Following a national call for submissions that attracted more than 100 entries from across the country, Cosentino and DesignTO have announced the five designers selected for the inaugural Ēclos Capsule Collection.
The Ēclos Capsule Collection invited Canadian designers to explore the creative potential of Ēclos, Cosentino’s next-generation mineral surface, through furniture, objects, and sculptural works. The selected projects will now move into the next phase of development, where they will be fabricated and presented through future exhibitions and public programming.
The selected projects were chosen by an international jury that evaluated submissions based on creativity, material exploration, originality, and feasibility. They include artist and educator HaeAhn Kwon, assistant professor at NSCAD University, internationally acclaimed industrial designer and creative director Luca Nichetto, Elizabeth Pagliacolo, editor in chief of AZURE Magazine and executive editor of Design Milk, industrial designer and co-founder of Sangare Studio, Nicholas Sangaré, architect Brigitte Shim, founding partner of Shim-Sutcliffe Architects, and Eduardo Cosentino, EVP of Cosentino Group and CEO of Cosentino Americas.
“We were incredibly impressed by both the quality of the submissions and the level of talent represented across Canada. What stood out was how differently each designer approached the same material. The selected projects are thoughtful, ambitious and distinct, and together they form a collection that showcases the creativity and ingenuity of Canadian design. We’re excited to support these designers as their ideas move from concept to reality,” said Cosentino.
The selected designers are Azadeh Garshasbi of Blend Studio in Vancouver, Christopher Cornecelli from Toronto, Nicole Marion of Studio Marion in Winnipeg, Lisamarie Vitaro of Studio LVID in Toronto, and Thom Fougere from Montréal.
Vancouver-based designer Azadeh Garshasbi’s [RE]assemble is a modular surface system inspired by play, interaction and the instinct to build through touch. Organized around four modular languages: Mass, Void, Relief and Layer, the collection invites users to compose, rearrange and rediscover the relationship between material, light and human experience.
Toronto designer and architect Christopher Cornecelli’s Purlin Bench investigates mass, structure and balance through a dramatic 128-inch-long bench. Structurally, the bench performs in two ways: as a stone beam spanning between two supports, and as a double-balanced cantilever. The project is an inquiry into the potential of high-performance mineral surfaces through a series of material manipulations and inverted expectations.
Winnipeg designer Nicole Marion’s Surface Chair explores the structural potential of Ēclos through a monolithic seating design composed entirely of precisely cut slabs slotted together with minimal hardware. The asymmetrical composition allows the extending planes to serve multiple purposes. The chair allows for comfortable ergonomic seating as a single bench or extended bench, hanging opportunities and ultimately highlights the material’s structural properties while allowing its layered veining and coloration to take centre stage.
Toronto-based designer Lisamarie Vitaro proposes an adaptable object collection within everyday moments of routine. Designed to slide between cushions or over upholstered arms, the interaction of stone and fabric makes the object feel intentional, approachable, tactile and calming. Intended for residential, hospitality and workplace settings, the Ēclos Caddy collection challenges conventional expectations of where stone belongs within contemporary interiors.
Montréal-based designer Thom Fougere’s Carré Coffee Table reimagines the traditional coffee table as a piece of domestic or commercial architecture. Defined by a large recessed central void, the design creates new opportunities for display, interaction and gathering, transforming a familiar furniture typology into the spatial nucleus of a room.
The selected projects will now enter the fabrication phase, culminating in a collection that will be exhibited across Cosentino showrooms in Canada and the United States, demonstrating the possibilities of Ēclos while celebrating the diversity of contemporary Canadian design.
