Brick Chair by Bram Vanderbeke
Photographer
Alexander Popelier
Brick Chair is a minimalist seating piece designed by Bram Vanderbeke, a designer based in Ghent. Part of his “Casted Objects” series, the chair takes its conceptual roots from the world of construction—specifically, the early stages of building foundations. Inspired by the methods used by construction workers, Vanderbeke meticulously arranges standard bricks on the floor of his studio, crafting layouts that merge structural logic with creative instinct. These brick configurations act as temporary molds for poured concrete, capturing and solidifying the voids between them into tangible, sculptural forms.
This method draws a direct line between Vanderbeke’s creations and the legacy of brutalist architecture, where concrete surfaces openly reveal the texture and traces of their formwork. However, unlike the imposing scale of brutalist structures, these furniture pieces distill that same raw, architectural vocabulary into a more intimate, domestic context. The stools and side tables are not just visually striking—they encourage touch, inviting users to engage physically with the material and to experience architectural ideas at a scale that resonates with the body.
The exposed seams that traverse these pieces are far more than decorative details—they act as visual records of Vanderbeke’s process-driven approach. Each intersection between poured segments reveals a moment of transition, where fluid material begins its shift into permanence. These lines form a kind of structural handwriting, tracing the evolution from idea to tangible object and embodying the dialogue between intention and chance inherent in the making.
