oh, canada!

maybe it's all the ac newman. maybe it's the cold, dreary weather enveloping new york. either way, my mind is drifting north this morning- way north. as in, canada. as if there wasn't enough great stuff coming out of that country, we design-minded folks have another reason to pay attention to our neighbors up north- a phenomenal design project known simply as cabin.

created as a collaborative project between artists and designers, (who work under the name mother) cabin seeks to "write the story of canadian culture" through their work. the story they tell is full of frosty canadian symbolism- tales told on wallpaper and textiles conjure up images of deer, mounties, cuckoo clocks, bears and of course, cabins. bowls made of logs, wallpaper designed to look like cabin walls and utensils made of axe handles cement cabin's idea of traditional canadian culture in the contemporary design world.

besides capitalizing on the popularity of graphic art in the design world, the cabin project takes dead aim on a seemingly untouched niche in the design world- canadian heritage. while it might not sound riveting at first, the infusion of traditional canadian imagery into furniture, textile and product design has lead to some really spectacular products and a sense of pride in one's culture that i admire to no end. there is a feeling of admiration for and honor of canada's history present in the collection and that is what makes it so special to me. in addition, i can't remember the last time i looked at a group's work and liked every single piece. i like practically every design on their site. i highly recommend you stop by and check it out- it's worth the time and, well, they have a flash site so i can't get all the pictures off for you! here are just a few designs that caught my eye...

REMEMBER THIS [memory wallpaper*cynthia hathaway] cabin paper for urbanites. cynthia's designs for mother's cabin project. (credit where credit is due- paul over at metropolis snagged this earlier...)

SPLINTER TEETH [log bowls*loyal loot collective] the ladies of loyal loot contribute to the cabin craze in the earthiest of ways...

GONE HUNTIN' [buddington bear rug*loyal loot collective] the ladies get morbid....and canadian

CUT IT UP [axe handle utensils*mother] a nod to rustic canadian dining chic....