Design In Stereo

Ron Arad Presented By Galerie Downtown Francois Laffanour at Design Miami/ 2011

Galerie Downtown-François returns to Design Miami/ this year with design in stereo. Follow the sounds of music playing on the show floor to their booth. They are showing a very rare stereo designed by Ron Arad in 1983. The piece called Concrete Stereo is quite extraordinary and only eight were ever made. Most of them reside with close personal friends of Arad, but one other version is currently on exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

On top of a slab of raw concrete sits a fully functional turntable for those who still appreciate the purity of vinyl. But remaining relevant to the times, the piece has been adapted to accommodate the almighty iPod. Speakers sit on top of two concrete columns that give symmetry to the piece.

Jean Prouve Presented By Galerie Downtown Francois Laddanour at Design Miami/ 2011

Also in Galerie Downtown-François’s booth is Jean Prouvé’s famed Bureau Présidence designed in 1950. Prouvé made about 80 of these regal like desks for the top executives of his day. The one at the show was commissioned by a famous French architect. The work showcases typical Prouvé form and function utilizing bent steel and providing an ample and elegant tabletop. Accompanying the table (both sold separately) is Prouvé’s president’s arm chair. The chair at the fair is a very rare example because it still has its original red leather upholstery and its base is finished with diamond point aluminum.

Visit: www.galeriedowntown.com and www.designmiami.com.