North Vancouver designers Kat and Josh Walker don't have to look very hard to find inspiration.
The Australian natives who've made their home on the North Shore and are currently living, working and raising their young family here, continually find themselves reflecting their beloved surroundings in their eclectic works.
"We're very inspired by the things around us. Josh and I have two young sons so it's about family, and it's also about West Coast design.. .. We just are absolutely enamoured with Vancouver," says Kat.
The creative couple are the brains behind Reclaimed Print Co, a new company launched last year that offers a diverse range of artworks and home decor products printed on locally sourced and sustainable wood.
One of their design focuses is the Lower Mainland and that collection of images features works like "Raincouver" and "Liquid Sunshine," as well as others inspired by the Grouse Mountain lumberjacks and Stanley Park totem poles.
"It's all part of us just showing how much we love this city," says Kat.
Reclaimed Print Co is a featured exhibitor at this week's Interior Design Show West (IDSwest), described by organizers as Western Canada's annual premiere residential design show.
Examples of other North Shore-based exhibitors at this year's IDSwest, running Thursday to Sunday, include: Brent Comber, an award-winning designer focused on creating sculpted objects, functional pieces and designed environments (Info: brentcomber.com); and Pot Incorporated, which offers planter design, and award-winning plant design for both residential and commercial projects (Info: potinc.ca).
This year marks Reclaimed Print Co's second appearance at IDSwest, seeing them featured among approximately 250 exhibitors showcasing a range of products and services. According to organizers, IDSwest attracts more than 35,000 people annually, including industry professionals, architects, designers, media and community members at large.
"What IDSwest does is it makes you aware of how much creativity there is in Vancouver," says Kat. "It's very inspirational but it also makes you come up a level as a business. It really encourages you to rise.. .. They have such a high standard of design work that comes and displays there, it's incredible. Even though it's a little intimidating it's so inspiring and exciting to be a part of it. I would not miss it for the world. I love it. We're super excited to be there. We're excited to show all of our new stuff because last year we were so fresh (and) our collection has doubled in size since then. We have a lot of new prints to show."
Both Kat and Josh contribute designs to the company. She serves as owner and creative director and he (trained in graphic arts and also working as a web developer for a company out of Oakland, Calif.), as a principal designer. "Josh and I have known each other since we were in high school. We both studied film together, we've worked together on and off I feel like since we were teenagers. So we work really well together. We complement each other -he's very editorial and I'm very visionary," says Kat.
The concept for Reclaimed Print Co grew out of Kat's experiences working in marketing for a small local business. Sourcing local printers for some signage to fulfill their needs, she ended up forging a relationship with one based in North Vancouver. Learning about their capabilities, which included being able to print on wood, the idea for the company was born. "We love the esthetic of it," she says.
Interested in doing something that was sustainable, they use locally sourced wood from mills, most of which is coming from Alberta. In addition, all of their wood is handcut. "It was about creating something that was handmade as well as industrial.. .. So we figured the handcut wood would actually give it a more homemade appeal," she says.
In addition to their Vancouver-focused designs, other collections include works featuring animals, like deer and bears, as well as robots. "Those ones are really juxtapositioned to the wood. People love them because they're just so bright and colourful and playful," says Kat.
Photographic works have been contributed by her father, photographer Graham Fletcher, also a North Vancouver resident. "He did a whole collection called the Shipyard Collection, which has been a big one for us," says Kat.
"He travels a lot as part of his work so he has got a whole bunch more (photos) to come. We're actually slowly going to be launching his as limited editions because there are a number of people now that are wanting more of his work so we're going to be developing that line a lot," she adds.
Reclaimed Print Co's designs are available in a variety of wooden canvas sizes (as well as stain options) and can be printed as coasters. Community members can also upload their own photos via the company website to be printed, again in a variety of sizes. A new offering in response to customer demand is custom artwork of people's pets. Calling it Pup Art, consumers are encouraged to send them pictures of their furry friends to be printed in the Andy Warhol pop art style.
"I went into this fairly blindly so every day is a learning experience for us. But I would have to say I am so impressed with the amount of people that really do care about a sustainable product and they want something creative. We've had such a beautiful reception (from) the market community but also (from) retail. Shops have been so kind to us and open to new design and new people, because we're so new to this industry at all. And, people have been so open to us and free with their knowledge and giving us advice and help along the way, so it's been really awesome," says Kat.
They're avid vendors at local markets, including North Shore Green Markets' weekly Shipyards Night Market, which has been running Fridays all spring and summer and is capping off its current season this Friday at North Vancouver's Shipyard Plaza.
They're also planning to be at the Vancouver Home + Design Show, Oct. 22-25, and Circle Craft, Nov. 11-15, both at the Vancouver Convention Centre West, as well as Make It, Dec. 3-6 at the PNE Forum among others. Reclaimed
Print Co's products are available at a growing list of local stores, 12 at present, including Edgemont Village's 32 Books Gallery and Lonsdale Quay's Favourite Gifts.
Info: reclaimedprint.com.
Interior Design Show West, Sept. 24-27 at Vancouver Convention Centre West. Tickets and info: idswest.com.
