ABOUT
An industrial designer by trade, NICK KOPPELAAR has lived nine lives - his company, Area91, holds a workshop a few doors down and has ran a production line to rival Herman Miller. His award-winning work has sold globally, and has been shown in the Royal Ontario Museum, The Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, Gardiner Museum, and Superstudio Più in Milan, Italy. An enduring focus since graduating from the Ontario College of Art and Design has been to create and produce heirloom quality objects and lasting, livable spaces. Nick is a trained welder, woodworker and draftsman, which lends to the strong structural integrity of his work. Nick has designed and built unique interior architecture for restaurants, office spaces and bars across Toronto.
His latest project is Mooi Space, which started as a gutted building. Through his expertise he created the distinctive studio/event facility we have now, and continues to work on the space as it grows and expands.
With a background in fine arts photography, ANITA QIAN began her career in the gallery world in Brooklyn, New York. Upon graduating with a BFA in Photography from the Rhode Island School of Design, Anita moved to Los Angeles, California and landed herself in the commercial photography industry. She has worked with the world's premiere production companies, including Viewfinders, Camp Productions, Resin Projects, and Blond. Call sheet credits include projects such as Adidas campaigns, Kendall Jenner x Jimmy Choo, Beyoncé/lvy Park, and Michelle Yeoh for Town & Country Magazine. Amidst her freelance work, she also worked at the renowned Smashbox Studios, where she grew a taste for studio life and familiarized herself with photo EQ rentals.
Born and raised in Canada, Anita settled in Toronto and weaved her way into the photography/film community. Through chance and perfect timing, she met with Nick and serves as Mooi’s Studio Director.