Chet Domanski and Chris Brandt of BLVD Furniture participated in the Alberta Architecture & Design exhibit at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington this June/July. 

Many emerging and established designers say that the province is actually reaching the point where they don’t need to move to Toronto and New York to advance their careers.   Edmonton and Calgary have become big cities that are more fluent in contemporary ideas about design with groups like Made in Edmonton and the Industrial Designers of Edmonton Association (IDEA).  The University of Alberta’s Industrial Design program, which has produced some of Alberta’s best designers, has essentially made Edmonton a hotbed of design.

“Alberta design has hit a Renaissance, something new is really happening,” says designer Tim Antoniuk, a U of A Industrial Design professor.  “People broadly are becoming more design aware, developing more opinions about the way they feel about design.  Among Alberta designers, there is the Western drive, the prairie mentality of working hard.  Alberta design esthetically is subtle and gentle. The prairie landscape is woven into the products.”

Why not consider investing in original Alberta-designed furniture and accessories for your new home? These are a few of Alberta furniture designers:
Greg Ball
Calgary designer Greg Ball burst onto the national design scene with his Hoodoo Series with designer Shoko Cesar (http://www.shoko.ca ).  In 2004, they launched their furniture and accessory series inspired by Alberta’s Hoodoos.  The series includes their prehistoric fish bottle opener, Drumheller skyline coat rack and Hoodoo replica floor lamp. “Hoodoo products offer elements of the Alberta Prairies to the global design landscape.  By adding meaning to each product, Hoodoo items are intended to be timeless, well-designed objects for the contemporary home,” say the designers.  One weekend, while exploring the Badlands, Ball and Cesar hiked 20 miles on a friend’s ranch and later studied fossils in Drumheller. “The wild Alberta cactus, the different shapes of Hoodoos, the skeleton of a fish all blew us away,” says Ball.

Ball currently works at Advanta Design Group (http://www.advantadesign.com) and designs in his home studio.  He co-founded Industrial Designers of Edmonton Association (IDEA), a forum and platform for designers to showcase their work.

Now, IDEA’s annual exhibitions Frost and Thaw attract international submissions.

Websites: http://www.johngregball.com , http://www.hoodoos.ca
Available at: Block(Calgary), Collectiv(Edmonton)

Chet Domanski &  BLVD Furniture
“Solid wood for me is the great medium.  It has a nice warm feel to it. A lot of modern designers overlook wood for plastic,” says Edmonton designer Chet Domanski.  Following his graduation from the University of Alberta in 2000, Domanski and experienced woodworker Christ Brandt formed BLVD (Boulevard) Furniture.  The duo specializes in modern solid wood furniture in oak, walnut and maple with simple, clean lines. Among their newest designs are the maple Ada and Lacrosse benches.  While employed at Kasian Architects and designing, Domanski has been active on the Alberta design scene.  He co-founded Made in Edmonton, a design organization that promotes national and international design to the local community.  As well, Domanski has also created a successful, educational program which introduces design to Alberta elementary school children.

Website: http://www.blvdfurniture.com
Available at: Woodcraft Design, 31 Rayborn Crescent,
St. Albert, Alberta 

IZM
Since 2002, IZM has been on Edmonton’s design scene, specializing in modern wood furniture.  IZM’s self-taught designers Shane Pawluk and Jerad Mack admit their first modern designs have matured, becoming more sophisticated. “We’re inspired by all the bad design we see in imported goods,” explains Pawluk. “Our philosophy is we’re keeping the quality up and going higher and higher end.  We try to keep the natural look and colour of the wood.”  Among IZM’s bestsellers are the Hedonism and Idealism beds, Darwinism coffee table and other designs fashioned in woods ranging from birch to walnut to teak.

Website: http://www.izm.ca
Available at: Inspired Home Interiors(Edmonton), 4Living(Calgary)

Tim Antoniuk
Formerly, Antoniuk co-owned Hot House Design Studio (1992-2003), one of the great Alberta design success stories. Today, through his firm, ANT ID, Antoniuk  continues to design traditional home furniture and accessories influenced by minimalism and arts and crafts. 

This year, the Edmonton designer launched his brand new Morphing Series. The series of 26 products are made from memory plastic that can be altered or morphed many times over.   When heated the memory plastic softens so it can be reshaped and change/morph the product.  Antoniuk expects his Morphing Series to be available on the market in a year.   “Fundamentally, the Morphing Series is about consumers making a purchasing decision that will enhance their life,” says Antoniuk. “I wanted to make the industry stop and think.”

Website: http://www.ant-id.ca  Available: TBA online and stores

Adriean Koleric
Despite the catchy Hot Granny name, Adriean Koleric is the Edmonton designer behind the expanding funky design series with designer Karen Pentland.

“For Hot Granny, beginning with the cushions, we came up with old lady gaudy fabric and placed a skateboarder on top it,” explains Koleric. So far, the Hot Granny series includes pillow cushions, skateboards/longboards and coming later this fall, china and tea.   Hot Granny is one of many furniture and home accessory designs springing forth from Koleric’s imagination. His recent designs have included the Edith mailbox (powder coated steel); Sugar lounger (textured vinyl over foam) and Framesicles picture frames (paint lacquer MDF).  “I have very eclectic taste but it’s not ultra modern.  I try not to take my designs too seriously.  I rattle them off, I do what makes me smile.  I’m more free-spirited about it. I keep it simple and manufacture it myself.”

This summer, he will launch his newest designs - Monster floor lamp and Ox two-seater bar stool.   A NAIT graduate, Koleric currently works at Accabord and actively contributes to the Industrial Designers of Edmonton Association (IDEA) and design publications.

Website: http://www.thinkitem.com 
Available at:  Collectiv(Edmonton);
Inspired Home Interiors(Edmonton)