Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/758046
66 BREAKING GROUND NEW BY REBECCA SHERMAN Uncle Jim chair L eave it to the French to turn the chaos of New York City con- struction sites into tangible poetry. Atelier d'Amis' inaugural collection, Laisse Béton, reinterprets rebar as furniture legs, grid formations as tables, and pinion elevators as armoires. Furni- ture entrepreneur Philippe Boccara, designer Sébastien Léon, and interior architect Valérie Pasquiou are the Gallic force behind all this understated drama. The constant turmoil of construction on the streets of New York — where they now live — inspired their choice of raw materials: ultra-thin concrete plates and brass-plated tubular steel. Made entirely by hand in Italy, each piece can take as many as 1,000 hours to create. Atelier d'Amis' Laisse Béton collection, price upon request, exclusively in Texas at Jean de Merry, 1505 Hi Line Dr., 214.741.2888, jeandemerry.com. Courtland bookshelf and sideboard Washington credenza Benson coffee table Leonard desk and console From left, Philippe Boccara, Valérie Pasquiou, Sébastien Léon.