by CHANTAL MARTINEAU

Function over fashion is not a choice people should have to make. Luckily, furniture designer Drew Nener of Funktion Design has made the decision for you. Nener creates unique pieces based on the concept that arbitrary decoration should not take the place of rational objectivity.

"The furniture I make is more functional than sculptural," says Nener, who considers himself an artist but insists on practicality in his designs. You won't find anything needlessly whimsical in his Durocher studio. You also aren't likely to find anyone other than the furniture maker himself. The owner and sole employee at Funktion Design, he follows each project through from concept to construction.

No-nonsense style need not come at an outrageous price. Nener assures that his clients are ordinary enough, as far as custom-design furniture shoppers go. Most Funktion Design pieces are one-of-a-kind, designed with a particular person or space in mind. The crafting process usually begins with a house call - Nener likes to draw his inspiration from the client's environment. Then, it can take up to three months for a piece to materialize.

Nener graduated from Carleton University in 1993 with a double major in art history and architecture. He founded Funktion Design in 2000. Although the art deco and modernist movements are of great interest to him, he claims to have no major influence on his work. "What I do is a culmination of all my knowledge. It's a style I call my own," he says.

Funktion Design (www.funktiondesign.biz) will be showcasing a new line of three-legged side tables called Trifid, as well as a series of barstools called Rodeo at the Toronto Interior Design Show in February. The pieces will be shown as part of Studio North, a section featuring young, independent Canadian talent, with a particular focus on designer-makers like Nener.

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