Furniture maker, craftsperson and educator, Stefan Tobolka joins Launchpad as a Woodworking Studio Technician
With the newly revamped Woodworking, Digital Fabrication and Electronics Studio opened up, Artscape Daniels Launchpad has welcomed a new Studio Technician who will be working with Members in the space: Stefan Tobolka.
“Launchpad has a great team of technicians with a wide variety of skills and expertise. I look forward to getting to work sharing knowledge and growing my own skill set over time,” explains Stefan. “The Woodworking Studio has great natural sunlight and access to a CNC router that I’m looking forward to putting to work.”
A Toronto based furniture maker, craftsperson and educator, Stefan was first introduced to furniture making while watching his father tinker in his small shop in the family’s garage. Growing up, Stefan’s father built much of the furniture in their home — from their kitchen table to their beds.
Stool by Stefan Tobolka
In 2012, he began attending the furniture design program at Sheridan College. After his first year, he landed a role working for Jessica Nakanishi and Jonathan Sabine of MSDS Studio where he fabricated designer goods for them.
“A highlight of my career has been getting to work with MSDS Studio. They’ve been excellent mentors for myself and have given me many opportunities within the Toronto design community,” recalls Stefan. “Their first year of bringing a collection of goods to the Stockholm Furniture Fair had a number of pieces produced by myself and my collaborator at the time, Jake Whillans.”
Shaker Light by Stefan Tobolka
Since graduating, he has worked at Brothers Dressler as a fabricator and technician and at OCADU first as a Class Assistant, then as a lead technician in the Environmental Design/Industrial Design Model Shop before getting a teaching role in the Faculty of Industrial Design earlier this year. Since then, Stefan has also joined the Creative Studio team at Artscape Daniels Launchpad.
While balancing his full-time work, Stefan maintains a small personal practice involving client commissions, speculative work and showcases alongside his multidisciplinary design collective All Odds.
Switch Sideboard by Stefan Tobolka
All Odds is an ever evolving design collective established in 2017 by six Toronto designers, including Stefan. Busy with design jobs and their creative practices, All Odds collective members began to present work together during DesignTO Festival (aka Toronto Design Week) as a way of keeping connected. After one year, the collective grew to include fifteen designers, all creating speculative work in a variety of disciplines.
“Furniture is a slow-craft that takes hours and hours to design, prototype and produce,” says Stefan. “I feel very fortunate that I’ve fallen into a line or work that allows me to be creative and problem solve in a woodworking studio environment.”
Take a moment to introduce yourself to Stefan the next time you are in Launchpad’s Woodworking Studio and check out his work at Stefantobolka.com.
