Alex Joncas, originally from Montreal, first studied visual arts, before training in welding and metalworking. Very early on, he developed a passion for the transformation of matter: that precise moment when heat shapes form, between mastery and the unexpected.
In 2016, Alex co-founded the design studio Darmes, a lighting manufacturer and designer, with Gildas Le Bars, his life partner. Distributed and showcased internationally, their pieces are rooted in Quebec, where they are designed and manufactured, nourished by its landscapes, architecture and collective imagination.
Alex Joncas’ practice is both instinctive and introspective. He is dedicated to creating unique design objects, including pieces such as vases, more experimental lighting fixtures, and sculptures. Through his work, he seeks to translate, through the transformation of materials, the stories rooted in the Canadian landscape.
Wood, metal, and glass become vehicles for an expression that is both intimate and collective, combining memory, material, and brilliance. Alex Joncas develops an approach to design and sculpture in which each material carries a story: that of a landscape, a climate, a gesture, or a loss. His works are situated at the crossroads of functional objects and poetic installations, blurring the boundaries between use, sensory perception, and the transmission of meaning.
Each creation invites us to reconsider our relationship with matter and the environment. It reveals a keen awareness of the changes in the world, of the tension between the raw beauty of the elements and their vulnerability. By valuing raw materials and making the traces of their transformation visible, Alex Joncas offers a sensitive interpretation of the territory.
Discover his work through his Instagram account or his collections.
- Florian Martin, designer, Doppler
- Verre d’Onge, glassblower
- Gréta Jonckheere, ceramist, Hyphen Porcelaine
- Christophe Mirande, visual artist and enameller
NEWS
EXHIBITIONS
Quebec-based design studio specializing in lighting design, founded in 2016 by Alex Joncas and Gildas Le Bars, Darmes is pleased to announce its participation in the prestigious Fuorisalone in Milan, which will take place from April 7 to 13, 2025.
During Milan Design Week, Darmes will present its three new pieces—Doppler, 1979, and Bois d’Œuvre—at three prestigious venues...
PRESS
To mark the opening of its new showroom at 15 rue des Saints-Pères in Paris's 6th arrondissement, Maison LELEU is giving carte blanche to the traveling gallery SeriEYE, founded by curator Florent SeriEYE. The Art of Design exhibition, opening on October 21, 2025, will accompany the excitement of Design Miami/Paris with a unique display combining design, contemporary art, and collectible furniture. For The Art of Design, Alexia Leleu orchestrates a dialogue with Florent SeriEYE's selection, which presents six artists with hybrid universes: Atelier Tison, Sébastien Gafari, Lorène Cavagna, Caroline Keslassy, Alex Joncas, Lora Zyuzina, and Claude Viallat. Their works fit perfectly into the venue's hushed scenography, where textures, volumes, and lights come together..
INDEX DESIGN
Alexandre Joncas shares the highlights of his experience at Design Week Mexico 2023, an event marked by creative synergies and intercultural dialogue.
DWMX, Design Week Mexico 2023, whose 15th edition takes place this fall, “puts the spotlight on design artisans, leaves room for the emerging and allows magnificent talents to flourish”, in the words of Canadian designer Alexandre Joncas, founder of Studio Darmes based in Morin Heights, Quebec...
DWMX, Design Week Mexico 2023, whose 15th edition takes place this fall, “puts the spotlight on design artisans, leaves room for the emerging and allows magnificent talents to flourish”, in the words of Canadian designer Alexandre Joncas, founder of Studio Darmes based in Morin Heights, Quebec...
Here’s a fresh take on modular lighting from Quebec-based lighting brand Darmes – Hyphen. Shared for the first time during this year’s ICFF, the collection is made up of three pieces: the Hyphen Pendant, the Hyphen Table Simple, and the Hyphen Table Double.
While the resemblance to the type character is clear, its name is derived from the ancient Greek ὑφ’ ἕν (huph’ hén). In this case, it stands for the union of two opposites into one. Hyphen lighting exhibits this through the use of warm, soft, sensitive porcelain, and ...
While the resemblance to the type character is clear, its name is derived from the ancient Greek ὑφ’ ἕν (huph’ hén). In this case, it stands for the union of two opposites into one. Hyphen lighting exhibits this through the use of warm, soft, sensitive porcelain, and ...
A weekly Saturday recap to share with you our favorite links, discoveries, exhibitions, and more from the past seven days. This week: a two-toned kitchen that reminds us of our favorite character from children’s literature, a carpet collection inspired by Calder, and the best teapot we’ve seen in years.
Montreal-based online shop Boutique 8888 just launched a new collection featuring work by several up-and-coming designers and the results look pretty fun, especially Studio D’Armes chrome and linoleum chaise and Studio Kiff’s quartz and leather Lazy Chair...
Montreal-based online shop Boutique 8888 just launched a new collection featuring work by several up-and-coming designers and the results look pretty fun, especially Studio D’Armes chrome and linoleum chaise and Studio Kiff’s quartz and leather Lazy Chair...