Artful takes on coasters, curtains, and glass

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      Get into the grain
      In the case of Reclaimed Print Co., the wood makes it good. That’s because the local company obtains the locally milled wood it uses for its art prints from sustainable sources. The fine wood-grain texture gives the company’s cool art and coasters a rustic-meets-vintage quality that looks great in different sizes: 22 by 22 inches for a bigger wall, 14 by 14 inches, or 7 by 7 inches for a tighter space, as well as little coasters (with prices from about $10 to $109). You’ll find a wide range of art and sayings on the works, but we love the Canadiana and proudly West Coast ones: the mac-jacket-plaid beaver, a wood-grained bear silhouette, or an umbrella-graphic ode to “Raincouver”. Hipsters will like the definitions of everything from beards to eyeglasses, while the art work advising “You can’t drink all day if you don’t start in the morning” would look great in any man cave. There are kids’ versions, maps, and much, much more; check out the Reclaimed webite or Portobello West at the B.C. Home and Garden Show.

      Ebi Emporium’s painterly shower curtain.

      Brilliant brush strokes
      The lowly shower curtain gets a startlingly artful update at Vancouver’s Ebi Emporium, where artist Julia Di Sano emblazons the machine-washable polyester sheets with bright prints based on her whimsical paintings ($89). Blast out an all-white bathroom with the swirling blues and greens of the abstract Ocean Waves, take things into the deep blue with her Under the Sea painting, or go wild with the leopardlike Tribal Print in pink. Di Sano also puts her brushwork on duvet covers (about $240) and brilliant velveteen pillows (about $75). There’s also paintings, jewellery, and more; find the line at the Eb Emporium website and Fine Finds Boutique (1014 Mainland Street).

      Bowen Island Glass’s sandblasted designs, crafted from recycled wine and liquor bottles.

      I’ll drink to that
      Drinking glasses, soap pumps, vases: Denise Lockett makes these artful items, and much more, from upcycled wine and liquor bottles—not that you’d ever be able to tell. Sourcing the bottles from a local recycling depot, her Bowen Island Glass attempts to use the entire vessel, often cutting off the bottom to make a glass or a vase and turning the neck into a candle holder. But it’s the sandblasted designs that really set the pieces apart: a fern leaf might curve up the side of an emerald-green soap dispenser (about $25) or a gold-toned pendant lamp (about $50); a stylized hummingbird or flitting orca might appear on a tumbler (about $15), or a crow or owl might emblazon a votive-candle holder ($7.50). Styles come in clear, green, blue, brown, and other colours. See them at Portobello West at the B.C. Home and Garden Show this week, or at In Good Company in North Van (67 Lonsdale Avenue).

      Follow Janet Smith on Twitter @janetsmitharts.

      Comments

      1 Comments

      Diana Groh

      Feb 21, 2015 at 7:12pm

      Love BIG's beautiful re-purposed glass. they are works of art