Every MAISON ET OBJET fair provides an opportunity for seven up-and-coming names in the world of design, to present their work to professionals from around the world. For our first MAISON ET OBJET AMERICAS we will be displaying the work of seven wonderful talents. Discover the works of: Lukas Peet from Canada, Leo Capote from Brazil, Cristián Mohaded from Argentina, Casey Lurie from the eastern half of the U.S., Max Gunawan from the western half of the U.S., David Pompa from Mexico and Ramón Laserna from Colombia.

Lukas Peet – Canada

Lukas Peet left his native Canada in 2005 to attend the prestigious industrial design program at the Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands. After graduating at the top of his class in 2009, Lukas returned to Canada and founded Lukas/Peet Design, which is active in the fields of product design, interior design, graphic design and public space. His work has been published and exhibited internationally, including his first solo exhibition recently at the Design Exchange in Toronto. Lukas received the inaugural RBC Emerging Designer Award in 2014. He lives and works in Vancouver. Manufactured by Umbra Shift, AND light, Roll & hill…

Leo Capote – Brazil

For nearly sixteen years, Leo Capote has been searching for alternative uses for objects that are made for other purposes. Industrialized objects perform specifi c functions and are designed based on ergonomic principles — they adhere to technological and formal requirements, and are made of various materials, different fi nishes, and produced by a variety of manufacturing processes. These objects become raw material for him. They lose their original function and are transformed to serve another system and perform different functions. This is his way of thinking about objects. A former employee of the Campana brothers, Leo today stands as one of the most promising designers in his country.

Cristian Mohaded – Argentina

Cristian Mohaded graduated from the National University of Cordoba (FAUDI). He was born in the Argentinian country side (Recreo, Catamarca in 1980). He currently resides in Buenos Aires. In his beginnings as a designer he worked in the area of product development and production management for Solantu, where he developed his love for wooden objects. Afterwards he focused in product development and interior design together with the brand La Feliz. On his way, he designed the Volta lamps for IMDI, an Argentinean lighting company. Cristian designed a limited edition for the Gallery S. Bensimon (Paris), the Cabeza Bowls and the Fleco Mirror. He also developed lighting objects for La Feliz. His clients have included premium brands such as Gallery S. Bensimon Gallery, Habitat and La Redoute. Nationally, he designed for Voila BA, La Feliz, IMDI Lighting, Malba, FOG Concept and Solantu, among scores of others.

Casey Lurie – USA East Coast

Casey Lurie is an independent designer based in Chicago. He apprenticed as a cabinet maker and received a B.F.A. from California Institute of the Arts, and an M.F.A. from Northwestern University. For three years Casey worked in Tokyo as designer-in-residence for Idée, the leading contemporary furniture manufacturer in Japan. While in Japan he became interested in Japanese wood joinery techniques, a practice which infl uences his work to this day. In 2012 he established his design practice, Casey Lurie Studio, which employs traditional craft and high tech methods to produce a collection of furniture, lighting, and domestic objects marked by their attention to detail and high level of craftsmanship. In addition to his studio production Casey works with like minded artists, designers, and manufacturers to design and develop a wide range of projects.

Max Gunawan – USA West Coast

Max Gunawan spent 10 years as an architect before launching Lumio, named one of the “Top 10 Most Innovative Crowdfunded Companies” by Entrepreneur magazine in 2013. His work employs minimal and cleanline design, creating modern lighting systems with the simple goal of giving people the freedom to experience beautiful lighting wherever they are. The studio is focused on multi-functional, everyday objects that are simple, intuitive and beautiful.The Lumio brand creates modern lighting systems with the simple goal of giving people the freedom to experience beautiful lighting wherever they are. Max has been covered by numerous publications from the Wall Street Journal to the SF Chronicle. Currently based in San Francisco, Max is looking forward to launching two brand new products at MAISON&OBJET AMERICAS in May.

David Pompa – Mexico

Born to an Austrian mother and a Mexican father, David Pompa was raised in both countries, and maintains interdiscipliary design studios in each. He received his Master of Arts and Design degree from Kingston University in London in 2008, where he continuted to work, but his strong bond to Mexican culture brought him back to open his fi rst store in Mexico City in 2013. The idea to work with traditional materials began with a trip to Oaxaca in 2009, where David saw artisans working with “Barro Negro” for the fi rst time. His commitment to the rich heritage and remarkable craftsmanship of Mexican artisans has required a rethinking of traditional processes, challenging the boundaries of culture, product and materials. Combining innovation with a passion for exceptional quality drives the collection. To rethink and reinvent Mexican artistry is the ever present and underlying inspiration for all of his designs, fi nding an unexpected magic in traditional materials when combined with modern techniques and fresh ideas.

Ramón Laserna – Colombia

Ramón Laserna studied Industrial Design, also becoming interested first in photography and then in kinetic art. Deciding to fuse these two disciplines, Laserna has spent the last eight years exploring the possibilities. Working mainly with urban fragments, he is always looking for line and colour, whether abstract or geometric, creating what he calls ensambleges (ensamblajes). His work is the perfect marriage of design, photography and kinetism, always involving an optical illusion, which gives movement to the product. His work has been shown at Casas Reigner Gallery (Bogota, Colombia), the Museum of Modern Art (Bogota Colombia), the Fotologia6 International Festival of Photography and the ArtBo International Art Fair in Bogota, among others and he is now working on a show in Palermo curated by Raffaella Guidobono.

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