I’ve always had a yen for cordwood houses, which showcase a venerated building technique involving round lengths of wood inset in solid concrete. The method allows freedom for experimentation, and some choose to insert solid panes of colored glass side-by-side with the wood. But you needn’t build an entire house to capture sunlight in dappled tones of translucent red or green: Dent Cube by manufacturer Inax is an indoor/outdoor wall cladding that features intriguing cuboids of colored glass.

Dent Cube. Desinged by Teruo Yasuda. Manufactured by Inax.

Inax’s Dent Cube Provides Pronounced Texture and a Vibrant Aesthetic

In contrast to the happily haphazard look of cordwood, Dent Cube offers a pronounced geometricality. The concept, founded by Inax and refined by designer Teruo Yasuda, aspires to integrate porcelain tiles and glass mosaics—an intriguing synthesis of durability and beauty.

Inax describes Dent Cube as a harmonious interplay between the two materials, the square panes of glass deeding “an element of colour… a small tile available in assorted colours that enables countless compositions to be created each with a different atmosphere.” Indeed, the inset tiles provide untold aesthetic opportunities, as Inax offers all the colors of the visible spectrum up for bold compositions and creative experimentation.

Having a wall that looks like an M.C. Escher painting is incentive enough to give Dent Cube a go, but it turns out that the product’s skillful interplay between porous ceramic and solid glass has an environmental perk of its own–Dent Cube acts as a filter of sorts, absorbing those pernicious unseen toxic particles and thus improving air quality.

Via Yanko.

About the Manufacturer: Back in 1924 manufacturer Inax began to produce a varied line of ceramic-based products: “Over time, new products, materials and technologies were added in the bathroom sector; in 1945 sanitary fittings and in 1958 FRP (Fibre Reinforced Plastic) production.” The company has always been known for its high quality ceramic tiles—a reputation that wasn’t lost on architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who sourced materials from the manufacturer for Tokyo’s Imperial Hotel. Today, Inax has factories in Vietnam, China, and Pacific-Asia. Their current product line includes tiles, ceramic materials, sanitary fittings, and taps—“characterized by an interesting mix of state-of-the-art technology and craftsmanship, a unique and typically Japanese combination.”