The Tyndall Table, which is causing a lot of buzz in the industry, is a coffee table made from a slab of locally quarried Tyndall stone, weighing in at about 68 kilograms.
Regina-born designer Thomas Fougere moved to Winnipeg in 2006 for architecture school at the University of Manitoba.
Thomas Fougere: "The Bench Rack is essentially a freestanding wardrobe that celebrates clutter, with an additional function of seating or a storage area. Although my furniture would be considered modern, which is often associated with covering up or concealing clutter and disorder, I would like to think my pieces embrace it."
Fougere calls this the Steel Wood Table. It's an interesting piece that mixes warm wood and steel in a modern design that's both eye-catching and functional.
WHEN asked to talk about himself, Thomas Fougere's modesty comes to the forefront. While his furniture designs are making a splash in the interior design industry, he tends to stick to the facts about his training and talent.
The Regina-born designer moved to Winnipeg in 2006 for architecture school at the University of Manitoba. During this period, he co-founded a design collective during his second year of studies called Keep it Cartesian with three other classmates.
The group designed a series of powder-coated steel faceplates with dual function. One of the faceplates has a letter holder integrated into it while the other faceplate, for electric outlets, has a built-in cord wrapper that allows you to wrap electronics cords around it to keep them tidy and off of the floor.
The faceplates were exhibited at the International Design Show (IDS) in Toronto in 2009. This was Fougere's first intro to the design world at the age of 22. The faceplates gained a substantial amount of notoriety internationally at the time and were a very clever answer to common home organizational problems. The faceplates are not currently in production but various companies have shown an interest in the unique items.
After the success of the faceplate exhibit, Fougere realized he had a penchant for creating his own designs. He graduated from environmental design-architecture in 2009.
In 2011, along with co-designer Nils Vik, Fougere showcased the Bench Rack, which won Best New Prototype and Top 100 Products of the Toronto IDS.
"The Bench Rack, like all my designs, was born out of necessity," said Fougere. "My girlfriend at the time used up a majority of the closet space, and then some, so I designed a solution to a problem a lot of apartment and small-space dwellers have.
"The Bench Rack is essentially a freestanding wardrobe that celebrates clutter, with an additional function of seating or a storage area. Although my furniture would be considered modern, which is often associated with covering up or concealing clutter and disorder, I would like to think my pieces embrace it."
This year, Fougere released two new pieces of furniture that he's been working on for the past 18 months. The items will be debuting at the Interior Design Show 2012 in Toronto this weekend.
The Tyndall Table, which is causing a lot of buzz in the industry, is a coffee table made from a slab of locally quarried Tyndall stone, weighing in at about 68 kilograms.
"It is a feat of engineering with thin steel legs holding up such a mass," says Fougere. "I wanted the Tyndall Table to convey a Canadian or Manitoban vernacular. I've been told Torontonians aren't familiar with Tyndall stone so I'm interested in the response it will get.
"Having Tyndall stone for a table top creates an interesting condition. Tyndall stone is a type of limestone and is very reactive to acids and is also quite sensitive to being handled. Over time, as the table is used, the stone will degrade in a beautiful way. Left unfinished, substances and casual wear will slowly degrade the stone top, exposing fossil fragments and revealing layers of stories embedded within the material.
"Over time, the accumulation of puddled watermarks, a splash of wine and scribbles of past dreams will meld into the material's already varied past, creating a nostalgic condition."
His other entry in the show is what Fougere calls the Steel Wood Table. It's an interesting piece that mixes warm wood and steel in a modern design that's both eye-catching and functional.
Working out of his apartment studio, Fougere will be going into a short production run of the Bench Rack, Tyndall Table and Steel Wood Table this spring. The exclusive creations will be sold locally within Winnipeg.
Fougere is creative director at EQ3, a Canadian modern furniture company based out of Winnipeg with stores across Canada. You can find out more information about Fougere's work on his website www.thomfougere.com
