One to Watch: Oliver Apt.

An Edmonton woodworker redefines restaurant design.

Step inside any number of the new small, independent eateries popping up in Edmonton—Bar Bricco, the Bower, Farrow, Three Boars, Duchess Bake Shop, Woodwork, Cavern, MEAT—and chances are Oliver Apt. had a hand in finishing their interiors. Landon Schedler, Red Seal journeyman and third-generation carpenter, and his team (industrial designer Dara Humniski of Loyal Loot, apprentice carpenter Ilia Bizi and graphic designer Rachel Buchsdrucker) have been redesigning the Edmonton food scene ever since a career crafting design-minded cutting boards and candle holders first pulled Schedler into orbit with the city’s coolest chefs. Requests for custom spaces began rolling in: now, Oliver Apt.’s sleek walnut benches and shelves are all over town.But it doesn’t mean Schedler has abandoned handcrafted pieces for the home. The team splits its time between interior projects and developing products. The Oliver Apt. homeware collection is, unsurprisingly, both practical and beautiful: think coat hooks, knife racks, and hexagonal stools with slim brass legs, all crafted from glossy walnut. “We build things that serve a function in our lives,” says Schedler.