Tapiola Design was built out of the love and appreciation for forests and what it provides.
Originally a Northwestern Ontario girl, I grew up beside a small lake and trapline and became fascinated with what nature at an early age.
I studied forest ecosystem management in Thunder Bay and then worked in BC’s logging industry timber cruising and engineering for 4 years. It made me learn about the importance of forest’s supportive ecological and economic communities. While surveying, I was always drawn to the “non-productive, low-value” timber. To me, they were the most beautiful, story-telling and resilient trees of them all.
I always made artwork on the side, and grew up in a very creative household surrounded by makers. This “low-value” timber led me to look at clear-cuts and “waste” wood in a different light. I started salvaging artistically up-cycling abandoned fibres during my down time.
Since leaving the logging industry, I knew I wanted to grow a business of my own working with wood, but I had some learning to do .
I worked various labour jobs… wherever I could pick someone’s brain. I was the annoying one on a worksite asking too many questions. From fiber-glassing in Campbell River, cleaning dust at a mill site to cabinetry installations and furniture building in Courtenay and framing on Quadra Island & Stuart Island. I was picking up skills along the way and growing comfort with different tools and woodworking machinery.
Fast forward, I most recently ran a woodworking shop of my own based in Powell River BC servicing the Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island. I have now relocated to Ucluelet BC and opened a small gallery and studio where my work is sold and embraces west coast lifestyle.
My goal at Tapiola Design is to reframe how we look at our natural resources, used or “new”, while sharing its story with art and furniture.
