We’ve rounded up 1p independent studios creating furniture and design objects in Vancouver, Canada, as part of our North American Design 2024 series.
From furniture in all wood and metal to tile-clad works and high-end camping chairs, these designers are taking a variety of approaches to design, working in small workshops throughout Vancouver.
In the design world, Vancouver is known for a trove of mid-century modern architecture, a glittering skyline of uniform skyscrapers and a strong lighting design scene, anchored by internationally known outfits such as Bocci and A-N-D.
It has several technical schools that feed into the massive technical clothing brands in the city, such as Arc’teryx, and a prominent art and design school at Emily Carr University, which produces many talented furniture designers.
It is a port city and a place from which wood from British Columbia’s forests is processed and shipped out to be used in the international market.
Many talented woodworkers work in the area, including members of First Nations groups, leading to an incredible output of handmade and industrial designs in the material.
The creative output of Vancouver is characterised by multi-culturalism and proximity to the mountains and the ocean simultaneously. It also has an interesting output due to its continued closeness with European culture and markets combined with a laid-back West Coast attitude.
Much of the post-industrial east of the city has been converted into artist workshops and the majority of small-scale makers have set up shop here, while the city’s downtown is host to some of the region’s best furniture curatorial shops such as Inform Interiors, and the convention center holds the West Coast version of the Interior Design Show (IDS).
Read on for 10 independent furniture designers working in Vancouver, Canada.
Jeff Martin Joinery
The output of Jeff Martin Joinery ranges from handmade ceramic pieces to cast iron and leatherwork, usually oriented around district series.
It was founded 14 years ago by Jeff Martin, who also runs a gallery in the city, supporting many of the established and up-and-coming designers from the city and abroad. The designer has also carried out several collaborations with Mexican designers, which he plans to ramp up in the near future.
“I think we probably have less than a thousand words in the English language for our various emotions,” Martin told Dezeen.
“But I think we probably experience over a million or more very nuanced and specific feelings within our lifetimes. I am using shape, material, colour to help tell the stories of those emotions.”
Dear Human
Founded by Jasna Sokolovic and Noel O’Connell, Dear Human has roots in Vancouver but also operates nomadically, working from a number of international residencies to complete its work, which recently has consisted of decor items made from recycled paper.
The studio tries to work with industrial leftovers, from paper to wool and ceramics to complete its work.
“We try to maintain our spontaneity and follow our excitement about materials and push the boundaries of what we think they can do,” the duo told Dezeen.
“One of the chief problems we are always trying to solve is how to repurpose waste materials we come across.”
Calen Knauf
Calen Knauf creates a wide range of industrial projects from his studio in Vancouver, from lighting designs to mirrors and stools, many of which are created using aluminium.
The son of a graphic designer, Knauf trained at Emily Carr University and tries to draw inspiration from his tools. “As a designer and not a crafts person, I like to use the right tool for the job” he told Dezeen. He also seeks to design against what he sees as a “homogeneity” driven by global design media.
“I believe my work has become much stronger after deciding to just live my life outside of design, not trying to prove to myself,” he continued.
“I’d rather go camping, skateboarding, a bike ride, hang at the beach or the river and let that subtly bring inspiration into my life organically.”
Liam Borsa Design
Once a refrigeration mechanic, Liam Borsa made a shift to furniture design in 2020, focusing on industrial materials.
He uses laser fabrication and bending methods seen in sheet metal fabrication and prefers to draw from the techniques of mass production to create limited-edition runs of furniture.
“With my background in trades, I see an underutilized approach to these methods typically reserved for construction,” Borsa told Dezeen.
“The fun problem for me to solve is how to harness these already available technologies in a way that people in those industries don’t think to do.”
Nolan TK Studio
Nolan Talbot-Kelly’s work centres around waste materials and offcuts from industrial production, creating pieces that illustrate the recycled nature of the materials while still maintaining a high level of precision in the design.
Talbot-Kelly got his start in the long-running Vancouver studio Hinterland Design before founding his own practice.
“A large part of my recent self-initiated studio work is centred around iterating with things that already exist, rather than designing in a way that requires introducing new lines of production,” he told Dezeen.
“I view this process as physical research through making, exploring possible alternative modes of designing that promote a more sustainable visual and material culture. I create objects that are both functional and speculative.”
Edwina Liao
Edwina Liao works mostly in wood, drawing from the outdoorsy culture of Vancouver to create portable, durable designs for use in a variety of outdoor uses.
Trained at Emily Carr University, Liao said that she seeks to “embody lifestyle choices” in the designs.
“My designs aim to bring intentional connections with living spaces, whether indoors or in nature,” Liao told Dezeen.
“I focus on encouraging interaction with objects to make people feel more connected to their surroundings, while also raising awareness of their own needs and fostering care for their environments.”
Studio Brovhn
Miguel Brovhn founded Studio Brovhn in 2009 and has received a number of high-profile commissions for its works in aluminium works in Canada and abroad, such as benches designed for SFMoMA.
Brovhn got his start in the design world on the sales side of an Italian furniture company before training as an industrial designer himself and starting his studio.
“Our pieces try to address functionality, longevity both in terms of timelessness and quality, and sustainability,” he told Dezeen.
“All of our design and furniture objects are a mix of machine and hand production. Sourcing is very important to our work.”
Pablo Mariano Craft Studio
Pablo Mariano Craft Studio creates handcrafted furniture pieces, mostly in wood, with some rendered in metals as well, but uses only hand tools to create his work.
It was founded by Pablo Mariano, who got his start as a guitarist and woodworker in Buenos Aires before immigrating to Canada in 2018. He opened his studio in 2022.
“I’m finding the ways to keep developing my practice and having a shop in a big city without sacrificing the joy and my beliefs for more economically profitable approaches,” he told Dezeen.
“Ever since I had to close my shop in Argentina, I spent a lot of time and work in learning new skills and redirecting my practice to something I could do without requiring a big infrastructure and trying to make myself my main resource instead.”
Ben Barber Studio
From his Vancouver workshop, Ben Barber works with metal stone, materials he says “carry a permanence and mass” that fits with his philosophy of space.
Barber trained as a sculptor at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn before working in film and eventually founding his own furniture practice in 2014.
“Using your designs to solve problems is a completely different breed of design than the more emotion-focused one I inhabit,” Barber told Dezeen.
“The problem-solving aspect of industrial design is focused on economic innovation while creating new systems and services. I am much more interested in how a form and material can create a moment for pause. To slow you down, bring you back into your body.”
Christian Woo
Christian Woo works with a team of highly skilled woodworkers to create blocky furniture items that embrace the qualities of domestic, FSC-certified wood.
In 2006 Woo opened up his Vancouver studio after being inspired by his grandfather, who was a woodworker.
“We embrace a philosophy centred on timeless, modern design, beautifully executed,” Woo told Dezeen.
“The studio is guided by the rich, rugged landscape of the Pacific Northwest, each piece is designed with a strong sense of place, scale, and sentiment.”
North American Design 2024
This article is part of Dezeen’s North American Design 2024 series selecting independent furniture and product design studios from cities across Canada, Mexico and the United States.
The first edition of this series is created in partnership with Universal Design Studio and Map Project Office, award-winning design studios based in London and now in New York. Their expansion into the US is part of The New Standard, a collective formed with Made Thought.
