Design duo Michael Thomas Host and Tanja Hinder are the creative force behind mth woodworks, a local woodworking company based in Vancouver, BC. They combine salvaged Western Red Cedar tree stumps and birch branches with organic resin, creating one-of-a-kind furniture pieces that connect people with beautiful West Coast forests.

This success story started many years ago, when designer and builder Michael Host left his hometown of Vancouver, BC to pursue his passion – the design and construction of timeless furniture. His path led to places like Australia and New York where Michael became an accomplished furniture maker. His journey also brought him to Europe where he was inspired by the architecture and furniture designs. Michael spent many years studying and acquiring renowned and unique woodworking techniques.

Tanja Hinder, on the other hand, grew up in Switzerland. Fascinated by architecture and furniture design, Tanja soon found herself involved in many design-consulting projects. In 2001, she travelled to Vancouver where the paths of Michael and Tanja crossed for the first time. The rest as they say “is history!” Tanja eventually immigrated to Canada and become an aspiring furniture and interior designer.

Over the past year, they have been able to refine their construction techniques to enhance the longevity and durability of their designs. They also further developed their original concept in a new series of products that complement the organic shapes of their salvaged woods in a surprising way.

Today, mth woodworks’ mission is to connect people with BC’s beautiful surroundings by fusing together raw natural elements with organic resin.

“The inspiration for our designs comes from, well, EVERYWHERE. However, nature and travel definitely fuel our creative minds. To us, these are the most important ingredients for all our creations. Guided by clean lines and functionality, we are proud to offer “the bloom collection” and “the host collection” to a diverse clientele.”

For more information on mth woodworks, please visit: http://www.mthwoodworks.com/

Click below to watch a great video on how they salvage their wood:

If you can not see the video link above: click here

BC Wood just recently received confirmation that the funding for our 2013-2014 trade show activities has been approved. We began this year’s proposal writing with some concerns over just how much our members would want to take on in the coming year. Our early December sector meetings with member companies provided some good input on how much companies wanted to do this year and where they wanted BC Wood to focus its’ efforts.

BC Wood took this input and put together a comprehensive package of market development activities. Upcoming activities will focus on expanding market share in the United States while maintaining the hard won presence we have gained in Asian markets and Eastern Europe. Recognizing the possibility of a new and emerging market opportunity in India, BC Wood has scheduled a mission and participation in a trade show in Bangalore in February 2014. The Global Buyers Mission, our 10th, will be a highlight, with over 200 buyers coming to Whistler in early September.

I would like to recognize and thank the staff of BC Wood for the extra effort they put towards writing these funding proposals. The result was that BC Wood has another strong program of approved trade event activities for 2013-2014. For those of you wanting to see the updated list of trade show activities, please visit the BC Wood website at www.bcwood.com and select Trade Events from the Programs & Services tab. Any comments or questions regarding these planned activities can be directed to me at bhawrysh@bcwood.com or by calling our office at 604-882-7100.

This week I had the opportunity to meet with a very interesting company; Vancouver Urban Timberworks. They specialize in producing products from hard and softwoods. What sets them apart is that their products are made from discarded trees around the local area.

In and around Metro Vancouver, there are hundredsof trees that are coming down for various reasons which could be quite costly for the individual or company to discard. Starting out in their North Vancouver driveway three years ago, Eric and Danny began retrieving these fallen trees free of charge. They then transformed these trees into unique wood products including large slabs, furniture, and other custom products.

One of their projects included producing a boardroom table made out of reclaimed and salvaged timber from the Squamish Valley in BC. After retrieving the tree, they reclaimed the usable timber, milled it into slabs, transported it in their biodiesel powered trucks, kiln dried it, CNC’d it flat, and finished the table. Click here to watch a quick video on the production of the table.

With the support of their community, they have moved their business out of the driveway and into a retail location that will soon house an exquisite showroom. They are steadily adding and upgrading their equipment and inventory to increase their capacity and meet a high demand.

For more information on Vancouver Urban Timberworks, visit their website: http://vancouverurbantimberworks.com and their facebook page: facebook.com/pages/Vancouver-Urban-Timberworks/245145348849853

The 8th Annual IDSWest show was held in the New Vancouver Convention Centre, September 27th to 30th, 2012.  The Interior Design Show West (IDSwest) is Western Canada’s annual premiere residential design show featuring over 300 exhibitors showcasing quality cutting edge and original design products and services to an audience of industry professionals, architects, designers, consumers, and media. This is about a 30% increase in exhibitors from the past year and all the participants agreed, it was the finest one yet!

An amazing array of both internationally renowned and local designers (including a fab fashion show), critics, and popular magazine editors spoke throughout the course of the event, drawing standing room only crowds over the weekend.

We had good representation of BC Wood members participating in our joint booth this year, including:

Brent Comber Originals
Coulson Mfg.
Kettle Valley Moulding & Millwork
vin de garde cellar systems
Wide Plank Hardwood Ltd.

The overall displays were great, offering the 30,000+ audience lots of ideas and opportunities to see what exceptional talent we have here in BC. Results received from members to date make it one of the most successful Canadian activities that BC Wood participates in. Congratulations to all our members for their hard work and ingenuity.

A special display sharing our space this year was the Picker’s Shack, designed by UBC students in Michael Green’s program. The fruit stand was designed for a Naramata orchard that wanted to increase their on-farm produce sales. They wanted something functional, well shaded, naturally ventilated, and moveable. The student’s goal was to rethink the modest fruit stand to attract more drive-by customers. The concept is a functional box with subtle complexity. Protection from the elements, display space, views, and seating are all accomplished through an operable wall system made from custom cut pine beetle infested lumber. The roof is made from reclaimed Canada Place roof fabric. When in its closed state, the fruit stand shows hints of the operable elements. When open, the operable elements reveal colourful surfaces that relate to the families heritage and the colours of agriculture. It was a hit at IDSWest, particularly the fresh apples, pears, and cider that were distributed by the students throughout the event.

To see the program and speaker highlights, as well as listings of all the exhibitors, visit their website at www.idswest.com

For the past several years BC Wood has been promoting design related products in Japan such as furniture and millwork. We have been successful in having such products specified into several high-profile projects. Recently even one of Japan’s top department stores came to us as they were interested in using some pieces in a display.

Isetan’s flagship Shinjuku store attracts wealthy, fashion conscious shoppers from across Kanto. The Canadian Embassy in Tokyo has worked with them to promote Canadian apparel and recommended BC Wood when Isetan was looking to create a stylish, woody atmosphere to launch a new line of clothing.

We introduced them to a variety of furniture pieces as well as millwork options, but the store’s designers knew they had found exactly what they were looking for once they saw Brent Comber’s work and the WRCLA published Cedar Book. Using selected pieces from Brent as well as a selection of WRC products, Isetan was able to create a sophisticated yet woody display. The store felt that their customers really enjoyed the warmth of the Canadian wood products. Hopefully this will encourage some of their clients to consider using Canadian materials for their own homes in the near future.

As always, BC Wood greatly appreciates all of the support given to us by the Canadian Embassy. We look forward to more such collaborative efforts in the future.

With the GBM over, BC Wood’s Japan office is now working on bringing members into the market through two major fall shows. One of course is the famed Japan Home Show (Nov 14^th – 16^th) that has been welcoming overseas suppliers for more than three decades. The other, the Osaka Living and Design Show (Oct 24^th -26^th), is a new show for us and is a part of our continuing efforts to brand Canadian wood products in the high-end, Japanese commercial construction and interior design market. This is the last chance for members looking to take advantage of these exciting programs. Only a few spaces remain so please act fast if you are interested.

Osaka Living and Design Show

After a long absence from taking members to trade shows in Osaka, BC Wood will be organizing a Canadian pavilion at the new but highly regarded Living and Design Show. Over the past few years we have participated in Tokyo Designers Week, but decided to change to L&D as it is more focused on B to B for interior design and also gives us a chance to target the lucrative but underserved Kansai region in Japan (all foreign competitors go to Tokyo). This area that includes Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe has a larger economy than all of Canada and is also experiencing a flourishing commercial construction sector. Another benefit of this show for members is that it better covers building products such as flooring and millwork.

Japan Home and Building Show

BC Wood will once again be organizing the Canadian wood products pavilion at the annual Japan Home Show. This year the show will return to its traditional November schedule and run from the 14^th through the 16^th at Tokyo Big Sight.

The JHS typically attracts about 90,000 industry people ranging from importers and distributors to builders and architects and has long been the highest profile building products show in the country, particularly for imported products. This year the organizers have decided to strategically partner with JAPANTEX which is one of Japan’s largest interior trend shows for professionals. With the JHS and JAPANTEX collocated together in Big Sight’s East Hall, it is expected that JHS exhibitors will see a dramatic increase in designers working on non-residential projects.

Also, we expect positive synergies from the HOSPEX show, catering to the owners/operators of medical and elderly care facilities, which will be run concurrently by the same organizers in an adjacent hall. Elderly care facility operators have been adopting 2×4 buildings more and more in recent years because of the perceived therapeutic benefits of wood framed buildings. COFI’s Japan Office has been very active in targeting this market on the structural side and we are endeavouring to find more opportunities for value-added products on such projects.

BC Wood will also be working with the Canadian Embassy on a program timed around the show to target the reconstruction efforts in the Tohoku region. As a result, members attending the JHS will also be able to take part in some match-making activities targeting local companies working on both non-residential and residential projects in the tsunami devastated communities.

This show offers a great opportunity for companies looking to enter the Japanese market and take advantage of the many positive trends we are seeing.  Products sectors covered: cabinetry, engineered wood, millwork, log and timberframe, packaged homes, as well as reman and specialty lumber including WRC.

For more information about either of these shows please contact Jim Ivanoff at ivanoff@canadawood.jp.

A reminder of BC Wood’s presence at this year’s Interior Design Show West (IDS West) – September 27-30th. Over the past couple of years, the IDS West has become the venue to see the best of international and local designs. BC Wood will bring together local companies that produce a full range of design-oriented products; everything from custom furnishings and architectural millwork, to cabinets, doors, mouldings, and flooring.

The objective will be to feature the individual companies by drawing more traffic to a centrally located “Design BC” pavilion. The pavilion will be an 1800 square foot of exhibition space, with BC Wood covering a good portion of the hard costs for this sector wide display.

If you plan to participate in the IDS West show this year, please contact me to see how we can save you money and ensure you higher visibility through the “Design BC” pavilion. Call 604-882-7100 or email me at  bhawrysh@bcwood.com.

Principles, John Lore and Evan Sadler, created Live Edge Design in 2006 through a shared vision and out of recognition for the complimentary nature of each other’s styles.

John Lore started with Pickle Ridge Rustic Carpentry which specialized in twig and log furniture (now celebrated in his Forest Lodge Collection). Evan Sadler was known for his fine reproduction styles under the guise of his original company Sadler Fine Furniture. Both discovered their passion for working with local woods, but each was working at the opposite end of the spectrum: John was creating furniture from willow twigs, alder branches and driftwood; Evan, highly polished furniture using solid wood and traditional joinery techniques. Recognizing the many ways their work complemented each other, they decided to form a new company to create the best of an emerging, unique West Coast style. Now sole owner, John Lore continues to stay on the Edge of Design while maintaining the ethical standards in which Live Edge is rooted.

Live Edge uses wood from trees that have been brought down by storms and salvages what is left behind by companies looking for dimensional lumber. Their products are primarily made from local Bigleaf Western Maple, sought after by wood turners and musical instrument makers for its extraordinary figure and beauty. They also work with other woods like Arbutus, Elm, Cottonwood, and Walnut.

Everything from the cutting, milling, drying, design and product creation is done in their workshop and studio on Vancouver Island, Canada. The entire ‘Tree to Table’ process can take close to a year. Since it’s hard to wait that long for a beautiful piece, Live Edge will match their library of wood to fit your unique project, bringing it to your home or business in less than 2 months.

Award winning Live Edge Design caters to a strong regional and North American market, as well as working with international clients. Among their many clients, they have created unique pieces for Starbucks, Joey’s, and the Hilton Hotel. One of their unique projects was the floating ceiling for the 2010 Olympics. Communities from across BC sent Live Edge Design samples of wood that were representative of their area. Live Edge then incorporated it into creating the Spirit of BC ceiling which still graces the internal skies of the 2010 Commerce Centre on Robson Street in Vancouver.

Live Edge will be featured on CTV and Shaw. Stay tuned to their facebook page for updates: www.facebook.com/liveedgedesign.

For more information on the company, visit liveedgedesign.ca

BC Wood will once again be organizing the Canadian wood products pavilion at the annual Japan Home Show. This year the show will return to its traditional November schedule and run from the 14^th through the 16^th at Tokyo Big Sight.

The JHS typically attracts about 90,000 industry people ranging from importers and distributors to builders and architects and has long been the highest profile building products show in the country, particularly for imported products. This year the organizers have decided to strategically partner with JAPANTEX which is one of Japan’s largest interior trend shows for professionals. With the JHS and JAPANTEX collocated together in Big Sight’s East Hall, it is expected that JHS exhibitors will see a dramatic increase in designers working on non-residential projects.

Also, we expect positive synergies from the HOSPEX show, catering to the owners/operators of medical and elderly care facilities, which will be run concurrently by the same organizers in an adjacent hall. Elderly care facility operators have been adopting 2×4 buildings more and more in recent years because of the perceived therapeutic benefits of wood framed buildings. COFI’s Japan Office has been very active in targeting this market on the structural side and we are endeavouring to find more opportunities for value-added products on such projects.

BC Wood will also be working with the Canadian Embassy on a program timed around the show to target the reconstruction efforts in the Tohoku region. As a result, members attending the JHS will also be able to take part in some match-making activities targeting local companies working on both non-residential and residential projects in the tsunami devastated communities.

I am very excited about this year’s Japan Home Show as the housing market overall has been strong this year and the show organizers have been working hard to bring more value to exhibitors. This show offers a great opportunity for companies looking to enter the Japanese market and take advantage of the many positive trends we are seeing.  I will be booking booth space soon so for more information please e-mail me at ivanoff@canadawood.jp.

Above image: Marie Khouri

For the four-day duration of the Fair, May 19-22, 145,000 square feet of the Javits Center was abuzz with more than 26,000 interior designers, architects, retailers, designers, manufacturers, representatives, distributors, and developers. On Tuesday, May 21, the ICFF opened its doors to the general public, as well.

BC Wood’s talented contingent this year included: Mario Sabjlak, Brent Comber, Marie Khouri, vin de garde cellar systems, Diamond Stairs (new member), and John Ross Design. Judson Beaumont also put in a brief appearance as he happened to be doing an installation in New York during the show. He was kind enough to stay and help us with the teardown, too!

Everyone brought something new to the show this year and many have already been picked up and blogged through various media outlets. Check out Marie Khouri’s new La Chaise launched at ICFF and picked up by http://www.interiordesign.net/slideshow/2474-ICFF_Product_Highlights.php?photoId=392796&photoUrl=/photo/392/392796-Marie_Khouri_s_La_Chaise_made_out_of_plywood_.jpg

Diamond Stairs and vin de garde are on their way to LA to participate in Dwell Magazines showcase event at the end of the month, thanks to contacts made at the show in New York. Check out these great reviews: http://www.treehugger.com/interior-design/prefabricated-cantilevered-stairs-are-minimal.html and
http://www.yourhome.ca/homes/decor/article/1193291–everything-old-is-new-again

More than 500 exhibitors from all points of the globe displayed contemporary furniture, seating, carpet and flooring, lighting, outdoor furniture, materials, wall coverings, accessories, textiles, kitchen, and bath for residential and commercial interiors. This remarkable throng of exhibitors created an unparalleled opportunity to view a broad yet highly focused selection of the world’s finest, most innovative, and original avant-garde home and contract products side-by-side, all under one roof.

Buyers and reps came from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Canada, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Finland, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, United Kingdom, and U.S.

Along with BC Wood, making their yearly pilgrimage to the celebrated design hub were contingents from British European Design Group (BEDG) (our very good neighbours, incidentally), Ceramic Tiles of Italy, Furniture New York, The Furniture Society (U.S.), IDSA New York (Industrial Designers Society of America), Inside Norway, Interiors from Spain, JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization) and Portugal Brands.

Above image: Diamond Stars & Vin De Garde
Below image: Brent Comber

Above image: Brent Comber & John Ross
Below image: Mario Sabljak

Francis Lemieux & Co. is a small, custom woodworking company located in Port Moody, British Columbia. With over 20 years of experience serving the BC and US market, Francis Lemieux offers a wide range of services including custom furniture and millwork fabrication, art services, and prototype building. The company is involved in the entire process from design to production and installation. They have chosen to remain small in order to maintain flexibility and diversity in the products they produce and to provide a high level of personalized service.

The company was established by Francis Lemieux, a hands-on master tradesperson in the joinery trade. Francis Lemieux has designed and made everything from musical instruments to furniture and architectural woodwork. For a time, he specialized in the design and production of chairs. Francis Lemieux is also the designer of a collection of original furniture, lighting, accessories, and art work called “Frank Smith”; all of these pieces are produced in-house. Francis Lemieux & Co. has worked with many design professionals and artists to facilitate the production of their products and projects which have included restaurants, hotels, and private residences. Their shop is well equipped for a diversity of products, including a CNC router capable of 2D and 3D work, which is used as a design tool just as much as a production tool.

Francis Lemieux & Co. has exhibited in numerous shows and competitions and has won several design & craft awards. Judson Beaumont has described Francis Lemieux as a positive inspiration when he started his company, Straight Lines Designs, in the 1980′s.

Over the years, Francis Lemieux & Co. has given back to the community by training many apprentices. Francis also volunteered his time to sit on the advisory committee for the Fine Woodworking program at Selkirk College in Nelson, BC and was a member of the former Wood Co-op on Granville Island. In addition, he has donated his work, including art pieces to numerous causes; the most recent being a relief carved art piece donated to the Unicef Unite for Art Auction.

For more information on Francis Lemieux & Co., please visit http://www.francislemieux.com and http://franksmith.ca. To read Francis’ blog, please visit: http://relevantwoodworking.blogspot.com/ .

Once again BC Wood took some of Canada’s top designers to Japan to display their latest pieces at Tokyo Designers Week. This year’s contingent was made up by Judson Beaumont, Brent Comber, Marie Khouri, Mario Sabljak, and Martha Sturdy.

For the first time the show organizers gave us the highly prized location at the front of the main tent. For this reason, we developed a new open concept that replaced the walls between members with branded pillars acting as the anchor for each of the displays. It was a risky move, but as a group we decided that we needed a bold display that showcased a unified Canadian presence.

The decision proved to be correct as our space was always full and we received endless complements that our pavilion was the best at the show. Adding an additional element of excitement were the long lines of people waiting for Judson Beaumont to sign his drawings. It was surprising that we didn’t receive any complaints as the lines often snaked around neighbouring pavilions!

Over the past few we have held several receptions in collaboration with the Canadian Embassy to tie in our presence at Tokyo Designers Week with other Canadian companies selling design oriented consumer products in Japan. With our new open pavilion we decided to hold this event within our own space. While offsite talks and receptions are a great way to assemble industry people, this year’s format brought our guests into personal contact with the great work we had on display at the show. While a bit tight, this proved to be a very positive move. As always, we are also greatly appreciative of the Embassy’s support of our program.

Tokyo Designers Week is actually a large event held across Tokyo at many venues. We have always exhibited at the main venue, but this year we also took part in the Bamboo Expo which is a new event targeting only designers/architects working on commercial projects. With only 1200 attendees over three days it was much less “exciting” than the main venue, but what it lacked in quantity was made up in quality of the attendees. Also, the slower pace meant that we could have longer conversations with the attendees. As this was the first Bamboo Expo we expect that it will grow into a bigger and more influential event in the years to come.

One of our success stories from last year’s show was that a high-profile Tokyo gallery took an interest in Martha Sturdy’s work. This interest grew into them inviting Martha to hold her own art exhibition in their gallery during this year’s Tokyo Designers Week. The exhibition was very well received and some of the galleries clients are now looking to work with Martha. The gallery mainly represents European artists, but the great reception that Martha’s work received has made them to want to look at other Canadian designers as well.

IDSWest 2011 was held in the New Vancouver Convention Centre, September 29 to October 2, 2011.  The Interior Design Show West (IDSwest) is Western Canada’s annual premiere residential design show featuring 200 exhibitors showcasing quality, cutting edge, and original design products and services to an audience of industry professionals, architects, designers, consumers, and media.

An amazing array of both internationally renowned and local designers, critics, and popular magazine editors spoke throughout the 3 ½ day event, drawing standing room only crowds over the weekend.

We had an excellent representation of BC Wood members participating this year, including:

Barker Manufacturing Inc.
Bertuccio
Brent Comber Originals
Coulson Mfg.
Fine Line
Live Edge Design
Mario Sabljak Design
Martha Sturdy Incorporated
Matthieu LeBlanc
Sabina Hill Design
Stick & Stones
Straight Line Designs Inc.
Wide Plank Hardwood Ltd.

The displays and new products launched were stunning, offering the 30,000+ audience lots of ideas and opportunities to see what exceptional talent we have here in BC. Many of our members have already seen orders and requests from the event, making it one of the most successful Canadian activities that BC Wood participates in. Congratulations to all our members!

To see the program and speaker highlights, as well as listings of all the exhibitors, visit their website at www.idswest.com.

Sabina Hill is a Vancouver-based contemporary design studio specializing in art and custom furniture. In collaboration with First Nations artists, Sabina creates limited edition furniture and art pieces that reflect the rich mythology of the Northwest Coast. Sabina has several exclusive collections that feature a variety of design work, and she also does commission pieces for residential and hospitality clients. Her work includes dining tables, coffee tables, sofas, ottomans, beds, and wall panels.

Born in Vancouver, Sabina’s deep-rooted connection with the Northwest Coast is woven into her iconic body of work. With a career that spans three decades, Sabina has collaborated with a variety of designers and manufacturers. Her background in architecture and interior design offers a unique perspective that is evident in her contemporary approach to design.

In 2008, Sabina travelled with BC Wood to England for 100% Design London, representing the Best of BC Furniture Designers at this prestigious show. This trade event introduced her work to an international audience and solidified her relationships with fellow BC Wood members Brent Comber, Judson Beaumont and Michael Trayler. Later that year, Sabina’s work was acquired by the Royal Ontario Museum, an impressive feat for any designer. In 2009, she was nominated for Western Living’s furniture designer of the year and was labeled “One to Watch”. At this year’s IDS West event, Sabina unveiled the Thunderbird Chair, the first piece in the Harvest Collection.

The Harvest Collection is about gathering materials from the earth and incorporating all parts of that bounty into our daily life. The Thunderbird Chair represents a new direction for the designer as she introduces soft goods into her Northwest Coast style. This limited edition chair features the exclusive art of First Nations artist Andy Everson. The chair is made of solid walnut, ebonized inlays and hand-sewn Italian leather with diamond tufted detailing.

This season, Sabina Hill is introducing tanned salmon skins into her work. By integrating elements of this unique material into her functional art pieces, she is adding layers of texture, colour and luxury to her designs.

For more information, please visit sabinahill.com

This week I got a chance to visit The Grape Box in Burnaby and chat with Ruth Hoffman.  The Grape Box is a social enterprise supported by The Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion.

They have a triple bottom-line business model. First and foremost, they offer high quality products at competitive prices with excellent customer service. Secondly, on an environmental note, all of their products are made from reclaimed western red cedar and pine beetle wood. Lastly, their social mandate is to create training and employment for adults with intellectual disabilities.

They currently employ 6 adults with intellectual disabilities at their Burnaby woodshop.  “We are fortunate to have found ideal employees to perform the tasks of cutting, sanding, planning, and engraving and who do not mind the repetitive nature of our work.  Our employees are highly motivated and appreciative of the opportunities to learn wood-working skills and even more thrilled to be paid minimum wage and be able to be contributing citizens to our community. Successfully matching skills to tasks is a key factor to managing our personnel costs and ultimately a sustainable operation,” says Ruth.

The Grape Box started off as a program in the 1980′s run by The Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion (BACI). www.gobaci.com. With years of experience and a growing reputation for quality and service, The Grape Box was spun off into a separate social enterprise in 2007. Today they operate in Burnaby with over  4,500 sq ft. and an integrated workforce of 10.

Their name represents their flagship product – the wine box; however, they also produce outdoor furniture (Adirondack chairs, high and low-back chairs, planters and picnic tables); and a wide assortment of gift boxes for the corporate promotional market. Because they are a small shop, they are also able to accept requests for custom designs and have made table centerpieces, arbors, small bridges, coasters, and trays. They have a laser engraver on-site which allows them to produce high quality engraved products.

“Above and beyond our commitment to being fiscally and environmentally responsible, we chose this business because it offered employment opportunities to individuals with all types of abilities,” says Hoffman. Their philosophy is to build a society where everyone has the opportunity to be included, challenged and successful. “We want to be able to offer more jobs with barriers to employment and become one of BC’s prized business models,” says Ruth.

For more information on the Grape Box, please visit www.thegrapebox.com

The Japan Home and Building Show is the most famous building products show amongst foreign exhibitors. Every year companies from Canada, the US, across Asia, and many parts of Europe come to this show to find new Japanese partners or build on their existing market presence. Even companies that do not participate directly time their business trips to Japan around the middle of November so that they can at least visit the show or take part in related receptions.

This year, however, many companies will be surprised to find out that the JH&BS will be held from September 28th through 30th and not in November. This is because the UIA is holding their “World Congress of Architecture” in Tokyo in and the JH&BS organizers agreed with the UIA organizers to tie the two events together. The UIA’s website explains their event in the following way:

“Described as the “Olympics of Architecture,” the UIA World Congress is a major international architectural event that attracts around 10,000 architects, engineers, researchers and students.Since the inaugural World Congress in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1948, it has taken place triennial in 23 different cities around the world.”

By adding these international guests to the JH&BS’ already large audience of Japanese industry professionals, the show organizers are expecting that exhibitors will be able to reach a much wider audience than in the past. This will be of particular interest to those who are looking to begin marketing to other parts of Asia as an event of this calibre in Tokyo will be sure to attract the top people in architecture from neighbouring Korea and China. Considering the bleak outlook that some people foresaw after the 3/11 earthquake, this added vibrancy to the JH&BS is a welcome development.

Another point in this year’s JH&BS’ favour is that some major wholesalers have decided to cancel their own private trade shows in the summer and fall. This means that the JH&BS will be the only venue for buyers, builders, and architects to see new products this fall. It is expected that the strong resulting interest amongst attendees will overcome any confusion resulting from the change in dates.

BC Wood now has its funding in place for the new fiscal year and as a result I am able to accept applications for show space. Please contact me for more information on this year’s event as well as on how to apply.

Working Wood, the BIP Mentoring Program is a funding assisted program designed to deliver tools and instruction to help small furniture manufacturers/designers grow their business. 2011 will be the third year of this valuable program and with two years under our belts, we have been able to streamline, refine and develop the program to allow participants the opportunity to grow their business capacity and see quantitative, measurable results.

The Working Wood program will take place June 2011 – November 2011. The program is intended for small companies who are looking for opportunities to grow their capacities and industry specific knowledge. For more information and the application form, please click here. Space is limited, so please contact Jason Heard ASAP if you are interested in this great program: Jason@idswest.com or call 604.220.2725.

Every year there are many interior design shows besides Tokyo Designers Week held in Tokyo and I try to visit as many as possible to prepare for our own activities. Recently I was able to walk the annual Interior Lifestyle show.

I was particularly interested in seeing this show as it is one of the major ones and it is also the first big design event held since 3/11. Everyone is worried about how the triple disaster is affecting business sentiment as well as overseas company interest in the Japanese market. The Interior Lifestyle show demonstrated that while business is getting back up to speed, things definitely remain bumpy.

The biggest news from the show was that it was reduced from four halls at Big Sight to three. Apparently several of the main overseas exhibitors were still worried about aftershocks and the nuclear situation and thus cancelled their participation right before the show. This left the organizers in a tough spot and forced them to reduce the scale of the show. However, I was happy to see that countries like Austria, France, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, and Taiwan exhibited with significant pavilions despite these circumstances.

Talking to exhibitors I know, it sounded like attendance was also down about 15-20%. People felt that with a smaller show people did not think it would be worthwhile to make the trek out to Big Sight. However, they also reported that those who did come showed interest and felt that their efforts at the show would lead to sales. This positive result was also a result of extra efforts that many put into their booths to attract and catch attendees within their borders. I noted a few ideas that we might “borrow” for future BC Wood pavilions!

Walking around I also saw many new and interesting products. The one that fascinated me the most was this cast aluminum “Dumbbell” created by former Sony product designer Shinichi Sumikawa (http://www001.upp.so-net.ne.jp/sumikawa/dunbell.html). It is a real 2kg dumbbell that would also look great on a living room shelf. I encourage you to take a look at his “Fruit Bowl” piece as well as his other works (http://www001.upp.so-net.ne.jp/sumikawa/aqua000.html).

The Business Innovation Partnership (BIP) is about to launch the Working Wood Mentoring Program for our 3rd year. This dynamic training and mentoring program is for small, start-up designer/manufacturers in BC who are ready to take the next step.

Mission: Assist selected furniture designers /manufacturers in a comprehensiveeducational/mentoring program to provide tools and skills to successfully participate in a trade/consumer event and grow their businesses, thusly the furniture sector in general.

The program includes a variety of workshops, in-house one-on-one training and site visits, and covers important topics such as business planning & management, marketing and branding for your core audience, product development and finally, actual participation in an important local trade event; the IDSWest Show.

This BIP initiative is one of our shining examples of how working closely with small, almost start-up wood working/ furniture designers in BC can lead to successful company growth. We believe that BC has some of the best designers and craftsmen in the world and are pleased to have this opportunity to help them grow their business.

If you, or someone you know, would like to apply to be part of the upcoming program, please contact Jason Heard at Jason@idswest.com for more information. Space is very limited and the workshops start soon! Check out this video to hear what some of the 1st year participants had to say:

If the above video does not work, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bz8jwLMIgII

Well, by the time you read this, we’ll be wowing an extraordinary crowd at this year’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York. What better place in the world to showcase our amazing BC Designers and furniture manufacturers!

Joining us this year for the first time is Live Edge Design, vin de garde cellar systems, Mario Sabjlak and Collaboration (Marie Khouri & Dave Demers). Together with exhibits and participation by Martha Sturdy and John Ross, we should make a very impressive showing this year. Stay tuned for updates during the show…