An award-winning design studio based in Toronto, STACKLAB explores innovative craftsmanship and interiors grounded in sustainable design practices. Jeffrey Forrest founded STACKLAB in 2013 to pursue new forms and fabrication techniques, creating two divisions within the company to influence the direction of design in multiple ways. Through its PROJECT division, the team designs architecture, interiors, and installations, and through its product line called OBJECT, the brand crafts made-to-order and limited-run furniture and art objects available through established dealers.
Here, we explore the design process behind three of their products — the Felt Series (available as a bench, stool or side table), Mura Low Table, and Geppetto Stool/Side Table.
Felt Series
Plush layers make this bench and stool/side table both comfortable and creative. Each stack is made from natural merino wool felt that’s sustainably sourced and held together by STACKLAB’s signature steel-plated clamping hardware. At its full height (each piece is also available at quarter or half-height), the stack includes 80 layers of felt, including grays and colors, all strengthened by interstitial bronze braces that prevent racking. Leg height varies depending on the amount of layers; shorter stacks feature longer exposed wooden legs.
Supplied with the stool/side table, an ergonomic driver with a rubber-coated tip easily tightens or loosens the felt clamping hardware, so that clients can reorder the layers if they so desire.
Mura Low Table
Created through a collaboration with Jeff Goodman Studio, the limited-edition Mura Low Table pairs STACKLAB’s signature, solid-bronze leg castings with a kiln-fused glass top. Fabricators at Jeff Goodman Studio first broke tubes of glass and arranged them in the kiln bed, baked the glass and then allowed it to cool for a week, leaving the glass with a mix of milky and transparent fragments and a geometric-patterned appearance; accordingly, “Mura” refers to the Japanese word for “unevenness, irregularity and inequality.” Because the glass is handmade, it requires a full week to polish and cut to size with a water jet, and three weeks total to make each unique tabletop.
Each “Jupiter” leg of the table is assymetrical and unique, and the sand-casting process by which each leg is made creates irregularities. Like the table it supports, the base appears different from every angle.
Geppetto Stool
Named for the woodcarver in The Adventures of Pinocchio, the Geppetto stool or side table is a single sculptural casting of solid red bronze with a top opening that allows for easy handling. It’s crafted from a custom alloy based on phosphor bronze with a lot of copper that resists corrosion. Suitable for indoors and out, the stool will develop a subtle patina that enhances its coloring.
The Geppetto contemporizes and optimizes the traditional stool through its optimal proportions and light weight.
All of STACKLAB’s award-winning products are crafted using advanced technology. To learn more about STACKLAB, click here.
