From a Kyiv Apartment to a Swedish Production Studio: The Story of Betonvton

Betonvton is a Ukrainian-founded display studio established in Kyiv in 2020 and rebuilt in Örebro, Sweden, in 2024. Today, the studio designs and produces mineral display systems for jewellery, cosmetics, retail spaces, exhibitions and product photography. Every stage—from developing the form to casting, finishing and packing—remains under the responsibility of one production studio.

This did not begin as a polished manufacturing story. It began with a material, a camera and a very small working space. What matters is not the modest scale of that beginning, but what the studio learned there: how concrete behaves, how a surface changes a photograph, how proportions affect a product, and how a repeatable production process can be built from direct experience.

2020: the first concrete experiments in a one-room apartment in Kyiv

Betonvton began with concrete décor for the home. We were drawn to concrete because it is mineral, tactile and visually honest. It could look architectural without becoming cold, and it could sit naturally in very different interiors. The material also gave us room to explore shape, colour and texture without covering its character beneath another surface.

For roughly the first six months, the production process took place inside a one-room apartment in Kyiv. There was almost no specialist equipment. Materials, pigments, mixing containers and moulds had to share the same limited space. This was not yet a formal workshop, but the work was already systematic: mixes were tested, moulds were improved, finishes were compared and every result was evaluated before it became part of the range.

Working at home quickly taught us that a successful object is not defined only by its shape. The composition must be strong enough for regular use. The edges must be clean. The colour must look consistent from different angles. The base must sit correctly. The object must also survive packing and transport. Those lessons later became part of the production standards we still use.

The balcony where photography changed the direction of the brand

The earliest product photographs were made on the apartment balcony. A sheet of white material became the background, daylight became the main light source, and the same surface had to function as a working table and a small photo set.

Photography revealed something that interior décor alone had not. Concrete was not simply an object to place in a room; it was an effective surface for presenting another product. Its matte character helped control reflections. Its weight made compositions stable. Its restrained colour and geometry created depth without becoming the main subject of the image.

That observation narrowed the direction of Betonvton. Instead of continuing as a broad home décor brand, the studio began focusing on forms for product presentation: blocks, cylinders, arches, steps, panels and sculptural elements that photographers could combine into different scenes.

From décor to a reusable product-photography system

The first requests from product photographers confirmed that the problem was real. Brands and studios needed surfaces that were visually distinctive but reusable, easy to combine and quiet enough to keep attention on the product.

As the form library grew, jewellery brands began showing interest. We started placing rings, earrings, necklaces and small accessories on the same mineral surfaces and testing how they behaved in close-up photography and physical display. The answer was clear: the qualities that worked on camera also worked on a boutique counter. Matte surfaces reduced distracting glare, substantial forms remained stable, and minimal geometry gave jewellery a more considered setting.

This was also when mineral-reinforced gypsum became increasingly important alongside concrete. It allowed us to create a cleaner, smoother visual result while keeping the mineral character that distinguished the objects from plastic or traditional velvet fixtures.

Moving into the first workshop—and then a larger one

After approximately six months, Betonvton moved out of the apartment and into its first separate workshop in Kyiv. Later, production moved again into a larger space. Each move was practical: more room for moulds, proper working tables, storage, finishing, photography and larger batches.

The studio invested in specialised equipment and organised the process around the needs that had emerged through real orders. Production was no longer a sequence of isolated objects. It became a system: prepare the form, cast, release, finish, inspect, photograph, pack and record what had worked.

The visual direction also became more confident. Betonvton was no longer simply making neutral blocks. The collection included waves, repeated grooves, arches, cut-outs and modular families of forms. The intention was—and remains—to contribute new ideas to display design rather than reproduce whatever is already popular.

The war interrupted production, but it did not erase the knowledge

After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, production in Kyiv had to stop. The founder moved with her family to Sweden. The machinery, suppliers, materials and physical organisation of the studio could not simply be transferred. A new production system had to be assembled in another country.

We do not present this as a story that asks for sympathy. Professionally, its significance is different: Betonvton had already learned how to build a production process once, and it was able to build it again under entirely new conditions.

In Sweden, the work began with finding a suitable space, identifying suppliers, sourcing equipment, testing locally available materials and rebuilding formulations until they produced the required strength, colour and surface. The studio did not return to commercial production until those elements were ready.

In 2024, Betonvton resumed full production in Sweden. It was a new workshop, but not a new business in terms of knowledge. Four years of experience—mould development, casting behaviour, finishing, colour work, photography, packing and customer communication—moved forward with the brand.

What remained constant across two countries

The production environment changed, but the core direction did not:

• Betonvton develops its own visual language; approximately 90% of the forms in the range were developed by the studio.
• Mineral materials remain central because their weight, matte surface and tactile quality support rather than compete with the displayed product.
• A display must solve a real presentation problem, whether it is used for a ring, a skincare bottle, an e-commerce image, a boutique counter or a trade-show table.
• Customisation is treated as product development, not simply as changing a colour in a catalogue.
• Production, finishing, inspection and packing are controlled in one studio rather than divided between an unclear chain of contractors.

Today, clients can explore Betonvton’s jewellery display collection, build a reusable scene from the product photography props collection, or discuss a tailored system through Custom Displays & Wholesale.

The next parts of this series explain the principles behind Betonvton’s design and production decisions and take readers inside the current production studio in Sweden.

Why this history matters when choosing a display producer

A brand story is useful only when it explains how a company works today. The history of Betonvton matters because it demonstrates continuity of responsibility. The studio understands its materials through years of direct production. It knows how its own forms are made, how they behave under light, how they need to be packed and which details must change when a client’s product changes.

Starting again in Sweden also required every assumption to be tested rather than inherited. Materials had to earn their place in the process. Suppliers had to prove consistent. Equipment had to support the required result. The current production system is therefore not a replica of the Kyiv studio; it is a second, more informed version of it.

Betonvton exists to advocate for natural mineral materials and to change how a brand can be perceived through minimalist presentation. The product remains the centre of attention. The display provides the architecture around it.

Frequently asked questions

Where did Betonvton begin?

Betonvton was founded in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 2020. The first products were made in a one-room apartment, and the earliest catalogue photography was created on the balcony before production moved into dedicated workshops.

When did Betonvton begin producing in Sweden?

After the production interruption caused by the full-scale war, the studio rebuilt its suppliers, materials, equipment and processes in Sweden. Full production resumed in 2024 in Örebro.

What does Betonvton produce today?

The studio produces mineral display stands, risers, podiums and modular presentation systems for jewellery, cosmetics, skincare, retail interiors, exhibitions, trade shows, e-commerce and commercial product photography.

Is Betonvton production outsourced?

No. Form development, material preparation, casting, finishing, inspection and packing are managed within the Betonvton production studio in Sweden.