Who knew industrial leftovers could look so stunning in your home? The OUTLINE series by SAND PRODUCT, founded by interior designer Rikiya Toyoshima and product designer Shomu Taki, takes a creatively bold leap, transforming core molds – a behind-the-scenes hero in sand casting – into striking furniture and decor pieces. By making the raw, carbonized sand the featured material, one that typically gets discarded during the manufacturing process, they’ve uncovered a new kind of beauty in the industrial design.
Sand casting is a popular method for crafting hollow metal components for cars and planes, with core molds playing a key role in shaping these intricate designs. Once the metal cools and solidifies, vibrations are used to separate the core mold from the finished piece. However, during the process, the molds carbonize, turning into black sand that can contaminate subsequent productions. As a result, these molds are discarded after a single use. SAND PRODUCT breathes new life into these molds, transforming them from mere tools of production into the final desired objects themselves.
A core mold that was used to form pencils is now converted into a clock, with the pencil’s shape used as hour markers.
What used to create the outline of a bowl is now transformed into a tray with multiple curves and ridges.
Multiple core molds that would form test tubes become flower vases when aligned together. Similarly, a mold for making pens now becomes a stand for the pen itself.
In a more complex design, core molds originally used to form the inner contours of bathtubs are repurposed into stools or tables, incorporating the bathtub’s distinctive shape into the seat or base.
Each piece in the OUTLINE series tells a story of reinvention, transforming industrial remnants into functional decor. Beyond aesthetics, the collection inspires makers and designers to rethink how we can use or reuse objects that are typically discarded, encouraging a more sustainable and creative approach to design.
To learn more about the OUTLINE series by SAND PROJECT, visit rkystudio.studio.site and shomutaki.com.
Photography by Asuka Nagai.
