Atelier Fomenta
Julia Arvelo, Florence Barnabé and Muriel Bentolila
About The Designer:
The word fomenta originates from the Latin fomentum, meaning to stoke the fire — to kindle change, provoke movement, and nurture transformation.
Atelier Fomenta is a Montreal-based design studio founded by Julia Arvelo, Florence Barnabé, and Muriel Bentolila, whose collaborative journey began during their university years. United by a shared design ethos, the trio crafts enduring objects and spaces that are both intimately familiar and thoughtfully conceived.
Their creative process often begins with a subtle reference — a brushstroke from a painting, the play of light in a film still, or an overlooked photograph of a streetlamp. From these poetic sparks, they develop pieces that inhabit the rich space between functionality and irony, utility and sculpture. Their work gracefully blurs the boundaries between industrial design and artisanal craft, resting in the delicate balance where precision meets emotion.
Atelier Fomenta thrives on collaboration. Each project is brought to life through close partnerships — fostering a spirit of care, dialogue, and authenticity. Every piece is meticulously crafted in collaboration with local artisans, reflecting a commitment to community, craftsmanship, and timeless design.
About The Product:
Rubber Libraries series by Atelier Fomenta is a provocative study in contrast—an exploration of material flexibility anchored by structural integrity. At the heart of this collection is rubber, a material more commonly found in industrial or utilitarian contexts, where it often appears discarded, weathered, or out of place. Here, it is reimagined with intention and dignity, elevated through craft and conceptual clarity.
Each piece pairs pliable rubber components with robust, carefully engineered joints, creating a tension between softness and strength. Riveted and sculpted much like denim in the fashion world, the rubber is not merely a surface but a structural element—folded, curved, and held in form to reveal its innate ability to adapt and endure.
The result is a furniture series that challenges traditional expectations, both materially and visually. Rubber Libraries embody Atelier Fomenta’s commitment to poetic experimentation, where overlooked or undervalued materials are reconsidered and transformed. These pieces are as much an aesthetic statement as they are a philosophical one: a reflection on resilience, transformation, and the artistry of constraint.