Heres a few shots from our last buying trip to Austin TX.  It was a first to Texas for the Union Crew and we really enjoyed it.  The hospitality is unmatched, and we had great weather and most importantly some really great finds.  We visited Round Top Antiques Fair which happens twice a year and is not to be missed on the antiques circuit.  We bought some great pieces that are somewhere on the I5 no doubt right now, and we cant wait to see them in a few weeks!   We’ll get the pieces up online as soon as possible so ya’ll around the globe can place your orders.

The Chef from The Spotted Bear Bistro located in the lovely island town of Tofino approached us because he was looking for some condiment bins that both had to  A) look good, and  B) were functional for their purpose.  It took us a few days to nail down the design, but we wanted something that would be nostalgic of some classic vintage tool boxes.  Built with salvaged wood from a historic Vancouver printshop and adorned with some great metal hardware.  Aged steel handle covers, bottom cap protectors and cotter pins all add to the details on these industrial-inspired boxes.

We are always working with commercial and retail clients to help them achieve their desired aesthetic in their specific spaces.  These were a fun little project for us to work on and we look forward to doing more someday.

I absolutely love utilitarian design.  Raw, rugged and functional, there is nothing better than celebrating raw materials at their best.  We finished this conference table and 3 matching desks over a month ago and I am still thinking about these.  True, simple and bold.  The wood used in these tables has been salvaged from a defunct Gastown flophouse.  Cut from huge timbers, the tabletop shown are actually created using thin reclaimed wood veneers roughly 1/2″ thick.

We’re going to be working on another one of these tables with a powder coated frame and a built in task light soon, look for it!

Finally back up and running.  Here is a tv console we just finished a couple of weeks ago.  Because of the simple lines and small size of this, we wanted to create some texture through-out the piece by constructing it out of dozens of smaller pieces of lumber.  This was a fun one for us to make and the customer was very happy with the end product.  This could be build in any shape and size and would great with a couple of drawers.

This bed is from a from a few weeks ago.  We are finally back to getting SOME photos of our work that we have been doing.  We have been making tons of pieces but are having trouble getting great photos in our new space.  Stay tuned, lots coming.

This bed was created for a client who resides in historic Gastown in one of the oldest buildings in the city.  When I told him about the history of the wood we had in stock, we decided that the focus of the bed should be allowing the wood to speak for itself.  This lumber originates from a flop house located just blocks from where the client lives.  This douglas fir is rich with patina and by oiling it with our Butcher Block oil, it highlights the natural grain and makes the saw marks and nail holes pop.  This was a fun one, hopefully we’ll get a chance to make it again.

Our favourite part of working with salvaged, reclaimed and old-world materials is the textures that come with them.  The texture is what counts.  Here is a small sampling of some recent items we have received and created lately.  Hope you enjoy.  All of these iems are available in our shop and some are available online here.

Theres nothing quite like getting stuff straight from the source.  When you know the related history of an item, as well as some information on the old manufacturer, it really adds to the personal attachment of the pieces.  We love the hunt for items, as well as the story that they carry.  We design our original products with the same handmade approach and hope that they will be used, and worn, and traded, and handed down for years to come.

We have been lacking somewhat in the photograph department of many of our recent furniture works because we haven’t been able to get any great photos in our space.  We are working on making a new backdrop that would allow us to get back to our regular ways!  We have been working on plenty of great  projects including some great interiors we have been involved in that we are excited to share.  We are also awaiting a couple of shipments of some great antiques, lighting and objects.  Thanks for your patience and hope you guys enjoy our new site when its up!

If you havent had time to check out Marcus Kuhn’s Gypsy Gentleman series yet, its definitely worth it.  It features Marcus as he travels the country meeting with great tattooers and talking about what inspires them in their craft, as well as touching on the history of tattooing in America.  Episode 1 features one of my favourites Thomas Hooper. Episode 2 features the guys from Rock of Ages in TX and got us extremely excited for our visit to Austin TX in April!

We left Oliver, one of our good gents, alone in the store front with a camera the other day.  We received a load of amazing vintage stock and he decided to snap some photos and document a few pieces.  The are some seriously unique items in the shop right now.  We came across a beautiful vintage tambourine, a civil war crate, some vintage military gear and a great set of industrial lockers to name a few.  We’ll be open again on thursday as usual.  If you’d like to come by and see whats on hand before, please let us know and we’d be happy to show you around.  Items to be added to the online shop in the near future….