Ontario Makers

How Ontario’s own Studio50 brings timeless tradition to Nordic-modern design.

Form and function are at play in Studio50’s sculptural line of refined rustic home accessories and furnishings. With striking silhouettes, each piece is gallery-worthy. Made from eco- conscious materials sourced mostly within Canada, they’re the kind of guiltfree collectibles that showcase your style— great scene- setters for sharing a meal or a bottle of wine with friends and family.

Savouring the moment: that’s what Steve and Kim Prokopowich, the makers behind Studio50, are all about. The couple’s hands- on approach to everything they do— even renovating their Paris, Ont., farmhouse and studio themselves— can be traced back to their high school days, when they met working on a dairy farm almost 25 years ago. Their pieces are built to last, bypassing trendiness to instead focus on timeless appeal. Inspired by history, Steve and Kim want to return to the days when people chose furnishings with care, as objects to invest in and cherish.

Every creation is as useful as it is aesthetically pleasing. “It has to serve a purpose,” says Steve. “It has to fill a need and be nice to look at.” The Platform collection— one of the couple’s favourites— is a case in point. Hard-wearing concrete-block tops set on slight steel-and-walnut bases, the customizable dining tables, coffee tables and console are built to last. And though they look heavy, they’re easy to move— their lightweight concrete cast is hollow— so they can be repositioned as a family grows. “We love to watch people interact with them,” says Kim.

Studio50’s homewares are built for everyday family living. They play a part in meal prep— knives are within easy reach in a Konkret knife block (which looks like it defies gravity, leaning on its delicate steel frame) and, for crushing herbs, there’s the Holz and Stößel mortar and pestle

(an artistic homage to watching their kids play in the sandbox with granddad). These wares also invite lingering long past dinner— the sculptural Hock dining chair with its carved-wood seat proves the point. “Our designs encourage people to slow down,” explains Kim. The idea being to heighten everyday experiences, whether enjoying a home- cooked meal, decanting a bottle of wine, or chatting and relaxing with friends. Savouring the moment indeed.

Find Studio50 at the One of a Kind Craft show, in select retailers or at studio50.ca.