Beautiful lamp commissioned by my friend Patrick Tubajon, proprietor of gorgeous Gudrun Restaurant in Steveston, BC. Steveston is a historic and still operating fishing and cannery village in the mouth of the Fraser River, just half an hour S. of Vancouver. Historically it was a dominantly Japanese-Canadian community until most of the population was interned in WWII and their possessions confiscated in one of the most disgraceful acts in Canadian history. Some have returned, but not many. Yet Steveston still retains its fish port and its cannery buildings.
I love this restaurant because in addition to its exellent food and wine, its design references local history and avoids the generic. The bar is in the shope of a small wooden boat, with a traditional Japanese charred finish done by Patrick himself. The lamp either the look of sails, docked boats or clouds (or cheese? note the mouse), the table is handmade of local Douglas fir, and the restaurant otherwise respected the building’s features and history. Patrick told me the lamp was made by designer Jon Erik Johansen. Apologies for the iPhone photos—I was on my bicycle that day. The bar doesn’t appear blue—it’s a deep charred black. Some far better photos are on the Gudrun website.
& Thanks to Patrick for being so nice to my mum when we had lunch there on Mother’s Day.
