June 2, 2010
I just found this thing in a box; it originally came from my grandfather’s house. It’s the Ikon Quick-Frost Glass Chiller and Sterilizer. It has competing “Made in Canada” and “Australian Made” labels (the Australian one is the round sticker inside the plastic unit, with the red boomerang; while the can reads Made in Canada).
April 22, 2010
Beautiful canopy by Robert Kleyn for Catriona Jeffries Gallery, Vancouver. The design of this canopy is clever not just because it’s a visually interesting addition to an otherwise aggressively plain warehouse, but also because it effectively deflects wind in what is an exposed windy laneway.
April 19, 2010
Before I start, I’m asking on behalf of the owners of this house that nobody reposts or reproduces any of these images anywhere without my permission. Like a lot of people who have built their own houses in the woods, the owners, who are relatives of mine, appreciate their privacy and feel a bit negative about seeing their house all over the internet.
April 18, 2010
Alastair Heseltine, sculptor, Hornby Island, British Columbia.
April 14, 2010
Commercial Drive, Vancouver. I hope this category of sign isn’t a thing of the past, but I expect it probably is. Who makes hand drawn signs on this continent anymore?
April 2, 2010
Look, Vancouver, Victoria retained its cedar modernism. You could have, too.
Bank of Montreal branch in James Bay, Victoria, BC. Too bad about the sign.
I’ve always loved this building. It’s part of the Vancouver Maritime Museum and was built in 1966 to house the icebreaker St. Roch. You can just see the top of the mast through the upper window.
March 28, 2010
Expo Lounge is a fun mine of architecture & design from Expo 67 and its general 1960s context – the utopian architecture, the futurist and sci-fi imagination, and the burst of innovation and optimism .
December 21, 2009
The late Amelia Charlie, prominent designer and promoter of the Cowichan sweater
Above is an example of the Cowichan sweater (photo courtesy Cowichan Tribes).
November 13, 2009
Paris Shoes at 51 W. Hastings, in Vancouver, possibly 1919. Maybe if shoeboxes still looked this beautifully white you wouldn’t have to have salespeople constantly disappearing into the back. I somehow doubt that the uniform whiteness of this bank of shoe boxes could every happen again, though, and if it did it would be twee rather than pure utility.
