British Columbia Designers Display (Mostly) Calm and Elegant Work at ICFF (Photos)
They have a lot of wood in British Columbia, Canada, and a lot of talented designers who work with it. A flying squad of them arrived at ICFF with some of the more serene and elegant work in wood. Their booths were all simple and white, showing nothing but their work in the most minimal of settings.
Dexelcrafted
Kurt Dexel "builds beautiful, clean, and modern crafted furniture. His work is a reflection of his background in engineering, an affinity for modern aesthetics, and his dedication - as a self-taught craftsman - to the art of woodworking."
Lloyd Alter
Park Studio
Lloyd Alter
Park Studio debuts at ICFF and doesn't have much of a website yet, but appears to be a reborn Utility Furniture; the new name is a great improvement. Derek Morton tells me that he has become far more concerned about using local materials and healthy, non-toxic finishes.
Lloyd Alter
John Ross Design
John Ross Design
John Ross "finds the aesthetic in the overlooked. He takes direction from forms and textures produced by the forces and processes that surround us." Unlike most in the business, he has spent most of his working life in the out of doors. He has no formal training or education in the arts." His pieces are sculptural, using the natural forms of the wood he finds.
Lloyd Alter
Christian Woo
Christian Woo
Christian Woo's work is "informed by the singular natural setting of the Pacific Northwest and subtly influenced by the sculptural purity of Scandinavian and Japanese design. He says "I'm so inspired by working with a medium that is so beautiful in its raw state and I design so as not to disturb the inherent virtues of the wood itself."
Lloyd Alter
Brent Comber
Brent Comber Originals
Brent Comber is probably the best known of the bunch; his alder cubes are iconic. At ICFF Comber showed this wooden sphere, and a series of wood teardrops.
Lloyd Alter
Judson Beaumont of Straight Line Designs
Judson Beaumont of Straight Line Designs
The exception to the calm, restrained and elegant designs and designers shown above is Judson Beaumont, the hyperkinetic and twisted designer who "questions everything and takes it to the next level through functionality or bending the rules." TreeHugger has shown some of his previous work using pine beetle lumber.
Lloyd Alter
More at ICFF:
Graypants, the Kings of Cardboard, Move into Metal
The Latest from MIO: Flatpack Pop-Up Bike Baskets
Every Parent Will Want this Green Modern Doll's House with Working Solar Electric System
Public Bikes Launches in New York with Style
Camping at Home: Minimalist Living from Snow Peak
Transformer Desk from Urbancase Discreetly Hides Your Computer
Booth Trends: Live Action Demonstration Instead of Passive Presentation
The Designer's Material of the Year: Cork
Personalized Street Grid Stainless Steel Earrings: You Pick the Place
Canadian Cabin for Fluffy Little Critters from Loyal Luxe
Nobody Will Get Near You When You Ride with DesignKug's Bi-King Handlebars
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