain Gilles is an ex-banker who quit finance to study industrial design. Since opening his studio he’s worked on both product design and furniture, and his Frame Sideboard, designed for Italian manufacturer Bonaldo, has caught our eye.

The “frame” sideboard collection is the result of research into the structural construction of a sideboard and other ways to consider the construction of a sideboard or cabinet.

The metal structure is the skeleton of the architecture. It supports the internal boards which can be slid in. The side panels and top panel are then applied to the structure while leaving a gap along all the edges to reveal the structure.

This metal structure then becomes the key feature of the sideboards since it remains visible. This creates a dialogue between the different materials used in the construction of the sideboard: metal, wood, and sometimes marble for the top.

The edges of the supporting structure are further revealed by small chamfers and large rounded gaps on all the “covering surfaces” in order to create a dialogue with the strict metal structure and create another distinctive feature of the collection.

Then it is all about using contrasting colours and finishes between the various elements involved in order to present a more unexpected or classical piece.

Using the same design language and construction logic, different types of cabinet/sideboard have been created.