guylaine rondeau design: 3/1/09

3/04/09

walrus : really cool new store with wonderful spirit

the thing about being a designer is that we have a complete appreciation for all things that are beautifully designed – no matter what type of design they are! as a communication & web designer myself, my love for beautiful things expands in ways i cannot express in words. today i stumbled across something truly out of the ordinary that caught my eye, and upon entering this interesting new store i discovered something i really want to share with you.

i was on cambie street – in what is now called the 'cambie village' – and i saw this new store front with a very 'new york soho' look to it: walrus, a design gift store, or more appropriately described, a very interesting and cool items boutique. beautiful designs and very cool ideas make for something worth writing about!

i of course had to have a chat with co-owner caroline boquist, and i discovered a fresh and wonderful spirit behind this awesome store! their primary concept is to look for crafty items from around the world that are unique in their design and which carry a brilliant concept of material and efficiency in their usage. things like handmade bags from the netherlands which are made out of recycled inner-tubes and look absolutely cool and fabulous (perfect for our rainy season in vancouver), beautiful german-made garlic graters that look more like they belong in your display bookcase (i have one from the south of france and they work amazingly well), or paper bags for candles that are specially fire-proof treated (i saw some in an alley in croatia, and until today wondered how they didn’t burn)... anyways, i could go on and on... but i sure wouldn’t want to spoil all the surprise!

so next time you have a chance to take a stroll down cambie street, go check it out! i promise, you will find something worth taking home – if not for yourself, for the special someone(s) you love! / store info below pictures