Made in Montreal

Local designers whose creations are worthy of your praise and pocket money

Montreal takes design seriously. We’ve been a UNESCO City of Design since 2006. We’ve passed policies requiring new public and governmental buildings to spend one per cent of government subsidies on the integration of new site-specific art, and, best of all, we’re the place a talented bunch of up-and-coming designers call home.

In an age where design has no borders and there are thousands of blogs that feature international talent and projects, it can be difficult to see what’s going on in your own backyard. Well, heads up! New York even took notice last year and hosted a design show called From Quebec which featured over 70 locally grown designs. Sure, we sponsored the whole thing, but that doesn’t make its success any less worthy of praise. They lauded the unique blend of European creativity and American functionality, but let’s not make ourselves that easy to define. Here’s a primer of 10 of Montreal’s brightest.

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MARIANNE CHÉNARD
Maple Syrup Containers
$38, available at Fait Ici

Made from porcelain and adorned with screenprinted images that would make anyone with a soft spot for Canadiana swoon, Marianne Chénard’s charming containers are an ideal home for real Quebec maple syrup. The Maple Containers explore our cultural heritage through typical imagery such as moose, toboggans, RCMP on horseback and snowshoes. As with all design, the magic is in the details. Here, the screenprinting is lovely, the vessels are perfectly scaled (she makes both large and small sizes), and the top of the natural beeswax-covered cork stopper is adorned with Chénard’s logo: an ornate maple leaf. It’s the cherry on top. 2519 Notre Dame W., (514) 439-3888, faitici.ca

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ANTOINE LAVERDIÈRE
The Duck Pendant Lamp
$460, available through
Domison

Originally designed for Montreal’s much-feted restaurant le Club Chasse et Pêche, you can get in on the unique vision of local designer Antoine Laverdière and admire these wonderland lamps in your own home. The Duck Pendant is comprised of a simple mouth-blown glass shade, topped by a majestic duck in white ceramic, wings spread. The pendant measures 7 x 10” and would be splendid in the lair of anyone who loves nature and is looking to have that love illuminated. Of course, the Calf and Buffalo wall sconces Laverdière designed for the same project match beautifully. They’d make for one stunning menagerie! 4117 St-Laurent, (514) 563-1268, domison.com

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FURNI
Alba “Media Edition” Clock
$180, available at Magasin
General Bruxe

An inspiration to start-ups everywhere, Mike Giles and Devin Barrette got their start when they cashed in their unemployment cheques and decided to go it alone. While their joint venture, Furni, initially began as a custom furniture company, they’re now known for hand-crafted, limited-run objects like the Alba “Media Edition” alarm clock. It’s actually a revised version of their bestselling Alba clock, made even more covetable thanks to new technology and a few tweaks. It features a larger LED display in old-school red, has a smoked acrylic face, tactile orange silicone buttons, a non-slip base, and a built-in audio amp and speaker to let you play music from your portable devices. Of course, it’s also retained that handmade solid wood exterior casing with the sublime rounded corners. Available in several finishes. 5562 Sherbrooke W., bruxedesign.com

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COUPER CROISER
Koko Branches Doormat
$89, available at Ludovik

Couper Croiser got their big break when partners and industrial designers François Palmer and Jean-François Rousseau took inspiration from research that showed carpets were being disposed of before they needed to be. They started a line that used fabric scraps left over from large manufacturers to create new, modular carpets. Since their start in 2006, they’ve extended the collection to include smaller rugs and mats, such as the Koko Branches doormat. Part doormat, part conversation starter, it’s the laser cut details that give these newer pieces their winning personality. 248 de la Montagne, (514) 678-6617, ludovik.ca

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LES CRÉATIONS MAYUKORI
Alto Buckwheat Pillows
$89, available at nüspace

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a couple of pretty pillows on your bed that aren’t just for show? Mayukori pillows are filled with a novel material: organic buckwheat hulls. Besides just looking good, they’re holistic: buckwheat is hypoallergenic, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory. The pillow takes the form of the user’s head and neck, which ensures a comfortable, supported and aligned sleep. Buckwheat also allows air to circulate, making for an always-dry pillowcase. The Alto adult pillows measure 60 x 30 cm, and come in a range of fabrics so lovely, you’ll find it difficult to choose. Bonus, Mayukori products are sewn in Montreal by women who participate in a re-integration program that fights poverty by teaching a trade. 4689 St-Denis, (514) 903-5731, nuspace.ca

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ZOË MOWAT
Desk Buddy
$180, available through
Zoë Mowat design studio

Zoë Mowat has a way with mixing colours and materials, angular edges and perfect curves; it makes her work almost instantly recognizable. Her Desk Buddy is a choice example of her talents and is the ideal resting spot for all the little things that clutter your desk: pens and paperclips, elastics and erasers. It’s made from hardwood cut-offs of milled cherry or walnut that are embellished with felt and painted details. Super functional, and with Desk Buddy’s thoughtful thick felt base, there’s no need to worry about scratching laminate or wooden tabletops. This have-it-forever piece would be equally at home in an entranceway or filled with cherished things on a vanity table. 5445 de Gaspe, #215, zoemowat.com

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TYSON BODNARCHUK
Monster Pillows
$35–$45, available at
Magasin General Bruxe

Do you love monsters? Tyson Bodnarchuk does. He makes spectacular pillows that bring them to life. His Monster Pillows come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and showcase your favourite monstrous details—whether frightening or winsome. As a talented illustrator, he paints spectacular portraits of monsters, which are often inspired by the everyday people he sees in passing. These fantastic images are then printed onto a soft, durable cotton-and-linen blend fabric that shows off every brushstroke, every freakish hair, horn or horrible grin. Warning: One monster is not nearly enough. 5562 Sherbrooke W., bruxedesign.com

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C’EST PAS MOI C’EST MA SOEUR
Bing component pieces
$345, available at Domison

Sister team Mélie et Marianne Vézina-Méthé are the two halves that make up C’est pas moi c’est ma soeur. Their combined backgrounds in jewellery, industrial and environmental design makes for an innovative take on small objects. Their Bing components are versatile, linear units that have a notch on one corner to draw your eye. Use them in a multitude of ways: line up several and you have a bench. Stack them high and you have shelving. Use a single one, and voilà! a side table. Because of their indent and otherwise perfect symmetry, the placing of one notch in relation to another makes for a captivating display. Available in several colours. 4117 St-Laurent, (514) 563-1268, domison.com

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TOMA
Duo Glasses
$24 per set, available at
Buk & Nola

TOMA objects are succinctly defined by the brands’s own slogan—“everyday objects have fun.” Choosing humour and functionality over the preciousness of luxury, TOMA’s entire line is full of useful things that just can’t help but beguile. Their Duo glasses are both cleverly designed and decorated: each purchase gets you a set of two glasses, called Grande Soif and Petite Soif. Choose the size appropriate to suit your thirst. Two very thirsty friends will just have to flip a coin. They’re ingeniously sized to be stored one within the other, and feature amusing illustrations that play on the size discrepancy. Choose from The Lion Tamer (shown here), The Trapeze Artists, and The Couple. 1593 Laurier E., (514) 357-2680, buknola.com

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TOY TOY
Toy Toy Armchair
$14.95, available at the
Boutique Musée d’art
contemporain de Montréal

Toy Toy got their start in 2009 when new parents Salomé Strappazzon and Mikaël Mourgue decided to design something fun but inexpensive for their young twin daughters to delight in. The Toy Toy Armchair is a colourful cardboard chair that’s made from a single sheet of printed recycled cardboard. The consumer pops the design out and follows the assembly directions to create a piece of furniture with no need for glue. Despite cardboard’s temporary nature, the products are surprisingly strong and durable. At this price point, Toy Toy is a don’t-hesitate purchase for even wanna-be favourite aunts and uncles. Table to be launched in the new year. 185 Ste-Catherine W., (514) 847-6904, macm.org ■

 

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