The collaboration was launched at the Interior Design Show Toronto, which ran in late January, and is launched as a part of the 2017 Designer Collaboration Programme. The collaboration project has been running since 2013 and has seen the boundaries of experiential design pushed into artistic new realms, with work from nendo, Raw Edges, Philippe Malouin and Tom Dixon previously taking place under the banner.

This year, Jaime Hayon has used Caesarstone tiles to create a whimsical universe of old meets new art, titled Stone Age Folk. The installation comprises a series of seven new experimental yet functional furniture pieces that transport Caesarstone’s signature quartz into exciting new contexts. It’s a mix of Hayon’s legendary craftsmanship and the established quality of Caesarstone that these pieces are as beautiful and successful as they are.

The Toronto installation welcomed visitors in an open gallery space where the pieces where on display. The installation included “face cabinets”, large scale “bird-like dining tables” and smaller scale coffee tables featuring animated characters alongside a mask. Each piece is handcrafted by Hayon, and serves as an utterly unique object of design, and as a statement of the power of design to transform materials. Caesarstone tiles, typically used for kitchen and bathroom surfaces, are here used in highly decorative form – as a fantastical component in a fantasy world. Hayon’s creations serve as an inspirational message about the power of outside the box design.

The installation heavily reflects the overall inspiration for the yearlong collaboration between Caesarstone and Hayon, which draws inspiration from fauna, the natural world, and folklore from different cultures. These references are met with Hayon’s signature playfulness and curiosity, resulting in fresh and visionary takes on Caesarstone quartz.

“In working with Caesarstone, I became curious about what’s doable through material and technology,” says Jaime on the collaboration “Caesarstone material inspires designers and creatives to think of new ideas and bring novelty and innovation through creativity.

“This is what the installation for Caesarstone is about- this sort of combination of ideas, from folklore to fauna to colour to material to stone to furniture, ideas which result in unique pieces that can be functional or completely surreal and non-functional. Its about mixing the ingredients with our own intuition to create a new world, inspired by the possibilities of the material.”