Explore the fascinating power and intricacy of armor

Embracing a fascination with materiality – Chicago-based furniture, lighting and objects studio, Refractory displayed ‘Promontory’, a series of extraordinary products at Milan Design Week 2022. 

“Promontory is about the power and intricacy of armor in its many forms, from an unyielding ridge of limestone that has withstood erosive forces to the armor of warriors throughout history and rugged creatures that dominate the arid landscape of the American West” says founders Angie West and Alberto Vélez.

Skillfully shaped by evolution and developed over millennia – the shells and shields protect precious, fragile sources of life, seamlessly creating tension and delight when internal mysteries are revealed.

Founded by Angie West from Texas and Alberto Vélez from Bogotá, the term ‘refractory’ references an unyielding nature and applies to both personality and process.

Innovatively layering traditional methods with modern tools – the studio is a brilliant extension of a community of artisans.

Inspired by powerful and mysterious forces of nature as well as transformation – they produce rigorously crafted works in a language that is effortlessly distinct within American and contemporary design landscapes.  

At first, the eclectic Promontory Dining Table is comprised of a solid warm oak or walnut top with a cast bronze base of two asymmetrical shield-like forms – available as custom in both single or double-pedestal configurations.

“The Promontory Sconce, on the other hand, is a cast bronze cuff that beautifully illuminates two hand-polished cast glass lenses in a variety of sizes” they add. 

Lastly – the Promontory Standing Lamp is a sculptural light in which two unusually asymmetrical halves lean into one another, echoing the way in which layers of armor must flex in order to move with the wearer and the Promontory Drink Table is a cast bronze cuff with an inset cast glass top.