One to Watch: Ryan Spotowski

The head of RySpot Design builds on the family legacy.

Ryan Spotowski knows that you don’t have to have big output to make a big impact.“As an independent guy, I can’t make millions of pieces—but I can make one or two, and with that I can make things a little impactful,” says the Edmonton-based designer, who uses concrete to craft pieces that get people talking… and touching.“People want to reach out and feel the texture, and their next question is, ‘What is this?’” says Spotowski. “It’s often something they’re not used to seeing in that way.”

To Spotowski, whose family has been in the concrete business for generations, there’s nothing surprising about the potential in the material, but his industrial design degree has helped him pivot out of construction territory and into homier offerings: coloured, faceted bowls; side tables made from polished concrete cores; the coral-like J5 table.

Each is rugged but delicate, and all are undoubtedly playful. “I try to make materials fun,” says Spotowski.