Design Crush: A Sustainable, Stylish New HQ for Pyrrha in Vancouver

It’s a well-established part of Pyrrha’s lore: In 2000, founders Danielle and Wade Papin (past Designers of the Year winners!) discovered inspiration at an estate sale that would change their business forever.

Though the wax seals they stumbled upon were badly damaged, they sparked the idea for Pyrrha’s now iconic talisman designs, which would become the bread and butter for the Vancouver-based, globally beloved brand.

So when it came time to design a new Vancouver flagship showroom and production studio, the Pyrrha team looked back in time once again. A 100-year-old heritage house in Mount Pleasant would become the entry point to a supremely special store (yes, that’s a wood-burning fireplace), which connects to the production tour via a charming secret below-ground courtyard. (It took five years of planning and building, but they moved in in 2022.)

Pyrrha’s jewelry is cast in 100-percent certified recycled sterling silver, bronze and 14k gold, all produced right here in the Vancouver shop. In one room, the production team does the metal-smithing; in another, designers craft wax molds; on the top floor, find the marketing office and an in-house photo studio. The showroom has the entire collection on display, including one-of-a-kind pieces not available online or at other retailers.

As a member of the Responsible Jewellery Council and a carbon-neutral certified B Corp, sustainability is top of mind at every turn in this Birmingham and Wood-designed space. Sustainable cross-laminated timber was the primary construction material—a renewable resource that generates less material waste. Heat-reducing Smart Windows in the production tower are photochromic, and tint automatically thanks to AI technology.

The building is heated and cooled with a geothermal pump: a sustainable alternative to fossil fuel heating systems. Radiant heat and cooling slabs maintain comfort, while a Passive House-certified heat recovery ventilators keep the air flowing. In the Cornelia Oberlander-designed courtyard, a bird and bug wall encourages biodiversity.

It’s a suitably beautiful place for the Pyrrha team to continue finding inspiration—after all, a century-old building is just the right environment to create timeless design.

Pyrrha Studio
2040 Columbia St., Vancouver
Open Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.