Metal Furniture and Home Accessories

With its quizzically named furnishings that smack of all things Canadian—the Beavertail Rocker, the Twin Otter CD Holder and the Anik Side Table being only three examples—Hothouse Design Studio was never ashamed of "the True North, strong and free."

"All of us are proud of our heritage, our roots," Hothouse co-founder Tim Sharp told New Trail magazine in 1997. "We don’t try and slap people in the face with our Canadiana but we certainly don’t hide it. We use very organic shapes, there’s a rawness to them and the natural/recycled is part of being a Canadian designer."

Likewise, Hothouse’s influence has been recognized in a curated show and awards. In the summer of 2002, Hothouse was featured in the touring show, Habitat: Canadian Design Now curated by Helen Delacretaz of the Winnipeg Art Gallery.

During the winter of 2002, the collective’s work was featured at the Triangle Gallery in Calgary in a show entitled Hothouse Design Studio—On the Leading Edge.

The gallery’s description of the collective’s work was full of high praise. "Their furniture is clean lined, modern and playful. The work has a timeless quality to it, which calls to mind the design classics of the German Bauhaus."

In 1996, the collective’s Beavertail Rocker won a Canadian Virtu Design Award. Hothouse was also featured in magazines including Alberta Venture, Canadian Interiors and Western Living.

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