Innovative gallery owner Sophie Pearce selects the most unique pieces for Béton Brut. Her well-trained eye keeps her on her toes in the interior design world. Honest, sculptural and uncompromising best describes the gallery, as does their collection of original twentieth-century furniture and lighting.
In 2013, the modern design store, prop house and photography studio called Béton Brut was founded in East London by Sophie Pearce and her fellow furniture dealer August Greaves. Here they house a collection of architect-designed original twentieth-century furniture and lighting in a 550-square-foot showroom shared with M.A.H. Gallery. Imagicasa spoke with Sophie Pearce about her search for the finest pieces, aesthetics and how the collaboration with M.A.H. Gallery came about. 
Sophie Pearce is an advocate of an economy of reuse.
How do such collaborations come about?
‘Sources are, of course, the best-kept secret of any design dealer. But I can say that I travel to Europe, both in person and digitally. Our few contemporary collaborations so far have come about organically. For the contemporary collection, I like to focus on British designers and want things to be made sustainably and locally in Britain. That's because I'm in favor of an economy of reuse and I don't want to stray far from that original modus operandi.’
Why did you decide to join forces with M.A.H. gallery?
‘Laura (founder of M.A.H.) and I are good friends and regularly collaborate on design. We were both looking for a larger space and when this space came along we thought we could make it work better together. Although at first glance our two galleries seem very different, one minimal and monochromatic, the other maximal and colorful, they do coincide. Both galleries celebrate interesting forms - furniture as sculpture, art as function. Both are also dedicated to pleasing juxtapositions of different materials.’ 
Want to know more about the gallery? Read the full article in Imagicasa Design 2021.
Photography by Ollie Tomlinson