At Kabuni, we want to shine a light on positive approaches to design and craftsmanship. Our first spotlight within our #Kabunity is Vancouver based Pacific Design Lab. Launched in December 2013, Pacific Design Lab produces a variety of sustainable, thoughtful, West Coast inspired home goods, furniture and custom projects, which will soon be available in the Kabuni App. We sat with co-owner Alanna Rogers, who welcomed us into their Strathcona studio.
Tell us about yourself and how Pacific Design Lab came to be?
Pacific Design Lab came to be quite organically, actually! My partner and I, Brandon Nobbs, made cutting boards in the parkade of our Kitsilano apartment one Christmas for friends and family. Everyone absolutely loved them, and from there we kept going. We made furniture for our home, serving platters for our dinner parties. People started to ask if we could make something for their space, or if they could buy something for their friends. We thought we might be onto something and started writing a business plan for Pacific Design Lab that also included Brandon’s partner with Pacific Solutions Contracting, Darren Elliott.
We launched the website in December 2013 for friends and family holiday shopping, and from there built the company on a part time basis. Within the first year we were wholesaling our goods to local boutiques, working with interior designers to furnish homes and spaces, and working with awesome restaurants and entrepreneurs to craft custom products unique to their businesses. Within year two we had opened our own space, was operating on a full-time basis (Alanna quit her job!), hired Olivia Alvarez, a young Industrial Designer with BIG ideas, brought some incredibly skilled craftsmen on board, and expanded our offering to include custom design services, a PDL line of signature pieces, and a unique customizable collection to make it easy and accessible for people to bring custom, locally made furniture into their homes.
What inspires your work?
This year we worked together as a team to define what it means to us to be doing what we’re doing, and the words “reliability”, “accessibility”, and “community” all were at the top of our lists. So I would say our inspiration is drawn from these values, coming to life in the form of functional, affordable furniture and home accessories for Vancouver living, locally sourced or sustainably sourced materials, finding beauty in raw materials or natural treatments (we LOVE burning things!), and through collaborations or partnerships with local businesses (for example our E28 Collection with Nineteen Ten Home Boutique), artists/makers (DW Leatherworks to incorporate leather into our product line), or organizations (Hives for Humanity in the DTES to create our custom blended beeswax wood conditioner). And living on the West Coast we can’t help but be inspired by our beautiful surroundings and love to bring that relaxed, modern feeling into our pieces.
Alanna and Olivia What is your favourite part of your process?
This answer may differ depending on who you ask here! For me (Alanna), the greatest joy I get from doing what we do is working with great people to make really cool stuff. Whether that’s a commercial client coming to us with their ideas, a new homeowner looking for that perfect piece of furniture to last them a lifetime, or an emerging artist with a beautiful product that we can partner up with. I love people and Pacific Design Lab has allowed me to connect with so many more people doing exciting things.
I also passed this question to Olivia for her input. She adds “There are two particular parts of our process that I enjoy. The first is when I am gathering images and doing research for my designs. This helps me uncover the mood or feeling of the entire piece, and then communicate that mood, inspiration, and story behind the design to our clients through a visual brief. My absolutely favourite part of design though is the 3D modeling process using AutoCad. My brain thinks in 3D, so a lot of the time a 2D sketch doesn't satisfy me! I love being able to form and illustrate my ideas, providing working dimensional models that bring the clients’ visions to life.”
In a world that is overly mass produced, what does an artisan bring to the world?
We see artists as storytellers. When you think about it, everything that is produced in this world has a story. Mass production just glosses over it to get to the final product and sale. Artists, on the other hand, take the time to explore that story through design, inspiration, sourcing, and production. Best of all (and most importantly) they share it!
Slow design encourages designers to make a conscientious choice of materials and processes, and consider which design strategies may encourage a long-life relationship between the object and its owner. It also considers post consumer life. Do you feel that you art part of this movement?
Absolutely! We love the shift that is happening between people and products. People want to know where their goods are coming from and who made them. It helps connect them with that piece and brings a conversation to every dinner party or gathering they have in their space for years to come. We also love getting our clients involved throughout their custom design process to see the piece come from concept to reality, deepening that relationship even further. It’s an incredibly rewarding experience on our end!
People also care more about their impact on the world, and buying from artisans and small businesses (instead of buying mass produced items or from big box stores) has a huge impact on our surroundings - both economically and environmentally. We source as much of our materials that we can locally to minimize our carbon footprint, our vendors are other local and small businesses, and we employ local craftsmen in our Vancouver workshop. Sure, a custom piece may cost a little bit more than your piece that is made in China, but when you consider the other factors involved such as transportation, worldwide shipping, greenhouse gas emissions, factory labour, etc, it becomes a very real story that goes beyond the number on a price tag.
How important is style compared to functionality?
We believe that style and function are equally important in any good design. We design and build all of our pieces to be used, loved, and lived-in every single day in real life. So it has to be beautiful and it has to be functional! How are you trying to make better homes for everyone?
Our aim is to make beautifully designed, well-made interior goods that are accessible for those ready to invest in it. Our customers are those who are ready to look for special, one-of-a kind pieces for their homes + spaces. They don’t have millions to spend and that’s totally okay! We are helping real people find that perfect piece (whether it’s made after their vision or one of our designs) for their home. And when they’re happy, we’re happy. And that’s awesome.
Check out more Pacific Design Lab @pacificdesignlab Love design? Kabuni is the platform of choice for interior designers, artists and artisans. We empower designers in cities around the world. Access thousands of home décor products from local artists and artisans like Pacific Design Lab, as well as leading brands that clients will love. Connect, collaborate and profit share with us. With every purchase we support charities helping people who are homeless in our communities. Download the app. Are you a maker of furniture of home decor? Sign up with Kabuni to show your work to a new audience of designers and clients! Article & photos by Jennilee Marigomen