In the News: HAVAN’s Builder of the Year; reimagining local design
Credit to Author: Mary Beth Roberts| Date: Sat, 23 Nov 2019 14:04:22 +0000
Asked what it signifies to have been named Builder of the Year by the Homebuilders Association Vancouver (HAVAN), Smallworks Studio and Laneway Housing founder and principal Jake Fry pauses to reflect.
“We’re part of this shift back to living better in more modestly sized spaces and thinking about how we want our cities to be,” he says. “We’re moving past this attitude where people thought ‘the bigger, the better’ for homes, because we see how that can create isolation and hardship in communities.”
When the company began 16 years ago, Fry thought they would be creating “cute” little 300-square-foot RV-style homes. Instead, they’ve adapted to the demand for laneways, coach homes, infill housing—the creative reimagining of all the ways the land of formerly single-family lots can be maximized to tackle the affordability crisis.
As Fry looks to the future, he wants to continue innovating, including finding ways to decrease the carbon footprint involved in building homes and reducing how much they consume in materials and power usage. Fry’s dream project would be to build five or six infill homes along the same block, to serve as elder housing with some component of shared care services.
“It’s a global perspective—we have to use what we have better and in a more thoughtful way,” he explains. “Small housing lends itself to that ideology and methodology of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ in an extremely efficient way.”
Online retailer Sundays Company offers a well-edited selection of furniture and home décor items.
Vancouver-based online retailer Sundays Company—a collaboration of friends who also happen to be design professionals and furniture makers—has now launched its inaugural collection of sofas, chairs, side tables and rugs.
Intentionally tightly curated, the offerings are meant to provide a relaxing purchasing experience by limiting the amount of choice consumers have, removing the paralysis involved in having too many options. Focusing on the direct-to-consumer market was a deliberate choice for affordability.
However, the company says that doesn’t mean there will be a lack of service compared to bricks and mortar retailers—purchases include free delivery and larger items even come with white glove delivery service.
Speaking of bricks and mortar retailers, Denmark’s MENU is taking a novel approach to selling its furniture, accessories and lighting products in Vancouver—by appearing not to sell them at all.
Consumers interested in viewing the items in real life will make an appointment—available on weekends only—to visit a Beatty Street apartment in downtown Vancouver. There, the goods are displayed as though they were part of someone’s home, with nary a price tag in sight. The MENU Space concept store and gallery is being run by Casestudy Studio. Over time, the layout and items on display will shift based on those visiting the location.