Throughout the month of June, we’ve been highlighting many talented furniture and lighting makers across the country. As the wealth of talent throughout Canada has been growing over the past decade, the world is taking notice of Canadian design and the demand for Canadian-made products has also grown. We at Hollace Cluny continue to support talented makers in Canada and we are thrilled to watch them thrive.
Founder and Creative Director Quinlan Osborne has established an instantaneously recognizable aesthetic for Claste Collection that is rooted in the passion for contemporary design he developed while practising as an Architect for fifteen years prior to shifting his attention to the world of collectible design and furniture. His architectural background continues to inform his minimalist philosophy beyond the visual to include themes such as tension, fragility and the idea of threshold as experience. These notions characterize his desire to challenge prevailing notions of what furniture is and push the boundaries of how furniture can simultaneously remain relevant within both the world of design as well as contemporary art. The Claste Collection is Made in Montreal.
STACKLAB is a multi-disciplinary design practice based in Toronto. Through its products and projects, the studio aims to provoke meaningful discourse about our ways of living. Founded by Jeff Forrest in 2013, STACKLAB is known for its innovative blend of design, tech and circular manufacturing. Rather than work backwards from the desired output, such as a new chair or a home, the team applies a diverse set of skills and perspectives to problems worth solving. With a particular passion for the challenges facing regional manufacturing, the studio believes that the key to smarter, more efficient and better-for-the-environment living is its signature systems-based approach.
Christian Woo is a modern furniture design and woodworking studio based in Vancouver, Canada. Under the leadership of master craftsman Christian Woo, and inspired by his grandfather’s dedication to the art of woodworking, we embrace a philosophy centred on timeless, modern design, beautifully executed. The studio is guided by the rich, rugged landscape of the Pacific Northwest, each piece is designed with a strong sense of place, scale, and sentiment, using only the highest quality, sustainably harvested, Forestry Stewardship (FSC) approved woods.
Simon Johns is a fine arts–trained designer living and working in the secluded woods of East-Bolton in southern Quebec, Canada. Illustrating a conversation between the fabricated and the elemental, Simon creates one-off and limited-edition pieces of sculptural furniture and lighting. His work is a product of observing and living with the pure and raw shapes of his surroundings. The unaltered physical traits of primary materials are harnessed to evoke the emotions one feels in their presence. Using a variety of materials as vocabulary, he plays with their capabilities in mimicry, having them reference or reflect each other in precisely crafted poetic compositions. The outcome is work that is imbued with a sense of contemplation, as if we are to evaluate our connection to our own environment.
With an international reputation as a leading designer of furniture and home accessories, Canadian Martha Sturdy of Studio Sturdy is known for creating distinctive artwork that is bold, sophisticated and minimal. Over the last three decades, Martha has created oversized statements using materials such as resin, leather, steel and brass. A graduate of Emily Carr Institute of Art+ Design, Martha started her career designing jewelry in the early 1980’s. After achieving commercial success, Martha responded by looking beyond wearable art. In the 1990’s her focus shifted to a new collection of innovative resin table top and home accessories. Martha then pushed her designs further and in 2000, she used her artistic roots to create wall sculptures, standing steel sculptures and 3D sculptures, all of which incorporate her love for the oversized and dramatic.
Bocci is a contemporary design and manufacturing house based in Vancouver, Canada, with a satellite company based in Berlin, Germany. Unlike typical corporate structures, Bocci operates unconventionally as a co-operative community of designers, architects, craftspeople, technicians, agents, governance bodies, testing facilities, raw materials suppliers and fine shops. Their aim is to build a healthy, flexible and stable network united under the goal of creating practical but striking consumer goods of the highest quality.
Marcello Apa of APA FURNITURE creates custom furniture from his boutique shop in Toronto, Canada.He carries on the tradition of his grandfather before him, building hand-made, one-of-a-kind designs. Marcello’s focus is on building less, but building better; creating small or limited production pieces using materials scrupulously sourced, and with thoughtful attention to details.
GABRIEL SCOTT was founded in Montreal, Canada, in 2012. Scott Richler was working as an architect and was often tasked with specifying high-end custom furniture for clients. He realised there was a market for bespoke, contemporary and customisable furniture and lighting fixtures crafted using a holistic approach that would be specifically aimed at designers and architects who need control over every detail of a building’s design.
Morgan Clayhall was Established in 2001 by Jordan Tabachnik and Murray Duncan. Drawing from the founders design backgrounds, the studio creates exquisitely crafted furniture. Morgan Clayhall’s pieces are hand made and hand finished in their studio, including collaborations with small scale fabricators. Morgan Clayhall also features original artwork by Murray Duncan.
Perez Furniture is well-known for their quality and selection of armchairs, sofas, tables, dining chairs and stools. They have successfully managed to capture the perfect balance of modern vs retro: due to the use of colours, juxtaposed with their streamlined designs. Perez Furniture is made in Montreal, Canada.
Founded in 1999, Speke Klein is a Canadian furniture company founded by Robin Speke and Thomas Klein who first met while studying at England’s Parnham College; internationally regarded for its prestigious furniture and woodworking program. Today, Speke Klein is a team of dedicated furniture makers crafting timeless designs from North American hardwoods that are intended to last for generations. Each item in the Speke Klein collection is developed and built around the principles that first brought the partners together; a distinctly modern approach to design, and an attention to details, materials, craftsmanship and technique.
Nick Day, known for more than a decade as one of the most widely respected millworkers and custom furniture makers in Toronto, has branched out to design and build a collection of refined and exquisitely crafted furniture branded as Scrimgeour.