Vancouver-based writer and visual artist Douglas Coupland launched a unique collection of furniture designs unveiled yesterday at IDS Toronto, in collaboration with Vancouver-based SwitzerCultCreative, a brother and sister luxury design collective.
Renee and Allan Switzer, who have over 50 years of combined experience crafting select and modern furniture designs under their belt, are recognized globally for their high end furniture designs. They are Interior Design Magazine’s Best of Year award winners twice running.
Douglas Coupland for SwitzerCultCreative consists of a desk, chair, lamp and bookshelves.
The Bento Box Escritoire and the special edition Paint Box Escritoire are two variations on a personal theme from Coupland.
“The ‘Douglas Coupland for SwitzerCultCreative’ collection is a reflection of everything I use daily,” says Coupland. “These are pieces that will unleash creativity, dopamine, high style and timelessness into their user’s world.”
The Ryoan-ji Lamps are strongly influenced by Japanese culture: Coupland visited Kyoto’s Ryoan-ji Temple in 1986. A floor lamp and a desk lamp contain shades made with wire frames wrapped with a translucent shoji‐type material.
Available in five different colours, the Writer’s Seat fits perfectly beneath either escritoire. “When I went to art school in Hokkaido, I had to study several Japanese art forms — ikebana, rock arranging, calligraphy and sumi-e painting,” says Coupland. “I think everybody should study these things. It makes you reframe the way you see the world. These seats are unexpectedly ergonomic and work whether you’re doing ink work, or blogging on a MacBook Pro.”
Simple in style, the Osaka bookshelves are named after Coupland saw similar shelving that survived the 1995 Osaka earthquake. They have been designed to encase paperbacks, hardcover, and oversize books. Says Coupland, “They’re simple, smart, strong, and can be arranged in any number of configurations like Legos. They also have caps and kicks available should you want to change proportions.”
The Douglas Coupland for SwitzerCultCreative collection is available through SwitzerCultCreative, who hold the exclusive worldwide license to market and supply the collection.