Design & Decor Blog

Next up for my series of “Ones to Watch” at the Interior Design Show are twin woodworkers Jason and Lars of Brothers Dressler: up-and-coming “upcyclers” who are turning salvage into a whole lotta sexy.

Name: Brothers Dressler

Home base: Toronto

Claim to fame: Eco-chic custom furniture crafted from repurposed and salvaged objects and responsibly-harvested materials.

Style Sleuth: What does the Interior Design Show mean to you?

Brothers Dressler: “It’s a great opportunity to show our work to a new audience, but more importantly it allows Canadian and local Toronto designers to be exposed to the Toronto market and beyond. It’s an opportunity to bring our small-scale local craft level work to an industry that’s dominated by large scale manufacturing.”

SS: What are you debuting at IDS 10?

Brothers Dressler: “Our limited line of salvaged School chairs, updated and refurbished for the contemporary market as part of Limited Edition in Studio North. We think the elegant and simple constructions from the past are worth saving, so we use the existing strength and function of an old chair and add to its form to reinforce and transform it. We came across a number of chairs saved from a defunct felt factory in a salvage store in the Junction. We saw the potential in these well-used chairs and took all 93 of them. They’re tubular steel frame school assembly chairs with flat maple plywood seats and curved plywood backs. Many interpretations of this chair will come out of our workshop. The frame, seat, back and legs will be old and new, added-to and reinforced to create chairs that will begin again, and avoid a premature end.”

The salvage chairs Lars and Jason bought… (All 93 of them!)

…And after the Brothers Dressler transformation!

Lars and Jason have reinforced the old institutional icon with solid wood braces as new legs. The brothers are offering the legs in a number of solid woods, including Douglas fir (salvaged from a factory torn down in the west end of Toronto), reclaimed elm (from a barn north of Toronto) and walnut (sourced from local, responsible suppliers). By adding braces of different sizes, they can make the chair into a standard 18″ model, tall 24″ dining chairs, 24-30″ bar stools, chairs with arms, and even 4-8′ benches!

SS: What was your last home purchase?

Jason Dressler: “My latest home purchase was an environmentally-friendly California king mattress — the first mattress that I can actually stretch out on!”

SS: Where is design going in 2010?

Brothers Dressler: “Although we don’t subscribe to trends, we’re happy to see more people becoming aware of sustainability and timeless design. We see the direction of design continuing to focus on conscious design, where prospective clients are aware of the impact of where their furniture is built and what it’s made from. Factors like responsible and reclaimed sources, fair wage and local manufacturing and longevity of design will continue to gain value.”

SS: What’s your fave colour of-the-moment?

Brothers Dressler: “We’re always partial to natural colours, and we also appreciate the creative use of bold colours. Warm, woodsy tones combined with the natural green of plants can make any interior fresh and inviting.”

See the Brothers Dressler’s work at the Interior Design Show, January 21 – 24, Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

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