Studio Corelam’s first furniture collection is inspired by the changing tides.

While studying architecture and furniture design at Aalto University in Helsinki, Christian Blyt proposed the idea of Corelam (a corrugated plywood that he developed) for his master’s thesis. He originally wanted to use the material to make a chair back, which unfortunately didn’t work out—but Blyt, who now teaches industrial design at Emily Carr University of Art and Design, wasn’t ready to give up. The idea has since become the foundation of Studio Corelam, a sustainable furniture design company based in Vancouver.Studio Corelam’s first line of products, aptly named the Tidal collection, consists of coat rack, a multifunctional stool-and-table-hybrid (inside, you’ll find an outlet that can be used for small appliances, where messy cables can also be kept out of sight), and a leaning shelf. “It’s about a new movement,” says Blyt. “If you think of a tide, it’s about change, hope and revival.”For Studio Corelam, this revival comes in the form of minimizing their effects on the environment—while showing others that saving the planet can be fun. The company is passionate about supporting their local community and the production, distribution and studio are all located in Vancouver. “Social sustainability and environmental sustainability is the foundation of everything that we do in our studio,” says Blyt. Studio Corelam also strives to use as little material as possible—their products require just one-quarter of what is needed for a conventional wood board—which also makes each piece lightweight and easy to assemble (good news for anyone out there who struggles to build even the most basic of Ikea products).The Tidal collection will official launch in November, but if you can’t wait that long, you can check out their Kickstarter campaign (and pre-order any of the products for a reduced price).

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Aoife Woods

Aoife Woods