Zara / Art Direction
Coco Brun and Sten Studio’s Stone Vessels
A close reading of the pyramidal vessels shows how intersecting planes turn marble into a visual metaphor for lasting architecture.
Our studio needs to prove that a single sculptural gesture can bear weight without brackets or fasteners. To test that premise we examined the limited‑edition stone vessels created by Coco Brun and Sten Studio.
The vessels are carved from reclaimed marble, travertine and onyx and assembled into a pyramid that rests on three intersecting planes. Designboom reports that the pieces “transform leftover marble, travertine and onyx into limited‑edition vessels inspired by Maya ornament”【source-1】. The planes act as structural ribs, turning the stone into a visual metaphor for stability.
Each plane meets the tabletop at a separate point, lowering the center of mass and allowing the vessel to hold a small sculpture or candle without any hardware. When several vessels are stacked, the same geometry keeps the stack balanced, applying an ancient architectural principle to a household object.
For our practice, the vessels demonstrate that a single visual move can encode both aesthetic intent and functional logic. By letting geometry dictate behavior first, the stone’s inherent strength confirms the design and removes the need for a separate justification.
The result is a new design protocol: begin every object with a structural gesture, then refine the form in stone, metal or polymer so the shape itself guarantees performance. This approach will cut hardware, shorten development time, and streamline production for our upcoming lighting and furniture collections.