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FURNITURE BY DESIGN
FROM THEIR EAST SIDE STUDIOS, FOUR NEW TALENTS ARE PUTTING FRESH
SPINS ON WOOD. LOOK FOR THEM NEXT MONTH ON THE CULTURE CRAWL
BY JANET SMITH / TREVOR BRADY PHOTO
KURT DEXEL
>>
DEXEL MODERN CRAFTED FURNITURE
WWW.DEXELMODERN.COM
K
urt Dexel comes to furniture design from
the world of engineering, or, as he puts it,
“Woodworking was a hobby—a hobby
gone bad, or good, I guess.” Just over
two years ago he turned to his passion full-time,
launching a line of bold one-of-a-kind and custom
pieces that celebrate refi ned form as much as the
beauty of wood. Dexel’s biggest infl uences are
midcentury and Danish modern, with a little spaceage thrown in: “Somebody said to me the other
day that I must have liked The Jetsons.…With my
work, you get this really natural material with this
modern look.” Dexel’s engineering background
seems to play out most in his process: he executes
sketch after sketch, prototype after prototype, until
he gets the design right. Signature pieces include
the Boomerang chair and ottoman (shown here),
a marvel of sharp lines and angles, crafted from
black walnut, eastern maple, and leather (about
$3,800); and the Parallam table, two tiers of salvaged Parallam construction wood that seem to
float over a smaller oak support underneath (about
$1,500). Dexel’s work also sells at Granville Island’s
Wood Co-op (1592 Johnston Street).
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City Guide SHOPPING
VISITORS
Guide
D8>8Q@E<
DACE
Classic, feminine,
beautifully tailored pieces
(jacket, $288). Dace.ca
Commemorating
the World’s Most
Appealing City
AROUND VANCOUVER’S
OLYMPIC VENUES
WAYS TO HAVE
JOHN FLUEVOG
Quirky shoes with a
celeb following
(Madonna, Perry
Farrell). Ankle boot,
$319. Fluevog.com
Top Picks
FROM FOOD &
WINE EXPERTS
MEET OUR
ATHLETES
DEXEL CRAFTED
Angled end tables with soft-close
drawer slides (price on request).
Dexelcrafted.com
S H A N N O N
Winter 2010
SABINA HILL DESIGN
“Feast 8” Dining Table ($20,000) with
First Nations whale, eagle, and salmon
motifs. Sabinahill.com
L A M P :
PRICE $9.99
POSSUM
Reusable shopping
bags (that fold up
small) and graphic
print umbrellas ($40).
Possumumbrella.com
M E N D E S ;
U M B R E L L A :
T O N Y
Best Events
IN THE CITY
Perfect Souvenirs
Free
FUN!
SIENNA RAY & CO.
Luxe leather handbags
with intricate detailing
(from $200). Siennaray.com
H U R L E Y
Where To
Eat, Shop & Play
PYRRHA
19th-century wax seals
cast in silver and bronze
(from $99). Pyrrha.com
ROSS DESIGN
One-off furniture
pieces (like this lamp,
$1,200) created by a
former logger from
castoff wood.
Johnrossdesign.ca
18
VA NC O UVE R
20 10
TktkWord
Last
Tktk
You can thank the Mergatroid for these
elegant new pendant lamps, designed by
Laura McKibbon, of cul de sac design, and
Kurt Dexel, of Dexel Crafted.
No, I’m not talking about the mysterious character from the Yogi Bear Show
catchphrase. And though it sounds like it
could be some sort of robot toy, the
Mergatroid is not a Transformer, or even a
Gobot. It’s a building in East Vancouver
that was designed to offer studio spaces
for a variety of creative types. Both
McKibbon, a ceramicist, and Dexel, a
furniture designer who works primarily
with wood, have studios in the Mergatroid, which is currently home to a
couple of dozen artists, designers and
manufacturers. It’s also where the
LIGHT pendant lamps were created.
“This collaboration evolved pretty
naturally,” say McKibbon. “I was
already working on the lamps and it
was pretty evident that the walnut
and porcelain were a lovely pair.
Over our daily coffee/sketch/critique
session, this came about pretty
quickly.”
The final product combines
McKibbon’s hand- and slab-built
porcelain with Dexel’s individually
hand-pressed and -turned black
walnut. The current designs vary
between 14 and 16 inches long,
but McKibbon says the two are
open to working with interior
designers to create custom
versions. “These could easily be
adjusted to fit existing fixtures
and would be particularly nice
in a dining/hotel setting, I
think,” McKibbon says. “The
patterns are really open, since
they are all hand done, so
making changes is fairly easy.”
The two designers have
both been busy with other
work in recent months, but
are looking forward to
showing off LIGHT at ICFF
in New York this spring.
And when time permits,
groups of smaller shades
and wall sconces are on the
drawing table, back at the
Mergatroid. c I
Heavens to Mergatroid
Vancouver designers Laura McKibbon
and Kurt Dexel were just being neighbourly
when they created this new lighting line.
—By Erin Donnelly