Jean-Marie Massaud has designed Lloyd, a system of storage units and bookcases, with variable geometries. A series of thin vertical wooden rods form light grids that run from top to bottom on invisible horizontal rails. Each grid can be moved as desired creating different sequences each time. A fluctuating score of solids and voids, of light and shade. A playful game that allows a glimpse of the contents, books and objects, without fully revealing them.
The most advanced technology is combined with traditional materials, wood and saddle leather, forming a solid and minimalistic structure. The effect is almost intangible, transparent. The horizontal elements on which the grids slide are made from HPL, a material which even in very thin layers guarantees stability and strength, with a natural oak veneer. The vertical uprights, in MDF covered with Cuoio Saddle or Cuoio Saddle Extra leather, are placed at regular intervals to give the piece a rhythm and enhance the effect of the moveable grids. Each grid is a meticulous phase of cabinetwork. The solid oak rods are cut in different thicknesses and then individually glued by hand. Also, on the thin surfaces of the rods, the lead-coloured dye is applied by hand in several phases.
There is an infinite number of possible compositions. The back of the wall version, is closed by MDF panels which are covered, like the uprights, with Cuoio Saddle or Cuoio Saddle Extra leather. In the freestanding version, the movable grids run along both sides creating a more vibrant and chiaroscuro effect. In every version the sides of the structure are closed by fixed grids. The Lloyd product can take the form of large bookcases or an open storage units of various sizes. Widths range from 225 to 280 cm, heights from 46 to 188 cm and its depth is 42.5 cm. The units can rest on lead-coloured solid oak stands or sit directly on the floor on steel feet with matt gunmetal grey finish.
