Incollect Magazine - Issue 6

90 www.incollect.com What do you and Sten Studio specialize in as a design enterprise? Sten Studio celebrates the beauty and mystery of natural phenomena by using minerals in contemporary furniture and bespoke decorative objects. In the studio, we explore anything formed by natural processes, embracing crystals and stones as both muse and medium. What is the process of designing and creating a new piece? First, we start with the primary goal of deciding what kind of object we want to design. Second, we sketch ideas — there are no wrong or bad ideas at this point, we just want our imagination to flow, and then we research to see what is on the market to sift and select the most innovative of our own many creative ideas. The third step is to evolve the final selected design and revise it with engineering to ensure it is stable and secure. The fourth step, and my favorite, is the selection of the materials. Then we start production, and sometimes it gets tricky and challenging — crystals and rocks behave very differently from each other. Depending on the hardness, some are easier to work with and others become a real challenge. When we use stones for the first time we need to get to know them to see and decide which tools and techniques we must use. Sometimes it takes us months to understand some rocks, but also it is the most satisfying part of the job. Finally, we review the prototype, and sometimes it becomes a final product, and sometimes we need to go back to some of the previous steps and redo things. You are Mexican and located in Mexico City — do you think this has an impact on your approach to design? Of course, there is a strong lapidary heritage here in this country. Mexico City is surrounded by a valley with active and extinct volcanoes. This area is rich in different kinds of stones, and for thousands of years, cultures here have crafted objects. We use a lot of Mexican minerals and have also paid attention to past cultures’ techniques to apply them in some finishes for our designs. Tell us about what you are working on right now. What is new for Sten Studio? We just launched our new Volcanic Shades of Marble collection, a version of our previous stools. But instead of lava stone, we used a gorgeous American Golden Calacatta Marble that highlights the center- colored stones. They have a completely different vibe from the lava stone ones, but both are stunning. We are working on our first bench as well, a chaise lounge, and a new collection of stools and side tables. Are there other materials you have not yet worked with but would like to work with, and why? There are many! Our planet is very rich in mineral deposits, so the creative possibilities are endless. We are currently working on new pieces with rose quartz and trying to figure out how to use pyrite. In the second half of the year, I will travel to other countries to look for exotic jaspers! Previous Page Top: The Partial Eclipse Mirror with Shelf and Solar Eclipse Mirror feature obsidian and mirror. The Lunar Eclipse Table is made of obsidian and brass, and Orbit Table has obsidian, brass and sodalite tiers. Previous Page Bottom: Sten Studio’s Lunar Eclipse Table contrasts a top tier of chisel-edge polished obsidian and a second tier in brass. Mimicking the effect of a lunar eclipse, the obsidian “eclipses” the brass tier, creating subtle tonalities in the reflective surface of the brass. Top: An installation of Sprawling Galaxies orbs of semi-precious stones and a side table from the Configurable Geometry series. Center: Jose Schnaider, Founder and Creative Director of Sten Studio. Bottom: The award-winning Hotai Lamp. Three elements: wood, quartz, and light are combined to create an incomplete shape that is nonetheless aesthetically pleasing.