Artist Gab Bois Isn’t Afraid to Play With Food—or Turn It Into Furniture

Her recent series includes a brioche sectional and strawberry shortcake sofa that brings new meaning to the phrase “sweet digs.”

As a child, Gab Bois spent countless hours in her backyard, building moss houses for snails, themed hotels for the neighborhood’s stray cats, and restaurants serving flower salads and dirt cakes. It’s no wonder that similar creative endeavors have defined her adult life thus far. A 25-year-old multidisciplinary artist based in her hometown of Montreal, Bois wants to challenge our preconceived notions about fashion, food, and technology, drawing inspiration from everyday objects like sunglasses and french fries.

This sectional, inspired by Mario Bellini's Camaleonda sofa, is Bois’s favorite piece of food furniture she’s made. "It was one of these pieces that I saw everywhere online: from Jacquemus’ office to influencers’ living rooms," she explains. "I always like to poke a little fun at trendy objects, and while I personally really like the silhouette of that piece, it also reminded me of a pack of round buns every time I’d see it."

This sectional, inspired by Mario Bellini's Camaleonda sofa, is Bois’s favorite piece of food furniture she’s made. "It was one of these pieces that I saw everywhere online: from Jacquemus’ office to influencers’ living rooms," she explains. "I always like to poke a little fun at trendy objects, and while I personally really like the silhouette of that piece, it also reminded me of a pack of round buns every time I’d see it."

Among her most striking pieces are stilettos made from dandelions, a sugar cone packed with dirty snow resembling a scoop of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, and actual mud pies decorated with ruby red petunias. She presents most of her work through photography, a medium which, she explains, has the power to suspend reality. "I like to create something playful and shocking that stops people from scrolling and forces them to really question what it is they are looking at," says Bois, who posts her work on Instagram.

Most recently, she’s been developing a series involving furniture that’s a literal representation of comfort food, from a pasta-dough sofa adorned with ravioli pillows to Mario Bellini’s Camaleonda sectional recreated using brioche buns. Bois attributes her inspiration for these pieces to her father, from whom she learned that playing with food doesn’t have to be wasteful or disrespectful. "He’d create faces and pretty designs with whatever dish I was eating and tell me stories to go along with them," she says. "To me, that made the whole eating experience very special, and almost magical."

Below, find a few morsels from Bois’s latest collection. Just be warned that they might cause cravings.

Settling in for movie night? Enjoy this popcorn-encrusted tub chair.

Settling in for movie night? Enjoy this popcorn-encrusted tub chair.

Bois used pasta sheets and ravioli to recreate the kind of love seat you might find at grandma’s house.

Bois used pasta sheets and ravioli to recreate the kind of love seat you might find at grandma’s house.

As comfortable as these white-bread chairs look, the palm tree engraving is perhaps the most impressive element of this seating arrangement.

As comfortable as these white-bread chairs look, the palm tree engraving is perhaps the most impressive element of this seating arrangement.

Have you ever taken a blow torch to your sectional? Didn’t think so. There’s a first time for everything—prepare for a session of s’mores-and-chill.

Have you ever taken a blow torch to your sectional? Didn’t think so. There’s a first time for everything—prepare for a session of s’mores-and-chill.

The contents of this inflatable chair—shrimp, peas, corn, and carrots—would be the perfect addition to the fried rice you’re making for dinner tonight.

The contents of this inflatable chair—shrimp, peas, corn, and carrots—would be the perfect addition to the fried rice you’re making for dinner tonight.

Whipped cream and thinly sliced strawberries add texture to this spongy shortcake sectional that’s reminiscent of the one in your living room.

Whipped cream and thinly sliced strawberries add texture to this spongy shortcake sectional that’s reminiscent of the one in your living room.

The spongy wheat bread of this sandwich sectional makes for the perfect spot to take a midday nap.

The spongy wheat bread of this sandwich sectional makes for the perfect spot to take a midday nap.

This seating collection comprises tablets of Chickles gum, while chewed pieces are scattered about the space as sculptures.

This seating collection comprises tablets of Chickles gum, while chewed pieces are scattered about the space as sculptures.

Daisy Zuckerman
Dwell Contributor
Brooklyn native Daisy Zuckerman is a senior at Brown University, studying English and math.

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