Hailing from the largest island in the Baltic Sea, Gotland, Skulpturfabriken creates furniture exclusively out of concrete. Though you may not immediately pair the country of Sweden with this Modern-with-a-capital-M material, one of Gotland’s main sources of income is concrete production, thanks to the island’s limestone. At the center of it all you’ll find Stina Lindholm, the creative mind behind Skulpturfabriken, who designs all of the company’s products—benches, planters, countertops, tabletops, and other concrete wonders—for both interior and exterior environments.

Juno Bench. Designed by Skulpturfabriken.

Sleek Concrete Seating

A tribute to past and present, Juno is a bench that uses concrete to craft a sleek and simple bench: just two slabs and eight bolts. With a scalene base—reminds me of two triangle instruments poised for playing—Juno joins the hard and the smooth: the flat surfaces yield to rounded edges; the straight triangle sides succumb to rounded corners. The duality inherent in its design might emerge from Skulpturfabriken’s philosophy: “The work we do is inspired both by the strength, the monumentality and the dignity of ancient structures and by the vision of modern architecture alike.” Juno happens to be the ancient Roman goddess of marriage, so the name accommodates designer Lindholm’s binary goals.

Put Juno within a green space, and it will contrast nicely with the variegated emeralds and yellows of plants; put Juno inside a modern home, and it will blend in nicely with the spectral gray of walls. Or use Juno in public spaces—notably libraries, where the bench’s lines will work to emphasize the vertical spines of books and the horizontal stacks of shelves. Juno would also be a great perch for art enthusiasts, a clean enough seat that it wouldn’t interfere with the paintings or sculptures on display.