Perhaps you've been reading of upcoming trends in interior design including a Nordic appeal. Even Elle Décor is talking about Pinterest's annual list of design inspiration predictions for 2016 including Scandinavian inspired design as #2.

We’ve been feeling this clean and crisp natural styling for awhile now, often taking inspiration from Danish company Bang & Olufsen and Norwegian company Stokke (can’t help but notice our daughter’s clean-lined Tripp Trapp!), and even European car design is taking notice.

Take our b6 dining table, incorporating a reverse natural edge with a centre reveal, where the bark has been carefully finished to remain intact, and the outside edge of the tabletop has a clean knife edge.

Continuing on our Scandinavian inspired aesthetic, our b6 tabletop is finished in a whitewashed natural hardwax oil, providing a muted natural wood look. Trapezoid steel legs are powder-coated in black, with a natural polished detail on the leading edge, giving an edgy black and steel detail.

The modern yet natural organic look often seen in Nordic design is shown in our Edge side table, with its tapered Douglas Fir base and chamfered edge.

As we look ahead to a new year, we can’t help but be excited to see where these beautiful furniture pieces end up. 

Article reprinted with permission from Modern Home Victoria.

At Autonomous Furniture, the most common question we get asked is if the wood in our furniture is reclaimed. A feel-good term, “reclaimed” has evolved into a catch-phrase for many furniture companies attempting to explain the ethical intentions of their wood’s origin. Recent trends showcase young hipsters riding their fixie bikes en route to their wood shop where they will pull nails, add iron pipe and call it “repurposed.” Insert craft beer in bike crate optional. But generally speaking, the answer for us is no, the majority of our furniture does not use reclaimed wood.What is Reclaimed Wood?

At Autonomous Furniture, the most common question we get asked is if the wood in our furniture is reclaimed. A feel-good term, “reclaimed” has evolved into a catch-phrase for many furniture companies attempting to explain the ethical intentions of their wood’s origin. Recent trends showcase young hipsters riding their fixie bikes en route to their wood shop where they will pull nails, add iron pipe and call it “repurposed.” Insert craft beer in bike crate optional. But generally speaking, the answer for us is no, the majority of our furniture does not use reclaimed wood.

I’ve always been an advocate of the value added wood sector in British Columbia, and more specifically, a proponent of Vancouver Island wood made better through design. With solid forest management and use of unconventional value propositions, there has been a thriving revitalization to a once tarnished industry. And it’s happening right now in this province and setting trends for the use of BC fibre in building envelopes, products and furniture across the globe.

Curating and collecting wood for over a decade now, most of my designs are rooted in wood from Vancouver Island. Often shrouded in mystery, revealing our sourcing practices at Autonomous Furniture might help explain the how and why of what we do.

Urban Salvage: A couple years ago, a church in Duncan approached me to remove five cottonwood trees from their property. The first step was to apply for a timber mark through the Ministry of Forests. This helps track the economic impact of logging and limit illegal harvest of trees in our province. Next we contracted the falling and lot clean up before trucking the logs to a local mill (who are also assigned a permit to cut the logs for tracking purposes). The logs were cut into slabs and trucked again to a nearby drying facility to be kiln-dried.The wood spent the next three years air drying. Typically a low volume cut, urban salvage can be very costly. Generally speaking, the trees have to be spectacular to justify the costs. For this reason, sadly we reject most requests for single tree salvage. What amazes me is the social and economic impact to all parties involved in the processing of those cottonwood trees. Let’s just say, these five trees put a significant amount of bread on the table for families within the region.Logging Site Salvage: I often tour logging sites to scout for amazing pieces that have been left behind (often for good reason). Typically, we need permission from the tenure holder and a salvage permit to assign the proper stumpage fee and use. Technically, even firewood removed should hold a purpose permit, which is free and simple to get. I would never just take wood and always assume there must be sound ecological reasons why it was left behind. If we are using the wood for profit, I believe that people need to get paid.

Private Wood Lot: Vancouver Island has an amazing history of both family owned woodlots and managed woodlots by multiple generations. These people are often guarded and concerned about how this land is logged, not only what is harvested, but also the impact of how the logs are removed. Things like watershed impact, forest aesthetics, and wildlife protection are all considerations.I’m not saying industry isn’t concerned, but it is the woodlot owners that are the most vigilant. We also have the opportunity to make a personal connection, often selecting trees with the owner/operator in an intimate experience developed over tea or beers. We also tend to become a high yield customer to these individuals. Everyone wins.

Driftwood: We don’t use driftwood at Autonomous, but I do come by my fascination honestly. I grew up watching Beachcombers, circa 1972-1990, after all. If you plan to use driftwood for commercial purpose, then the Ministry of Forests wants to know. There is both an economic traceability reason and an ecological reason regarding erosion and nature. In some cases, it’s flat out illegal. I liken it to an argument I once had with a guy shoveling granite scree into his truck in Jasper National Park. I understand people using driftwood for small crafts like jewelry, but furniture in my opinion crosses the line.

Reclaimed: Once in a while, we use reclaimed wood at Autonomous. Typically, “reclaimed” refers to wood previously used in torn down or decommissioned buildings. Think flooring, beams and cladding. I like the concept, the story and working with reclaimed wood. However, unfortunately, the term “reclaimed” has been hijacked and used as a general term for furniture imported from far off places. Can we trust the wood’s traceability or lack thereof? I’m interested to see the long-term play on reclaimed furniture. My guess is we’ll start to see more refined uses and less display of nail hole and patina, but I would like to see a better account of traceability if you are going to use the term “reclaimed.”

If you are interested in sourcing reclaimed wood, a couple of great resources are Western Reclaimed Timber in Vancouver who have a massive inventory and have done a lot of the heavy lifting (nail removal) for you. In Victoria, Forward Lumber is another secret find. Sourcing wood is a weekly occurrence for us at Autonomous Furniture. We take great pride in selecting the wood for our pieces and can often share the story through scars, bad backs, and photos.

Article by Kirk Van Ludwig. Table photo by Jody Beck. Article originally posted on Modern Home Victoria, reprinted here with permission.

Calling all Architects and Interior Designers! 

Our CB1 Table is included in the "Furniture: Residential/Dining Tables" category of Interior Design magazine's Best of Year Awards. 

The CB1 Table, designed by Kirk Van Ludwig, pushes the boundaries of the live edge table movement, with grain on the bias, hybrid natural edges, and centre void in Western Maple. The tabletop is set on one-and-a-half inch clear Lucite legs, positioned strategically to maximize seating around the table and a centre stretcher bar running along the underside. This table was engineered to support 30,000 pounds!

Vote for our CB1 Dining Table in Interior Design's 2015 Best of Year Awards here!

There are many aspects that we love about designing and building furniture pieces ... but by far, one of the best aspects is having carte blanche to come up with a piece that will act as an art piece. When Financial Advisor, Hugo Donais, requested a reception desk that would make a bold statement in his modern new office located in the Mondrian building, downtown Victoria, BC, we were happy to oblige.

After falling in love with the energy that natural wood brings to a white modern space, Donais was set on a live edge Western Maple tabletop for the reception desk. 

The reception desk is paired with white Mirra chairs by Herman Miller, available at Monk Office.

Following our Lead Designer, Kirk Van Ludwig's natural inclination to juxtapose materials against the natural wood slab, Kirk set the tabletop on curved, cold rolled blackened steel legs. The end result is an art piece set in the entryway of the financial office, attracting attention from clients and walk by traffic.

Sourced from a private wood lot in Cowichan Bay, the Western Maple slab was air dried for 3 years before kiln drying it. "The slab top is very much a play between art and function. We manipulated the piece to fit the space, offering a hybrid between nature and mechanical. The client is fastidious about detail and presentation, so I wanted to challenge the eye, balancing the slab on a very shallow arc of thin metal plates." describes Van Ludwig. In true form to Autonomous' designs, Van Ludwig says, "I love it when 500 pounds of steel leg meet a 500-pound slab; designing and engineering come together for the moment of truth."

Photos by Jody Beck of Modern Home Victoria. For a full office tour, click here.

Shou Sugi Ban 焼杉板 is an ancient Japanese exterior siding technique that preserves wood by charring it. The process involves charring the wood, cooling it, cleaning it, and finishing it with a natural oil. It is an environmentally friendly way to preserve the timber and (paradoxically) make it fire resistant, eliminating the need for chemical preservatives, paints, and retardants. This time consuming technique, results in a rich, silvery dark finish that is a gorgeous method of obtaining a dark wood aesthetic.

Our neighbours at Hot House Marketing wanted a striking boardroom table, and with aged wood floors, this custom Torched Boardroom Table makes a statement against their black, white, and red aesthetic.

 The table is paired with red Sayl chairs by Herman Miller by Monk Office.

We love the silvery dark finish, and most of all that we can obtain it using a natural and age old method rather than chemical products such as stain. The best part for the Autonomous team? The wood used is still native to British Columbia! As part of producing a sustainable product, sourcing our wood from within British Columbia is a key component.

Here is our Alta table being torched. You can now choose from three wood options for our Klee and Alta tables, as well as our Aura lamp: Blue-stained Pine, Natural Douglas Fir, and Torched Fir.

The most recent addition to our collection is this cantilevered low table. Torched Western Red Cedar is the base for the concrete block, and a cantilevered acrylic top set by bronzed hardware. Stay tuned for more Shou Sugi Ban tables in the Autonomous showroom.