raw edges lays out a domestic landscape of islands for caesarstone

raw edges lays out a domestic landscape of islands for caesarstone
image © designboom

caesarstone invites international designers to collaborate with them on new visions of how their quartz surfaces can be applied in a variety of living contexts, trying to push the boundaries of their product. having kicked off this initiative with ‘stone garden’ by oki sato / nendo in 2013, the company is now working with london-based studio raw edges (yael mer and shay alkalay) on ‘islands’ — a furniture/living system that explores the possibilities of an extremely flexible domestic space.

kitchen island
image © designboom

though ‘islands’ is conceived as a modular network of components, its approach varies in that it allows one to imagine particular interior arrangements which would not otherwise be considered with a typical system of its kind. debuting at the 2014 toronto interior design show, the collection of seven independent frameworks with the same A-frame profile have been slotted together — rather than being placed on top or around one another — conceived to cater to major aspects and activities conducted within the home: cooking, eating, bathing, gardening, grooming and playing, that form a domestic landscape.

yael mer and shay alkalay of raw edges
image © designboom

raw edges have never worked with a material like caesarstone before, and one of the challenges they faced in realizing ‘islands’ was trying to create large expansive surfaces to accommodate multiple modules including: a bathtub, washbasins, cabinets, mirrors, vases, building blocks, in one segment. their intention in designing ‘islands’ was to build up the interior of the home with elements of bold colors and materials such as glass, reclaimed wood, terracotta, to compliment and emphasize caesarstone’s ‘classico collection’ (part of the 2014 supernatural collection) that exudes a very natural finish; and which they have used to construct each of the different islands.

up close of the kitchen modules in context
image © designboom

the approach in developing the ‘islands’ was that raw edges wanted to re-examine a range of aspects of the domestic environment, with a particular focus on the surface — envisioning it as more than just a two-dimensional form. this is expressed through the accompanying modular elements that they have realized, all of which cut through the horizontal tops of each island, exposed in a way that challenges our perception of needing to always hide everything behind and expansive plane. the result is an imaginative and playful ‘furniture’ that expresses of the versatility of caesarstone.

an island of building blocks
image © designboom