Sculptural Concrete Book Stack Side Table
Functional art pieces are the ultimate interior design flexible flexing, and a sculptural concrete book stack side table is a true conversation starter. Designed to mimic a stack of oversized, weathered hardback coffee table books piled casually on top of one another, this substantial furniture piece functions as a sturdy side table, plant stand, or sculptural pedestal while showcasing a clever play on materials and perception.
This project involves creating a modular mold system or casting individual “concrete books” separately and assembling them into a stable vertical stack. To cast individual book modules, construct shallow rectangular wooden mold boxes using plywood or melamine. To give the edges of your “concrete books” the detailed appearance of paper pages, line three internal walls of your mold box with corrugated plastic sheets or ridged cardboard. Cover the bottom of the mold with textured plastic wrap to simulate the worn cloth or leather cover of a vintage book cover.
Mix high-strength, glass-fiber-reinforced concrete (GFRC) to give each book block exceptional structural integrity without excessive thickness. Pour the mix into your individual book molds, embedding metal connecting pins or threaded rod sleeves vertically through the center of each piece. Once cured, demold your book slabs and stack them at playful, offset angles, threading them over a central steel support rod anchored to a heavy base plate. Secure the stack with construction adhesive between layers. Paint the faux book spines with subtle stone washes or leave the raw concrete exposed for an intriguing, brutalist sculptural table that will endure for generations.