The Lapis Benches respond to the need to communicate cultural elements that define us through design.

This project highlights aspects of Chile’s natural heritage by incorporating its national stone, lapis lazuli, into a field seldom explored by contemporary design. The proposal seeks to innovate and revalue the use of a material traditionally associated with jewelry and souvenirs, repositioning it within the context of furniture design.For this project, lapis lazuli blocks with a lower concentration of lazurite, thus of lesser gemological value—were used, showcasing their distinctive marbled veins in shades of blue and gray. The benches are installed at the three transepts of the Palacio Pereira, now a space belonging to Chile’s Ministry of Culture.

On Lapis Lazuli

From the depths of the Andes mountains, a noble mineral is extracted—renowned for its deep, intense blue, streaked with whites and greys. Declared Chile’s National Stone in 1984, lapis lazuli is central to this artistic project, where blocks of lapisgris—a variant combining granite, calcite, pyrite, and lazurite—were carefully selected. Each piece invites us to observe the expressiveness of nature: an explosion of veins forming colorful universes, highlighting the diverse minerals in its composition. During the sculpting process, the interior of each block is revealed, creating a dialogue between the artist’s intention and the stone itself. These sculptures are unique not only in their form and aesthetic but also in the inherent expression of the material—an element beyond the artist’s control that lends a singular character to each work.