Founder Tom van Soest Leaves FRONT® to Launch New Design Studio

After a decade of FRONT®(formerly StoneCycling) success, founder Tom van Soest returns to his roots by re-establishing his graduation project ‘Blended Materials’ into a design studio focused on waste and design.

Tom van Soest, StoneCycling // Blended Materials

Blended Materials Design Studio – Handcrafted Tiles from 100% Waste

Tom van Soest graduated in 2011 from the Design Academy Eindhoven with his project ‘Blended Materials’. Creating new materials from 100% construction waste and reducing the need for scarce raw materials gave Tom a purpose: showcasing the beauty of waste.

In 2012, Tom founded StoneCycling and developed his blended materials further to create the WasteBasedBrick with business partner Ward Massa and a team of innovators, investors, architects, and builders.

By 2016, the first building constructed with WasteBasedBricks was a success, leading to more projects worldwide and a total of 2,286,774 KG of waste upcycled by 2023.

After a decade of StoneCycling/FRONT®‘s success, Tom returns to his roots by re-establishing Blended Materials as a new design studio focused on waste and design. The studio provides project- and waste-specific tile designs and small-scale productions for those seeking to challenge conventional aesthetics. The tiles are crafted by hand and made from either 100% local waste or waste donated by the client.

Tom is driven by his original purpose: to inspire people globally with the beauty of waste. By returning to Blended Materials, he is at the heart of this mission. Despite his new venture, Tom remains connected to FRONT® as a shareholder and for project-specific collaborations. 

To learn more, visit the Blended Materials website: www.blended-materials.com.