Trees breathe new life into home decor
Pacific Design Lab specializes in crafting new treasures out of reclaimed wood
Vancouver’s Pacific Design Lab specializes in hand- crafted furniture and custom- fit interiors for businesses such as the Earls restaurant chain and Kitsilano’s Nook Restaurant.
The company’s commercialgrade cutting boards are found in restaurants such as Meat & Bread and Railtown Catering & Cafe, and it is now stocking Metro Vancouver retailers. Alanna Rogers, who runs the business along with her partners Brandon Nobbs and Darren Elliott, chatted with The Vancouver Sun about PDL’s quick success since launching a year ago.
Q Tell us about your company.
A Pacific Design Lab’s focus is on designing and handicrafting clean, beautifully made interior goods for people and their spaces. Some of our most well- known products centre around food, such as tables or our range of cutting and serving boards, but we also do a lot of custom projects with independent businesses in the city.
Q What’s the best thing about working with wood?
A What we love the most about wood is that it has so much life in it. Maybe that sounds like a cliché, but it’s what really makes a difference for us. Everything we build is meant to be lived in, loved and used and there is something about wood that is so inviting. It makes people feel at home, and that feeling of connection is what we want to convey through all of our pieces.
Q Has wood had a rebirth in popularity?
A Reclaimed wood has seen a huge rise in popularity and we love working with it. The look is very current, but it is also sustainable. Transforming the wood ( or reclaiming it) from its previous form allows it to be repurposed and given new life in another shape. We’re also seeing movement in people’s reception to live edge wood. Our live edge products are made from the live ( or raw) edges of cherry wood that we source from local mills, and we’re seeing more and more emphasis being placed on local, natural and sustainable — both in terms of practices and material goods.
Q Why did you choose Vancouver as the place to launch your company?
A Vancouver was a natural fit. We’re all born and bred West Coasters and get inspired every day just walking around this city. This city provides so much support and community to artists, starters or anyone exploring a creative venture. Between the many craft markets and fairs, the arts events and the network of independent boutiques and shops, it’s a great place to be exploring this passion with an amazing community of inspirational people.
Q Where do you get your ideas for your products and furniture?
A For our products, we find inspiration in the everyday and sometimes it comes from a need or a want of our own that we encounter. For example, I needed some picture frames last year, so we designed and built Pacific Design Lab’s rustic fir frames and we made sure they were super versatile so they can be used on either walls or shelves. Our cutting boards, too. I don’t know about you, but I like having a nice big area to work on when I cook. Our cutting boards had to be big, and so they are.
Q What is your biggest seller?
A People are crazy about cutting boards. They are beautiful to serve food on, they make the perfect backdrop for meals and they always photograph nicely. They are literally the perfect gift: Christmas, weddings or anytime you’re looking for something special for that person who has everything. They’ll last a lifetime and they are something that everyone can use every day. As for our restaurant clientele, you can find PDL boards in spots like Nook, which uses them for their appetizers, or Meat & Bread, which serves up all of their sandwiches on them, or Railtown Catering & Cafe, which uses our live edge cutting boards to display their epic catering menus. Our cutting boards are like blank canvases just waiting for people to make magic on.
Q You do a lot of custom commercial work. Tell us about some of these projects.
A Working with established restaurants has been really exciting. Nook has that cosy come- on- in- and- pull- up- achair kind of vibe, so we created these industrial pipe- frame tables with a reclaimed butcher block top. This community- style table is perfect for their Kitsilano backdrop. The upstairs space at Earls in Yaletown has been completely redone in a classic, cool, modern vibe. The profile edge detail on the white oak tables we built adds a sophisticated touch to the warmth of the tables in the space.
Q What’s next for Pacific Design Lab?
A We can’t believe that in one short year we’ve gotten to where we are today and looking forward there are a lot of things to be excited about. Building out our product line is really important to us, and we’re working on some new designs for more furniture products to launch in the new year. Coffee tables have been a huge request and are at the top of the list.
Q You’re now selling through retailers in Vancouver and Delta. Can you tell us about this?
A We are so excited to be working with a wonderful group of local retailers for the holiday season. Gatley is a gorgeous clothing and gift boutique on Commercial Drive that is carrying a beautiful selection of our reclaimed and live edge board styles. These include a classic cutting board size and also what we call serving boards, which have a handle and make great charcuterie, cheese or serving trays. In Delta we’re thrilled to be working with Our Little Flower Company. Here you’ll find serving boards made from reclaimed wood from East Vancouver’s Strathcona neighbourhood, and our cherry live edge boards perfectly complement the shop’s beautiful style of florals and wreaths this season. Main Street shoppers will be able to find Pacific Design Lab at Nineteen Ten Home Boutique up at Main and 28th. They loved the designs of our cutting and serving board styles, but they were crazy over one of our samples we made with fir wood that we burnt to give it a beautiful depth and darkness. We are making some special boards just for them. It’s going to be a beautiful collection and will hit shelves soon.