IDSwest
By Farrah Nazareth
Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the opening night at IDSwest and what a night it was! Interior designers, industrial designers, cool products, abundant wine, and the eye candy were all in attendance.
Walking into the space was like opening up your favourite chocolate bar. It was delightful! With a show this big if you don’t know how to tackle every booth it’s always good to have a plan. That being said, every plan is a good plan. Bejeweled displays to the left, celebrities to the right, and fancy products beyond.
It is through events like IDSwest that you meet BC designers such as Robert J. Nestman from FREELINE, based in Nelson, BC. After decades of building custom homes, Robert decided to refocus his skills and embarked on a journey towards designing furniture, and so in 2012 FREELINE was born. The beauty of all the studio’s products lies in the details. A particular piece that caught my eye was the serving boards. The excellent craftsmanship is derived from patience and detail, the components are offcuts from larger pieces of studio built custom furniture, the aesthetic follows a contemporary style with modern lines. Sifting through the pieces, I noticed that each piece has its own characteristics and is truly one of a kind. The colourful parquetry detail is stunning. The serving boards are food safe and make great serving plates for sushi, antipasti and finger food to name a few. What more? All the wood sourced for the studio’s furniture is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) approved.
FSC is an international certification and labeling system dedicated to promoting responsible management of the world’s forests. This means that forest materials are evaluated to meet FSC’s strict environmental and social standards, and tracked all the way to the consumer through the FSC Chain of Custody certification system. FSC-certified wood, paper, and other forest products are then sold with the FSC label by certified companies in the marketplace; thus enabling businesses and consumers to make informed choices about the forest products they buy and create positive change to keep our forests for generations to come.
FREELINE complies with FSC’s guidelines and also uses non-toxic glues; its products are finished with a caring hand touch of natural oil sealers that enhance the colour of the wood. Robert enjoys his work and FREELINE’s products have been showcased at the Art Gallery of Golden, Craft Connection in Nelson, Arts on 3 Gallery in Christina Lake, Coal Harbour Green Design in Vancouver and many more.
If you have the opportunity head down to IDSwest to check out other cool products and innovative designs. The show will be running until this week’s Sunday (September 22) and includes seminars on other sustainable initiatives currently implemented into many of the showcased products.
Don’t miss out!
Location:
Vancouver Convention Centre West
1055 Canada Place, Vancouver, B.C.
Located at the foot of Burrard Street, North of Cordova
Or visit:
Photos by Geoff Campbell