DesignTO22 Butterfly Collection

We put together a collection of butterflies for the DesignTO22 Festival with the aim to inspire happiness and creativity. Drawing from our own experiences and moments that left lasting impressions, we came up with 25 different butterfly concepts for our window installation. We used natural wood colours and textures to compose the butterfly patterns. Each butterfly is unique with its own personality and a story to tell.

Alpha & Omega

Colour concept by: Ivan Ilic

Butterfly Bio: A tribute to the original butterflies that Ivan designed and brought to life in 2020.  The original concept was inspired by the Monarch butterflies that frequent the Butterfly Bush in our back yard.  Each year they bring so much joy and excitement with their visit.

Top: Alpha, Bottom: Omega

Wood Selection: Wenge, Pine, Curly Maple, Spanish Cedar, Walnut, Bloodwood, Macassar Ebony

Price: $70 each

Beauty

Colour concept by: Carol Wong Li

Butterfly Bio: The simplicity of this butterfly illustrates Carol’s experience of calm and beauty while biking along the Ontario railway trails, typically consisting of lightly coloured loose gravel flanked by beautiful green trees.

Wood Selection: Spanish Cedar, Swamp Ash, Vera, Purple Heart

Price: $70 each

Bluebird

Colour concept by: Ivan Ilic

Butterfly Bio: Ivan’s inspiration came from the iridescent blue butterflies he saw at the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory. The material selection used for Bluebird is a departure from the signature shop116 style which tends to emphasize natural wood grain and colour. The precise graphic pattern, however, is a signature Ivan design.

Top: Varathane Finish, Bottom: Rubio Monocoat Finish

Wood Selection: Wenge, Caribbean Wave SpectraPly, Blue Angel SpectraPly

Price: $75 each

Free Spirit

Colour concept by: Sandie Mac and Ivan Ilic

Butterfly Bio: Our collection would simply not be complete without a free spirited Canadian Butterfly.

Wood Selection: Curly Maple, Bloodwood

Price: $65 each

Jasper

Colour concept by: Carol Wong Li

Butterfly Bio: Named after Jasper National Park, memories of family hiking and camping trips in the park inspired this butterfly.

Wood Selection: Vera, Curly Maple, Walnut, Bloodwood

Price: $70 each

Kaleidoscope Kimmie

Colour concept by: Sandie Mac

Butterfly Bio: Named after Sandie’s big sister, Kim. Kaleidoscope Kimmie was carefully composed using Kim’s favorite colours.

Wood Selection: Poplar, Wenge, Bloodwood, Pink Ivory, Purple Heart, Walnut sapwood

Lemonade

Colour concept by: Ivan Ilic

Butterfly Bio: A pure yellow butterfly with complimentary orange accents. This design brought out Ivan’s childhood memories of chasing Cabbage Butterflies in his back yard in Dugo Selo, Croatia. 

Wood Selection: Pau Amarello, Canary, Paela, Osage Orange, Wenge

Price: $70 each

Lucky

Colour concept by: Sandie Mac

Butterfly Bio: A golden lucky charm to be by your side and brighten your day whenever you need it.

Wood Selection: Wenge, Osage Orange, Vera, Pau Amerello, Walnut, Poplar, Macassar Ebony

Price: $75 each

Maul

Colour concept by: Michael Luong

Butterfly Bio: Michael’s inspiration was his favorite Star Wars character – Darth Maul. Which Star Wars character is your your favorite?

Wood Selection: Pine, Bloodwood, African Ebony, Macassar Ebony, Padauk, Curly Maple

Monarch

Colour concept by: Carol Wong Li

Butterfly Bio: Carol’s stylization of the Monarch butterfly using exotic wood colours and patterns, with a modern flare.

Wood Selection: Pine, Paela, Curly Maple, Walnut, Bloodwood

Price: $65 each

Oolong

Colour concept by: Sandie Mac

Butterfly Bio: The smell of Oolong Tea reminds Sandie of her father and brings back wonderful memories of the precious time they spent together.

Wood Selection: Curly Maple, Wenge, Walnut, Bloodwood, Indian Rosewood

Padauk Glow

Colour concept by: Patrick Li

Butterfly Bio: Padauk Glow stands out of the crowd with its vibrant reddish-orange wings, like the red soles on a pair of designer shoes.

Wood Selection: Padauk, Purple Heart, Wenge, Cedar

Price: $70 each

Palm Magic

Colour concept by: Patrick Li

Butterfly Bio: The concept for this butterfly was to play with texture and the senses. The texture and grain pattern of the Palm were unique and had a feisty attitude. Pairing this strong attitude with the soft richness of Purple Heart worked like Yin and Yang – purely magical.

Wood Selection: Palm, Purple Heart, Cedar

Price: $75 each

Prince

Colour concept by: Ivan Ilic

Butterfly Bio: Purple rain, Purple rain…

Wood Selection: Curly Maple, Purple Heart, Leopard Wood, Spanish Cedar, Indian Rosewood

Price: $70 each

Purple Cypress

Colour concept by: Carol Wong Li

Butterfly Bio: Purple Cypress was inspired by sights of the Oriental Pearl Tower, from Carol’s first trip to historic Shanghai; particularly the metallic lilac cladding accenting the top and bottom of the structure.

Wood Selection: Pine, Curly Maple, Purple Heart

Price: $65 each

Radiance

Colour concept by: Carol Wong Li

Butterfly Bio: Combining Carol’s two favourite colours: blue and purple with the earthiness of black, Radiance is a butterfly that is cheerful yet grounded.

Wood Selection: Blue Angel SpectraPly, Purple Heart, Curly Maple, Wenge

Price: $70 each

Secret

Colour concept by: Patrick Li

Butterfly Bio: Exploring the idea of patterns, the focus was on developing subtlety. From afar, the butterfly looked as if it was simple and quiet. On closer inspection, you could not miss its highly figured patterns. This quiet contrast was its design secret – its driving force.

Wood Selection: Macassar Ebony, Zebrawood, Pine, Purple Heart

Price: $75 each

Shimmer

Colour concept by: Carol Wong Li

Butterfly Bio: Inspired by recollections of the beautiful sliver of orange light lining the sunrise horizon during the ‘Ring of Fire’ solar eclipse on June 10, 2021.

Wood Selection: Curly maple, Paela, Bloodwood, Wenge

Price: $65 each

Starburst

Colour concept by: Ivan Ilic and Sandie Mac

Butterfly Bio: An explosion of colour radiating from the center, set against an iridescent backdrop of Curly Maple.

Wood Selection: Curly Maple, Padauk, Tequila Sunrise SpectraPly

Price: $65 each

Swampy

Colour concept by: Ivan Ilic

Butterfly Bio: Intended to be the counterpart to some of the more brightly coloured butterflies in this collection, Swampy turned out to be one of Ivan’s favorite butterflies. The inspiration was drawn from memories of the flooded Bayou forests and dark shades of wetland environments.

Wood Selection: Vera Wood, Wenge, Zebrawood, Macassar Ebony

Price: $70 each

Tropical Forest

Colour concept by: Sandie Mac

Butterfly Bio: Imagine for a moment all the colours you would see in a tropical forest.

Wood Selection: Walnut, Paela, Poplar, Bloodwood, Wenge, Osage Orange, Macassar Ebony, Vera

Price: $70 each

Wally

Colour concept by: Ivan Ilic

Butterfly Bio: Wally was made from walnut slab offcuts that we purchased from a local sawmill specializing in urban tree salvage. The playful Wenge freckles and bright Paela body that Ivan added had everyone telling us they love Wally!

Wood Selection: Walnut, Wenge, Paela

Price: $75 each

Walnut Treasure

Colour concept by: Patrick Li

Butterfly Bio: Walnut Treasure compliments the warm Walnut woodgrain with broad stokes of Purple Heart and contrasting Pine.

Wood Selection:  Walnut, Purple Heart, Pine, Tequila Sunrise SpectraPly

Price: $65 each

Zebra

Colour concept by: Patrick Li

Butterfly Bio:  The richness of the blood wood compliments with the lightness of the Pine, mimicking the bold striped pattern of a Zebra.

Wood Selection: Bloodwood, Pine

Price: $65 each

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