Judson Beaumont
Canned Bench Materials: Birch plywood, maple and diamond button tufted vinyl upholstery Dimensions: 24" w x 60" l x 18" h www.straightlinedesigns.com I wanted to play on texture in this design, with the idea of taking one material (something hard), peeling it back to reveal a different material (something soft). Photo by Mike Wakefield

Shawn Place
Owl Chair Materials: walnut Dimensions - 43"h x 32"w x 28"d www.shawnplace.ca This chair was inspired by a Japanese cast iron paperweight in the shape of an owl that I saw while visiting a design shop in Vancouver. I had always wanted to do a two-legged chair after seeing George Nakashima’s Conoid chair. Many sketches later, the Owl chair was born. The chair fully encompasses the sitter giving a feeling of security and seclusion, all while being visually transparent and light. Photo by Shawn Place

Christopher Solar
Plantation Redux Chair Materials: Jatoba, cane Dimensions: chair: 26" w x 35" d x 35" h; ottoman: 24" w x 24" d x 15" h. www.christophersolar.com The chair was made in 2008 for a client who liked plantation chairs, but wanted a more modern interpretation. I kept the classic “swoop” of the one-piece caned seat and back, but used clean lines for the legs and arms. The seat is hand-woven from natural cane. Photo by Christopher Solar

Mike Mulvey
Autonomous Chair Materials: Jatoba, anigre veneer dyed black, fabric Dimensions: 10" x 18" x 29" (seat is at 10°) www.mikemulveycalgary.com After some interaction with chiropractors, and reading “The Chair” by Galen Cranz, I had a go at designing an ergonomic seat.  If you find yourself perching on a sawhorse or leaning against the bench in the shop, you know how much less tiring it is than standing. Taking most, or even some, of the weight off your legs is comfortable and invites you to keep your back straight, unlike a conventional chair when all your weight goes on your behind.

Nathalie Guez
Tokyo Materials: maple, steel Dimensions: 23" x 24" x 45" www.nathalieguez.com This sculptural chair is inspired by traditional Japanese aesthetics, reinterpreted in a contemporary style with technical abilities. Photo by J.F. Vezina

Mike Randall
Kurva Chair Materials: Alder, ash, stainless steel Dimensions: 32" h x 25" w x 22" d www.kurvadesign.ca “Kurva” is the Swedish word for “bend”. The inspiration for this chair came from my desire to fuse mid-century modern and contemporary furniture design. My influences in the overall design were the mid-century masters (Charles & Ray Eames, Alvar Alto and Marcel Brewer, to name a few), but the inspiration for the low-backed captain’s style came from a chair designed by the contemporary Welsh furniture maker, David Colwell. Photo by Ken Guenter

Marc Richardson
Sculpted Stool Materials: Walnut Dimensions: 18" w x 17" d x 20" h www.m-r-designs.com This stool was constructed out of walnut, using a stack lamination technique in which pieces of wood are glued up layer upon layer creating a series of steps. These steps are shaped down using a chain saw, grinders and sanding discs until the final form is attained. Numerous coats of polyurethane are applied. Photo by Marc Richardson