Since its launch in 2013, Caesarstone’s Designer Collaboration Programme has pushed the frontiers of experiential design with works from Nendo studio, Raw Edges, Philippe Malouin and Tom Dixon.

This year marks Caesarstone’s 30^th anniversary and a continued commitment to their high quality surfaces and design innovation.

Stone Age Folk, by designer Jaime Hayon, builds on the fantastical world presented at Interior Design Show Toronto and takes the installation to an architectural scale for Milan’s Fuorisalone 2017.

Jaime Hayon revealed a collection of fantastical furniture pieces, imbued with his trademark whimsical style, in an installation titled ‘Stone Age Folk’ exhibited within the historical backdrop of the Palazzo Serbelloni

Each piece embodies a different character in Hayon’s kingdom.

His current interest leans towards folklore, drawing on references from the mythological tales of places such as Hungary or Africa and their various traditions and beliefs.

These references weave into the ideas being explored in his latest collaboration with Caesarstone, the pioneer and leading manufacturer of engineered quartz stone surfaces

Taking cues from the folklore of various cultures, the set includes tables cut out in the shape of birds, sat alongside cabinets and mirrors reminiscent of the primitive mask mirror he created for the brand back in 2015.

Described by Hayon as a ‘combination of ideas, from folklore to fauna to colour to material to stone to furniture’, the ambitious collection’s abstract features and patterns are intricate adaptations of Caesarstone’s fine marquetry, yet again pushed to its creative limits.

As we first enter the stunning neo-classical Palazzo Serbelloni, we we’re welcomed with Hayon’s signature tribal mask, outstanding clown-face cabinet & smaller scale dining tables featuring animated characters.

We we’re first introduced to these quirky characters in the first instalment of ‘Stone Age Folk’ revealed earlier in February at IDS Toronto 2017.

Tribal masks and Hayon’s signature clown faces are featured on the large-scale wall panels of the pavilion and presented alongside playful carousels made of Caesarstone, furniture pieces and light fixtures.

Further demonstrating the versatility of Caesarstone’s material, through the lively, visionary eyes of the designer, dining tables, small coffee tables and cabinets become bird-like characters and animated faces.

Together, all the pieces contribute to the kaleidoscopic feel of the installation and enable the visitor to playfully interact with the material in a fresh, unexpected way.

In collaboration with Caesarstone, Hayon creates Stone Age Folk, a landscape of ‘cosmic characters’, cartoon-like profiles and silhouetted figures that are applied to a variety of objects, some of which are functional and others more playful.

“It’s about a combination of ideas from folklore to fauna to colour to material to stone to furniture,” explains Hayon. “You realise that these tables, cabinets or mirrors can be completely surreal; they can be functional but also not functional.”

Glassroom

Moving onto the Palazzo’s Ballroom, we we’re welcomed by the monumental, architectural pavilion which references the famous Crystal Palace built in Hyde Park, London for the Great Exhibition of 1851, combining over 48 Caesarstone colours with metal and stained glass.

Caesarstone’s quartz material was meticulously handcrafted and implanted into the metal frame of the pavilion as a precious jewel within Hayon’s whimsical Caesarstone universe.

Employing traditional high-end stone marquetry and stained glass window techniques, the designer imbued the space with his eccentric spirit and artistry to create a fantasy world made of different colours, forms and shapes.

This fantasy world is inspired by the natural environment, the animal kingdom, and folklore of different cultures, ranging from Hungarian myths to African tribal influences

The pure stature of this structure was unbelievable, meticulously handcrafted, employing high-end stone marquetry & stained glass window techniques, all implanted into the metal frame of the pavilion as a precious jewel within Hayon’s whimsical Caesarstone universe.

Each handcrafted and uniquely designed piece transforms the material, typically used for kitchen and bathroom surfaces into a highly decorative and precious material used as a fantastical component in creating Hayon’s world

“A combination of art, design and architecture, this kaleidoscopic installation will be something that visitors have never seen before. There is a strong element of surprise in the visible contrast between the Napoleonic, marble-made palace and this beautiful pavilion, made with 21^st century Caesarstone’s quartz.

Visitors entering this fantasy world will see the Caesarstone material perform in a way that incites new levels of creativity and have an amazing visual image of its ‘arty’ and luxurious qualities. I hope, with this very graphic and folkloric installation, to put a smile on people’s faces and compel them to think that they are in Milan for the furniture fair, but they have just seen a ‘funtastico’ world.”  …………. Jaime Hayon

Jaime Hayon is a designer who strives to create alternative environments into which we can all immerse ourselves.

He invites us to temporarily step into a physical expression of his imagination, a sort of fantasy world complete with the kind of spaces you might expect to experience in a movie or on the pages of a children’s book.

His success can be attributed to the strong belief he sustains in his own vision and points of interest.

“ This is an installation that started a long time ago in my brain – this idea of making a pavilion. Once in a while a case study, a pavilion, or a special ephemeral architectural element comes into place within the history of design and architecture, in a universal expo for example. There have been a lot of examples – from Josef Hoffmann’s Austrian pavilion to the Crystal Palace to case studies by the Eameses and Le Corbusier.”

“ I just wasn’t sure what materials would work. I wanted to make something a little bit wild. Things clicked when I met Caesarstone and it became a great opportunity. What I always try to find, especially now at this moment in my career, is people who want to do something that will push the limits.”  ……… Jaime Hayon

“ I always follow my intuition and try to bring to life ideas that are related to worlds I’m fascinated by. I am drawn towards lost worlds – those of medieval times, circuses, magic and so on”, admits Hayon. “I try to mix these ingredients within my work.”……. Jaime Hayon

” Design today is not only about creating functional stuff. It’s also about being surprised, and challenging the material and challenging the creativity ”  …….  Jaime Hayon

About Jaime Hayon

Spanish artist-designer Jaime Hayon was born in Madrid in 1974.

Hayon trained as an industrial designer, completing his studies in Madrid and Paris before working as a researcher at Fabrica, Benetton Group’s communication research centre in Treviso, Italy.

During this six-year period, Hayon spent his spare time developing his own ideas, principally graphics and drawing.

He nurtured the foundations for his fascination with ‘strange stories and experiences’ in his work and this has remained prevalent until today.

Not afraid to dress up in flamboyant outfits befitting of his fantasylands, this charismatic designer operates on the design scene with the autonomy of an artist.

Liberated by such freedoms, he has surprised and delighted international audiences since dedicating his time to his own studio in 2003.

His concepts, whether they be one-off or for mass production, always begin as sketches derived from his imaginary world. His captivating drawings are core to his development process and are where the fluid lines of his pen or brush flow freely on the page, alive with colour and complexity.

His sketchbooks are where objects come to life such as Pinocchio-esque vases, ceramic cacti, and zoomorphic sculptures.

These ideas are distilled and detailed, evolving to renderings, models and prototypes with tweaks made along the way.

His artistic vision was first fully exposed in the ‘Mediterranean Digital Baroque’ and ‘Mon Cirque’ installations.

These collections put Jaime at the forefront of a new wave that blurred the lines between art, decoration and design.

Jaime further defined his vision in subsequent solo exhibitions and shows at major galleries, and design and art fairs all over the globe.

His  wide  client  base  spans  diverse functions  and  mediums,  including  domestic  furniture  for  b.d.  barcelona,  Cassina,  Fritz Hansen, &Tradition, and Magis; lighting fixtures for Parachilna, Metalarte and Swarovski; and sophisticated objects for Bisazza, Lladró and Baccarat.

He has also executed complete interiors    for    leading    hotels,    restaurants    and    retail    establishments    worldwide.

Jaime currently resides in Valencia, with offices in Barcelona and Treviso (Italy).

His work has  appeared  in  the  most  prestigious  art  and  design  publications  worldwide.

He has won numerous awards, and has been recognized by Wallpaper* Magazine as one of the most influential creators of the last decade, and lauded as a “visionary” and one of the most creative icons by Times magazine.

About Caesarstone

Caesarstone manufactures high quality engineered quartz surfaces, which are used in   both residential   and   commercial   buildings   as   countertops, vanities,   wall cladding, floors and other interior surfaces.

The  wide  variety  of  colours,  styles, designs  and  textures  of  Caesarstone®  products,  along  with Caesarstone’s inherent characteristics  such  as  hardness,  non-porous,  scratch  and  stain  resistance  and durability,  provide  consumers  with  excellent  surfaces  for  their  internal  spaces which are highly competitive to granite, manufactured solid surfaces and laminate, as  well  as  to  other  engineered  quartz  surfaces.

Caesarstone’s four collections of products — Supernatural, Classico, Motivo, and Concetto— are available in over 50 countries around the world.