LiViNG - Georgia Straight

CHRISTIAN WOO >>
CHRISTIAN WOO DESIGN + BUILD
WWW.CHRISTIANWOO.COM
Woodworker Christian Woo likes to
keep his designs minimalist, but with
his materials, it’s a different story.
He celebrates the grains of woods
like ash, walnut, and European birch, and recently,
he played coloured glass off dark wood in a funky
black-and-orange stereo cabinet he designed for
a client. “I like the detail to be pared back to simple
lines and how the piece fi ts in an overall environment,”
says Woo. “If a piece doesn’t stand out,
that’s a good thing.” Woo’s gift for integrating his
sleek cabinetry, tables, bureaus, and benches into
an interior may stem from an earlier stint in landscape
architecture and the fact that he shares his
current studio space with an architect. For his threeyear-old
line of mostly custom work, he also draws
on an apprenticeship in European cabinetmaking
and the inspiration of Japanese and Scandinavian
designs. Prices range from about $2,000 for a coffee
table to about $4,500 for a large dining table—all
handmade. “The stuff I build is the stuff I love,” he
says of both his premade and custom work. “If
somebody wants a Shaker-style kitchen, well, I’ll
gladly refer them to someone else.”
| FALL 2008 | | GEORGIA STRAIGHT LIVING |
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