Rustic or Polished, Wood Furniture a Stylish Addition to Any Room

The beauty of wood never goes out of style in home decor. Artists and designers are continually coming up with new designs that complement today’s lifestyles and decor trends. At the recent International Design Show in Toronto, Homedit found lots of new handcrafted wood pieces that would be great additions to any home.

This unique chair is by AA8 + Brittany MacDougall, an evolving furniture designer and maker from Toronto. MacDougall was exposed to handmade furniture by her grandfather. Her designs are modern and tend to incorporate asymmetry, secondary materials, and “evocative use of negative space and color.”

The wood frame construction is geometric and angular.
The wood frame construction is geometric and angular.

Coolican & Company is known for producing furniture that is made in small, limited run, numbered batches. The company selects each board for its strength and aesthetics and meticulously hand-rubs each piece of furniture. Their motto is “furniture that is built to last. Built to be used, loved and shared.”

The wooden chairs and stools are versatile and of heirloom quality.
The wooden chairs and stools are versatile and of heirloom quality.

Christopher Solar designs and makes unique, clean-lined contemporary furniture. This is his drum table, which combines wood with resin for the exterior of this coffee and side table set. Solar molds together hundreds of slats of white oak with white resin. The natural variations in color and texture in the wood contrast with the crisp white lines of the resin to create the cylinders, which are topped off with a solid-surface material.

A natural slab coffee table features a base of stacked gold bars as the base.

Solar also created this Strap bench, which has a hardwood frame and a seat woven with straps of English bridle leather.

The bench comes in a choice of white oak or ebonized oak and the seat can be black or tan leather.
The bench comes in a choice of white oak or ebonized oak and the seat can be black or tan leather.

Canadian Green Design presented a variety of wonderful designs, including this natural, live edge wine rack. We love the rope detail that adds to the rugged feel of the piece.

What a wonderful piece for showing off your best wines.
What a wonderful piece for showing off your best wines.

These natural wood pieces are perfect for any family kitchen, with their natural and casual look. Crafted by the Brothers Dressler, the furniture is live edge, beautifully finished and versatile. The company’s lighting pieces are even more interesting.

The beauty of the wood is the focal point of these pieces.
The beauty of the wood is the focal point of these pieces.
This pendant is crafted around a bicycle wheel.
This pendant is crafted around a bicycle wheel.

Olga Oreshyna is a Canadian woodworking artist who creates wall pieces from abandoned wood through her company, The Eccentricity of Wood. Oreshyna says her abstract wooden wall sculptures reflect “my contribution to make our fragile environment more healthy and beautiful.” She eschews  plastic, metal and focuses on wood, which has “the beauty of nature, energy and warmth of the sun in every piece.”

This is "Contemplation."
This is “Contemplation.”

This artful, live-edge wood console is by Detente Custom Design, led by Craig Dean, who is a woodworker, artist, and designer. “It’s exciting to just build what I see in my own head. If what I see there evolves over as a given project proceeds or materials suggest new directions, that is a valid part of the process,” says his statement. Dean has a background in entertainment software.

The multitude of thin legs gives the console a very different look.
The multitude of thin legs gives the console a very different look.
The two-tone wood and darker base contribute to the zen feel of the table.
The two-tone wood and darker base contribute to the zen feel of the table.
A natural slab coffee table features a base of stacked gold bars as the base.
The table even includes chopstick holders at one end.
A natural slab coffee table features a base of stacked gold bars as the base.
A natural slab coffee table features a base of stacked gold bars as the base.

One of Homedit’s favorite booths is always the one by Ontario Wood. Not only is it always a creative and engaging construction, but it also features works by some of the region’s hottest woodworking artisans. This year the booth was designed by blackLAB Architects who uses 756 pieces of sustainable aspen plywood and spruce framing lumber to created the booth. The pieces displayed inside demonstrate that beautiful wood furnishings don’t always have to be highly polished. Rustic pieces definitely have a place in home decor and add to the casual feel of a space, even when mixed with more highly manufactured works. Generational Design Works created this rustic bench.

A natural slab coffee table features a base of stacked gold bars as the base.
Natural flaws and cut-outs from a previous life make this bench more charming.
Numbering your house with this beautiful wood creation is very unique.
Numbering your house with this beautiful wood creation is very unique.

Junction Wood+Metal highlighted the natural flaw in this slab by placing it in the middle of the table. The wood grain and organic shape of the feature are very interesting and make it a special piece. The company is a husband and wife team located in the Junction neighborhood of Toronto, Canada. They source sustainable hardwood from Ontario and also use reclaimed, century-old douglas fir or pine.

A natural slab coffee table features a base of stacked gold bars as the base.
What some consider a flaw is elevated to an artistic feature.
What some consider a flaw is elevated to an artistic feature.
The colors and organic shape are very interesting.
The colors and organic shape are very interesting.

A more modern shape is featured in this coffee table by Hamilton Holmes Woodworking, which focuses on making hand-built heirloom quality furniture. Now moving to making furniture limited edition pieces that are numbered and produced by hand in their studio. This is the Shell Table, commissioned by a client who wanted a low table to accompany his Eames Lounge Chair.

The table is American Black Walnut with Spalted Ash.
The table is American Black Walnut with Spalted Ash.

Martin Vendryes displayed his Modern Ming Chair, which was designed for a client who needed chairs to match a  matching an existing dining table. This is a side chair, but it is also available as an armchair. Vendryes prefers to use solid wood and natural finishes on his studio furniture. His work “blends ancient and modern aesthetic influences to perfect the form of a piece while highlighting the organic beauty of natural wood surface,” explains his website.

The Modern Ming Chair is available in 12 different woods.
The Modern Ming Chair is available in 12 different woods.

These lighting fixtures are by the Brothers Dressler, who also had their own booth.

These wooden pendants have a lovely branching structure.
These wooden pendants have a lovely branching structure.

We were glad to see MetalWood Studio back at IDS again this year. Their live-edge pieces are infused with awesomeness in the form of bright-colored resin, which adds a modern dimension to a more traditional live-edge furnishing.

A natural slab coffee table features a base of stacked gold bars as the base.
Industrial style metal legs give the table some extra edginess

The sinuous undulations of the Wave table by Merganzer Furniture and Design are amazing. Glowing wood grain and a highly polished surface shine from beneath the glass top.

The base is created from walnut.
The base is created from walnut.

Jacob Antoni’s Latitude light fixture brings up the same feeling that discordant music sometimes evokes” a sense of intrigue along with a touch of disbelief.  The light is suspended off-center, yet it hangs perfectly level above the table. The clean, modern design has all the technology incorporated in the frame, the light and wood take center stage. The fixture is available with brass, copper or steel elements.

A natural slab coffee table features a base of stacked gold bars as the base.
The LEDs are dimmable via the fixture as well as by remote control.

Storyboard Furniture’s lamp, Sharp’s Hedra, emits a warm and soothing light. Its small size belies the complexity of the construction:  36 pieces of wood and 11 pieces of paper. The shape is a cuboctahedron made up of a wood framework with a paper skin that has leaf-shaped cutouts. The table or floor lamp is made to order from local domestic hardwood species salvaged from “Toronto’s urban forest.”

A natural slab coffee table features a base of stacked gold bars as the base.
This lamp is made from ash wood.

Limited Nobility’s Moon Nightstand attaches to the wall with just enough space for your nighttime essentials. The different colors of wood blend nicely for an eye-catching piece. The company is a small-run luxury furniture brand created in 2016. Founder Maggie McCutcheon focuses on “languourous indulgence,” the significance of the materials, and geometry.

A natural slab coffee table features a base of stacked gold bars as the base.
The geometry of the nightstand makes it special.

This versatile table is by Kroft Woodworking, whose tag line is “A Mix of Work, Life and Play.” Indeed this beautiful table could be used anywhere — as a kitchen table, a dining table in a home office. Called the Stir Trestle, it has bullnose profiling on the sides of the top. The rounded legs are a signature on ieces throughout the Stir Series.

A natural slab coffee table features a base of stacked gold bars as the base.
The old fashioned shape is made modern with the rounded legs.
A natural slab coffee table features a base of stacked gold bars as the base.
The series also includes these eminently useful side tables.

Peter Glassford started out studying sculpture, evolved into furniture and later, stunning tiles and murals made from wood scraps. They are a perfect example of how small, often insignificant bits can be transformed into exceptional pieces in the hands of a masterful artist. Glassford’s Aerofina Armchairs sit in front of the tiled wall.

A natural slab coffee table features a base of stacked gold bars as the base.
The wall tiles and murals range from neutrals to colorful collages.

Even accessories can display the majestic beauty of wood. This bowl is enhanced by not only the dramatic coloration, but also the natural bark edge that was left intact.

A natural slab coffee table features a base of stacked gold bars as the base.
The light and dark are dramatic.

If anything, the range of wood designs on display at IDS 2017 drives home the versatility of the material. From modern pieces to those that look more rustic, and those that focus on the salvaged varieties, wood artists have found new ways to manipulate, carve and structure wood furnishings and accessories. The result is a greatly increased the number of options for how you can use wood in your home decor.