As part of the Canadian furniture retailer’s Fall 2020 launch, the Lithic collection, designed by Studio Gorm, balances form and function in five perfectly designed desktop accessories.
By Rachel Gallaher
The new Lithic collection in green stone, designed by Studio Gorm for EQ3.
At a time when everything feels complicated, a product that is simple, structural, and solid—in this case the Lithic collection from EQ3—is the ideal anchor for today’s home office.
Designed by Eugene, Oregon–based Studio Gorm for the Canadian furniture retailer, the Lithic collection consists of five desktop accessories that blend functionality with high design.
“We were inspired by primitive monolithic sculptures as well as Brancusi and Noguchi,” note Studio Gorm’s husband-and-wife founders, John Arndt and Wonhee Arndt, in an email. “We wanted to approach these objects as if they were scaled down monolithic forms. Our working title was ‘monolith.’ We wanted to address these objects from a sculptural, formal sense, trying to give them a presence that was both functional but also contemplative, similar to traditional items found on a scholar’s desk in China, Japan, or Korea."
Available in two stone finishes: forest green stone and mint sandstone (each with a smooth matte finish), the Lithic collection consists of three round dishes of varying size, a cylindrical pencil holder, and the two-piece Paper Holder which comprises a shallow vessel with matching stone rod to keep documents and mail in place.
The Lithic collection's two-piece Paper Holder in green stone.
“Each of these objects is created as a platform or pedestal to elevate and display fairly common everyday objects, hopefully giving them added value or more consideration,” the Arndts explain. “The paper tray is a celebration and elevation of a simple ream of paper—by placing it on the curved tray a new unexpected form is revealed from to this typically blocky static stack of paper, normally stored away out of sight.”
The idea to work with stone came in the design directive from EQ3 (as well as the request for an office-specific collection), but the design work was all Studio Gorm. The vessels are made in Agra, India, a city with a long history of stone craftsmanship. The Arndts focused on the material properties of weight, mass, and texture, keeping in mind the durability and longevity of the objects.
The Lithic small bowl in mint sandstone.
“We wanted to maintain as much mass as possible," they note, "by keeping the exterior profile straight and massive to showcase the natural textures, while the interior has a more subtle organically curved shape that was informed by natural gestures of scooping and placing small objects and invites tactile interaction. The inner curve of the bowls and storage cups allow for ease of scooping up paperclips or other small objects.”
The Lithic collection is available at EQ3 showrooms across Canada and the United States, as well as at eq3.com.