Master Sergeant

Our quest is finding unique, functional pieces. Every once and awhile we come across something that stops us in our tracks. Imagine the stories this trunk could tell.    

This military travel trunk is so cool. It is in great condition, the clasps work perfectly and it has just enough wear to add that bit of mystery to it's past. 

 

We love the stencilling on the trunk, it makes it so much more interesting. This belonged to a soldier, we don't know his history but he feels like one of the family if his trunk is in your living room. 

Inside is that perfect army green colour with some wear to make it all the more real and loved.

There are two layers, the top lifts out, to allow more storage below. 

This is a good height for a coffee table and would allow for a lot of storage - books, movies, blankets, t.v remotes, whatever you want handy but out of sight for company. 

This piece is on sale at the Social Room Interiors on Baker Street in Nelson, B.C.

If you'd love to have it, we can arrange that.


$250.00

Winner!

Congratulations to the winner fo the Earth Vessel Sink Valued at $1900!

Rosina Ho of WKH Services, an interior design firm in  Hawaii!

Rosina is on the left holding the prize, pictured with Alison Bjorkman of Puffin Design.ca. 

We are so pleased Rosina won the prize! The draw was done at 4:00 pm on Trade Day at IDSWest (the Interior Design Show in Vancouver). Rosina and her daughter came back to the booth the next day to check out who won and we are sure her whoop of surprise and delight was heard throughout the entire show! It was wonderful to meet Rosina she is a terrific lady!

Industrial Chic Bistro Table

One of the hottest genres in current furniture design is "oil punk"... also called "industrial chic", it is my favorite design aesthetic. Starting out life as a very well made washing maching... high tech in the early 1900s, I must admit that all I could see was the perfect base for a bistro table. 

It took quite a bit of cleaning to get over a century of grunge off of the metal parts. In fact, I dismantled the mechanical parts to the smallest piece, then wire brushed and scraped using an organice de-greaser. Once cleaned up and air dried, every part was carefully coated with double boinled linseed oil and wiped dry. 

For the top, I have been working on a new "ultra-white" concrete that, amongst other things, has marble dust in it. Marble dust is a by-product of processing marble slabs for building facades and counter tops. University research in cement rheology indicates that adding 5% marble dust actually makes the end product 7% denser. It also makes it gorgeous. For added visual effect, I added some veins on the surface and a rough rock effect on the inch and a half thick edge. The actual top is only 3/4 inch thick, only the edge is dropped down to the full thickness. 

Enough of the technical stuff... judge for yourself it this isn't the coolest bistro table ever. 

One of a kind $3500

Claire's Coming Out

This chair is for my Mom. She came to the studio one day and saw this chair in it's previous state and really loved the lines of it. She sat in it, and wiggled, "I like this, I want it in red!!" And so it began. I had other, very different plans for this chair but I am happy with the result, even if I would have painted the 'sacred wood' - "Oh, you're not going to paint that?!!" my Mother exclaimed.  "No" I said as I nodded. 

I thought I'd share the process of reviving this chair, give you a glimpse into how much love and attention goes into a project like this, even without having fun painting the wood! 

The chair, let's call her Claire just for fun, at the start.... 

(no that's not my Mom's name.) 

I stripped off the first layer of fabric and found a very nasty second layer... 

skeletons in Claire's closet.

 I don't like to cover over worn fabric, I prefer to strip it off. Some upholsterers just cover over as it does save time, especially if the chair doesn't need any other work, but Claire deserved better!

Stripped down to her skivvies.

Bart helped me retie the springs, they needed to be tightened up, and he's very handy with knots. This photo shows about half way through the retying process. These springs require what is called an eight way tie. It is very stable and strong in the end. 

I oiled the wood to make her shine and covered the springs with burlap to have a base to work from.

Layers of foam and batting of varying density made her cushy but firm. 

Now she's ready to get dressed....

Mom chose a fabric of dark red with gold dots and a diamond pattern. 

It can be challenging when working with pattern to get the pattern on straight. To line up the pattern on the seat with the pattern on the back. It worked out very well this time, very little adjusting. I cut away extra fabric as I folded and tucked it all into place and stapled it securely.

Some things you can't see... I made piping from the same fabric and it rims her back, a dust covering over the springs underneath completely hides all the workings, felts on her feet and she's complete.

 Claire is ready for her date with Mom. Now to get her to Alberta.... road trip!

Close up of Claire's pattern.

Your home will never be the same

Modern Eclectic - What do you get when a talented design consultant and her spouse create a dream boutique using, whenever possible, items for the home that are crafted in the Kootenays?

                                                              You get the "Social Room".

Focusing on the home owner with a desire for beautiful surroundings, Jennifer and Clint recognized that the Kootenays needed a retail outlet that features quality designer  furnishings. Whether building, renovating or simply looking for some pleasing changes...The Social Room is the place to go.




 Partnering with Samurai Hardwood Flooring and the Blindman window treatments - with inhouse displays, The Social Room can coordinate complete design packages for your home.






As a "design consultant" who has the rare training and talent in color combining, Jenn can help homeowners with design and colour choices with new builds, renovations, upgrades, or simply making a room work for you.

    







Jenn and Clint have made a point of not only collecting local craftspeople and artists who supply unique and eclectic items of interest for display (and sale) at the Social Room, but who will also craft custom pieces for Jenn's clients reflecting their unique needs and desires.

At Puffin Design.ca we feel privledged to be part of the Social Room team to help make people's beautiful dreams a reality. Please check out the Social Room on Baker Street in Nelson.

2nd storey job

Sometimes a "statement|" has to be made. For homes with a grand entrance or a loft - especially timberframe or log homes, it is important to have just the right light to set the tone.

Starting with two totally restored wood block pulleys and adding a 3/4 inch manilla rope - with the elctrical wire carefully hidden inside - attached to a huge vintage green enamal shade and vintage edison bulb, this light has presence.

Substantial, dramatic and retro vintage...this light has it all.

$599

Ship light - the real deal

Alison just got back from a trip to Vancouver where she had the opportunity to visit a number of design stores and funky retail places. One of the prevalent trends that she has been noticing lately is how many of the high end stores are selling reproductions. Not to be snobby, but with Puffin Design being a small studio, we are fortunate that we can seek out and work with original vintage pieces. We really enjoy hunting down unique items that are rare and unusual. 

One of the big kicks we get is finding outrageous things that we can revive into something that not only looks great but is safe and functional.  Imagine our thrill of finding an original brass ships light with the fresnel lens  still intact.    This is a remarkably heavy light for its size.  

Someone had done a reasonable job rewiring this beauty but Bart being the detail kinda guy he is, rewired the light with all new parts - including the retro style cloth covered cord.  The light can either sit on its base or be hung from its cast loop.

Imagine if this light could recount the places it has been... the adventures that it has witnessed.

This ship's light joins our nautical collection which includes a ships wheel (helm) and portholes salvaged from a local ship wreck which exploded, burnt and sank. If you are interested in this type of thing, please stop by the studio at 1204 NW Blvd in Creston BC (in the Creston Storage complx) or contact us at 250 402 9257 for more details.

 

There is just something about "real deal" nautical artifacts that are timeless. If you are working on a maritime look or want to surprise that special somebody with some unique illumination in his "mancave" this might be for you.

$289.

Coolest Cooler Ever!

Every once in a while in our search for fantastic things for interior designers we come across a unique item that catches our eye but we don't know what to do with it. Such was the case with this vintage food warmer.

Although I was captured by how good of condition the woodwork was in - with no damage or cracks despite its age...this vintage rolling trunk as a well insulated "food warmer" was interesting...but what could we do with it? Then sitting at the studio one hot afternoon, it struck me...

If this food warmer could keep food warm, then it could also keep things cold!

Needless to say, I couldn't get back to the vendor fast enough...dreading the thought that someone else had purchased the prize.

As good luck would have it, it was still there...waiting for me.

With two heavily insulated "pockets" - one for beer or hors-d'oeuvres and the other for white wine or champagne, this chiller would be great on any deck or outdoor kitchen.

At a recent art bus tour visit to our studio, we took the opportunity to chill some wine. Everyone was enchanted by the cooler. What surprised us was how long the ice lasted. Imagine this on your deck.

$599.

Need Some Illumination?

Here is a sampling of some of the lights we have hanging around the studio, they throw off some light for sure but we liken them to lit sculpture.... the warm glow of an Edison bulb is quite romantic.  They are fitted with all new wiring with retro style cloth covered cords and standard sockets and cord switch. The wall brackets are ingeniously designed to allow the cord to slide through but hold the lamp at exactly the height you desire. Take your pick $225 each 

Rusted metal (seal coated so there is no rust residue)

                                                     

       

Press formed vintage aluminum.

                              

Copper, looking better with age all the time.

Stainless steel - simplicity.

Interior Design Show Toronto

Braving wind chill, plane delays and Toronto road construction The Interior Design Show in Toronto was well worth the trip this January. Puffin Design works directly for and with interior designers and we feel it is very important to be out there seeing what designers are seeing, what the industry is doing, what's hot, what people are playing with.  Frankly the Toronto Interior Design Show was very validating.  Industrial components are appearing in areas of the home that were unusual before.  Kitchens and bathroom fixtures and furniture, lighting and storage units, as well as decorative features. Puffin has some awesome industrial stuff in the works, have we got our juices flowing now!

Here are some shots from inside the show... just some things I thought were cool, along our design tastes.... just to give you an idea of what it's all about, just a taste, a sampler... there was sooooo much!

ON THE CENTER STAGE...

Inspiration........

Patrizia Moroso

 The International Guest of Honor this year was Patrizia Moroso. She is the creative director at Moroso, an Italian design house that has pushed the envelop of design for decades. Hearing her speak about design and the process, especially in her beautiful Italian accented English, was an unexpected highlight for me.  The room was packed and as she got more in the groove of speaking English and let her hands talk, the more expressive she became and we were all en rapt.  Among the topics she covered she spoke about the designers that are working at Moroso and how only a fraction of what they design goes into production, but when it does it may stay in production for 20 or more years.  Their philosophy of experimentation and play with materials and space was inspiring.  Moroso is a family business, started by her parents in the late 40's.  They had to decide whether to stay in Italy or be drawn to Canada by their friends to the land of opportunity.  To choose, they flipped a coin, and stayed in Italy.  She had many slides of her parents and the people they designed with over the years.  Looking back it this was the best time spent in Toronto, it has stayed with me, and I think Patrizia's spirit will too (she had the most amazing socks!)    www.moroso.it. 

These are a couple shots of the Moroso booth.... I sat in more chairs than I took photos of, darn.  They're on the website though.

Thought provoking......

Dennis Askins

Another presenter that I gleaned quite a lot from was Dennis Askin who is a the creative director of interior design for Diesel.  He is creating a collection called 'Successful Living' and working with design houses from all over to create it,  Morosso for example for furniture, and Scavolini for kitchen design.  They even designed a Fiat car and a Moto guzzi motorcycle.  Diesel is an Italian design house, and owned by one man who is still after decades of work is intimately involved in the company.  The Italians have 'it' and they likely always will, works for me!  One of the topics that Dennis spoke about that really struck me is that Diesel is a brand, and as a brand it has to be true to itself.  Designers are free to design whatever they choose, changing what they like, make a new collection, but brand has to be true to what it is, and true to it's followers.... interesting food for thought. Is Puffin Design a brand or ...... 

This is in the collection, I took it from the web, it wasn't quite this cool at the show:

The lights over the island in the photo on the right look like they are shiny silver.  Think of them as the same material that aviator sunglasses are made from.... now the light over the table above is the same material, only this time the light is turned on.  I know - cool!  When the light is off it is like mirrored sunglasses, when on it is glowing amber.  Love this! 

Dennis had a lot to say, a lot that was very applicable to business, a lot of marketing guru wisdom, but most of that is still composting in my cranium, I may speak about it intelligently in about a month, maybe.

I listened to a few other presentations but they were not noteworthy so we'll move on.

Wandering .....

I am a bona fide mountain girl, cities have never really been my thing but they are really growing on me the last couple years, as my eyes see different things and my heart leaps at old brick and giant sculpture, Toronto has some gooooood stuff.  I got lost several times but it was worth it.

Saturday morning wasn't as cold so I explored Olde Town and the Distillery District.  I am sure this place is crawling with people in warmer months but this day in January it was virtually deserted and that made it all the better.  I also met the most unpleasant antique dealer to date and that is saying something - wow. 

 Token Church photo (St. James)

CN Tower by day and by night but these are special because they are from my fabulous hotel room at the Fairmont Royal York - best room service!  Those guys are awesome.  And great location 5 minute walk to the design show, it was cold, that was priceless!

By the way, we're set to exhibit at the Interior Design Show West in Vancouver in September, enough of this lollygagging and rubbernecking - we're on!!! Watch out Vancouver we're coming for you!!!