Stonemasonry is the craft of shaping rough pieces of rock into accurate geometrical shapes, mostly simple, but some of considerable complexity, and then arranging the resulting stones, often with mortar, to form structures.

This exact definition could be applied almost directly to the business model of newly established Toronto design firm Mason and, more importantly, to the puppet-masters behind it. This became vastly apparent when I sat down with the duo responsible to discuss everything this multi-disciplinary design house has to offer.

It’s 10:01am on Monday morning when I arrive at my local coffee joint to meet with Ashley Rumsey and Stanley Sun: “Stan,” affectionately. I notice them almost instantly; they stick-out like design-thumbs amongst a sea of crying babies, sleepy Grandmas eating carrot muffins and an overwhelming selection of Bodums for sale. It might also be that we’ve met before: a month prior, to be exact, to discuss their first ever Show Off street festival hosted in Toronto’s design-centric Junction neighborhood.