For this week鈥檚 My Digs, we are checking out the fresh new pad of local home and beauty business听Woodlot.
Run by husband-and-wife duo Sonia Chhinji and Fouad Farraj, Woodlot is a pillar of Vancouver鈥檚 creative scene and strong supporter of other small businesses within our community. When the brand was looking to move its production and office space to include a client-friendly retail aspect, it enlisted the creative eye of local designer Rachel Harrison, of听Roomcraft Design.
As we toured the stellar new space, we chatted with the Woodlot and Roomcraft peeps about the design inspiration, what they are loving most about the space, and how it has affected the way the brand is able to interact with the city.
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What is it:听
The new production studio, offices and retail space for local home and body care label, Woodlot, which creates premium, natural home and body products including nourishing soap bars, coconut wax candles and, coming soon, a skincare line. The studio is a 1,600-sq.ft. industrial space in Vancouver鈥檚 Mount Pleasant neighbourhood.
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Occupant:
Sonia Chhinji and Fouad Farraj, Woodlot鈥檚 founders, owners and creative minds.
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Major selling feature:
Sonia: Because we're working with scent and beautiful ingredients all day, our space听has transformed into a sanctuary. It smells amazing and feels like the modern office.听
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First thing we changed:
Sonia: We painted the floors white where they were previously grey, and this really helped to brighten up space. We also changed the garage door to a glass door to help bring in more light.听
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Feature we brag about:
Rachel: The natural leather straps and copper fasteners for the shelves that display the array of woodlot products. Also, the bathroom was a huge transformation. We added plywood panels behind the sink vanity, hung a custom mirror with leather trim, painted the upper portion of the walls in a geometric pattern, and added new flooring by Adorn Tiles, which was a fun and easy way to add colour and pattern to a previously dull, utilitarian space. We also did a plywood ceiling with eight Edison bulbs popping through.听
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That one conversation piece:
Rachel: The plants. The pale terracotta pots are from听Old Faithful, a local shop in Gastown. The pots really bring warmth and continuity to our indoor garden area. The cut stems and tropical leaves are from the amazing duo at听The Wild Bunch. It brings such a fresh vibe to the space.听
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The decor:
Rachel: The decor is 鈥淧alm Desert,鈥� with a touch of bohemian vintage charm. The vintage layered rugs really steal the show and set the overall look for colour and texture. It anchors the simple pallet of whites, natural leather and blush that are the accent colours throughout the space.听
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The story behind the art/antiques/collectibles:
Rachel: Each piece was hand picked to create the vibe. The items were sourced on Community Closet Home Edition,听Etsy,听Houzz听and听Blu Dot. The leather straps were made by a local artisan and friend of Sonia and Fouad鈥檚. The contractor who helped us pull together the vision and build us whatever we needed was also a friend. This was a very collaborative and hands-on project and I think it shows in the details.听It鈥檚 very rare that you won鈥檛 find an original听Zoe Pawlak听piece in the spaces I design, and this studio was no exception. We have painted the wall dividing the studio and production area a pale pink (SW 6330 by Sherwin-Williams) and have our ZP abstract landscape hung on this wall.听
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Sonia: We really wanted to showcase our product in a way that inspired our future collections, how to merchandise and hopefully provide some inspiration on how you can bring our products into your home or shop. The space has beautiful copper elements, which are also seen throughout our packaging and design. We wanted a way to bring together elements of our packaging design to our physical space. We've been gifted other pieces from friends and family that happened to fit in well, as well.听
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Downsides:
Sonia: On the daily level, there鈥檚 always garbage trucks and other loud vehicles passing through the alleyway. From a small business standpoint (which so many small businesses are faced with), having a brick-and-mortar space in 麻豆传媒映画is a challenge financially, as real estate is expensive.听
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Neighbourhood haunts:
Sonia: La Taqueria for its amazing tortilla soup, 33 Acres Brewery, Elysian Cafe, Atelier St. George, Wild Bunch Florist, Nectar Juicery. In the summer, walking towards Olympic听Village and sitting on a bench while facing Vancouver's beauty is also amazing.听
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Compared to your last place:
Sonia: We were in the same building but on the second floor. This space is larger but has less natural light than the other. We loved our old space but needed something that was on the ground floor for shipping and receiving.听
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Favourite activity in the space:
Sonia: We're always listening to podcasts or our favourite hip hop听album on high volume, and lighting palo santo incense and leaving it burning in a plant outside. We love when we get visitors who've followed their nose to the space to find out its Woodlot.
