The material library
Five materials
The colours in our identity are named after things we use. These five turn up in nearly every project, and you can handle them at the studio.
Ivory · #F8F4EB
Limewash plaster
Lime putty and pigment, brushed over lime render in crossing strokes. It changes with the light through the day, and touch-ups disappear into it.
The pigment settles at slightly different depths, so no two walls match and none is flat. In a grey winter a little warmth in the lime keeps a white room from going cold.
- Where we use it
- Hollyburn House, Laurel Residence
- Care
- Wipe with a damp cloth. Touch up from the same batch.
- Source
- Mixed by our plasterers from lime putty and natural pigment.
Used in
Taupe · #B7A89A
Washed linen
Belgian linen, washed before it is sewn so it hangs straight and stays that way. We hang it at full height and never let it puddle on the floor.
Sheers and drapes go on separate tracks, so there is daylight by day, privacy at night, and no blinds in the house.
- Where we use it
- Wren House, Cedar Stair House
- Care
- Wash cool, line dry, iron while damp.
- Source
- Woven in Belgium, sewn in Vancouver.
Used in
Olive · #6B6F56
Aniline leather
Vegetable-tanned and left unfinished, so it marks easily and darkens with use. After twenty years it looks better than it did on day one.
We use it where people sit: lounge chairs, banquettes, stool seats. A protective coat would stop it ageing, so we skip the coat.
- Where we use it
- Kerrisdale Family Room, Railtown Studio, Fernway Pantry
- Care
- Dust it, then condition once a year. Do not seal.
- Source
- Tanned in small batches, cut and stitched by our upholsterer.
Espresso · #3B2E26
Fumed white oak
Darkened with ammonia fumes rather than stain, so the colour goes through the timber. Sand it in ten years and it is the same colour underneath.
We cut the veneer from one log in sequence, so the grain carries round a corner. On a stair or a wall that is the difference between one piece and a lot of panels.
- Where we use it
- Cedar Stair House, Kits Point Kitchen
- Care
- Oil once a year with a hard wax oil.
- Source
- Quartersawn white oak, fumed in a closed chamber at our workshop partner.
Stone · #C9C4BA
Honed marble
Honed, never polished, and sealed with a matte sealer. Red wine will leave a mark if it sits overnight. Wipe it up and it’s fine.
We choose each slab in person and book-match the veining, so it runs across a table or up a wall without a break. Honing keeps the colour softer than polishing does.
- Where we use it
- Cedar Stair House, Hollyburn House
- Care
- Seal every two years. Wipe up acids quickly.
- Source
- Chosen at the slab yard and cut in Burnaby.
Library
Also on the shelves
Unlacquered brass
Hinges, handles and lamp stems. It darkens where hands touch it.
Hand-knotted wool
Rugs in Stone and Taupe, made to the size of the room.
Unglazed clay
Vases, bowls and lamp bases from small potteries in the Pacific Northwest.
Blackened steel
Rails, shelf brackets and thin frames. It is black all the way through.
Come and lookat the samples
The library is open by appointment, Tuesday to Thursday.
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