Formerly the Ontario Crafts Council, Craft Ontario is a not-for-profit service organization that works to have craft recognized as a valuable part of life. We promote and celebrate professional craft through providing member opportunities, and advocate for craft practice by educating and empowering diverse audiences.
Three years ago, Stephen Dalrymple left a high school English teaching career to enrol in the Furniture Craft and Design program at Sheridan college. In April, he completed his studies at Sheridan, and is now seeking to build a new career for himself as a furniture designer and maker.
As a designer, Stephen places a high importance on choosing the best materials possible and exploiting all of their visual and textural properties. True to his past as a literature major, he also enjoys creating narrative pieces, as he believes that objects acquire life when they are attached to stories. Overall, Stephen is highly influenced by the human form. The sweeping lines of a collarbone, the roundness of a flexed muscle, and the crisp shadows of folded skin find expression in all of his pieces. By referring to the body for inspiration, echoing the juxtaposition between hard and soft, the skeletal and the muscular, Stephen hopes to imbue his work with humanity. Whatever the personality of a piece - elegant, earnest or playful - he wants it to be recognizable and approachable. Good design, after all, is human. It mirrors us, it completes us, and it fills our living spaces with life.
Mary Lou’s Liquor Cabinet
white oak, brass
Mary Lou’s Liquor Cabinet (hinge detail)
white oak, brass
Huntin’ Season Barstool
hard maple, paracord
Huntin’ Season Barstool (seat detail)
hard maple, paracord
Reed LP Cabinet
hard maple, vegetable-tanned leather
Reed LP Cabinet (tambour door and drawer detail)
hard maple, vegetable-tanned leather
Sergio Lounge Chair
hard maple, leather, cotton cord
Sergio Lounge Chair (backrest detail)
hard maple, leather, cotton cord
Sergio Lounge Chair (rear view, weave detail)
hard maple, leather, cotton cord
Sergio Lounge Chair (rear three-quarter view)
hard maple, leather, cotton cord
Formerly the Ontario Crafts Council, Craft Ontario is a not-for-profit service organization that works to have craft recognized as a valuable part of life. We promote and celebrate professional craft through providing member opportunities, and advocate for craft practice by educating and empowering diverse audiences.