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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