Shawn Place believes in doing things right the first time. As a high end modern furniture designer and craftsman, Shawn spends hours designing, building and testing prototypes before releasing new pieces to the market.
While Shawn has always been obsessed with modern design it took a visit to Inform Interiors in Gastown to plant the idea of a career change. Previous experience as a journeyman carpenter as well as several years designing bike parts gave Shawn the confidence to switch careers and begin designing furniture. But gaining recogni
tion from the design community isn’t exactly easy when you’re self-taught and live thousands of kilometers away from the largest creative communities and markets in North America.
Shawn credits the support and mentorship he received from the owners of Inform, Nancy and Neils Bendtsen (Neils is also a highly respected Canadian modern furniture designer) with his ability to break into the design business. In part due to their support and promotion of his work, Shawn now has dealers carrying his furniture in Vancouver, Toronto and New York. He’s also had coverage in a number of respected design blogs as well as a recent full page article in the Globe and Mail.
Shawn handcrafts all of his furniture in Prince George. His production pieces include several chairs as well as a side table all of which are sold directly to high end modern furniture retailers. Additionally, Shawn accepts custom projects working directly with clients to design one-off pieces for their individual needs.
Shawn enjoys the work/life balance and the freedom he is able to have as an entrepreneur. He also appreciates the benefits of living in Prince George and says the low cost of living gives him the ability to operate his business here. He explains however that living in the north does have its disadvantages – specifically being so far away from the creative communities and art and design scenes that exist in places such as New York, Toronto, and Vancouver. Also, ordering and shipping materials from the lower mainland is both time consuming and costly.
Shawn is thankful for the support he received from Community Futures in the start-up of his business as it provided him the time to develop his business into a successful venture. Shawn’s advice for future entrepreneurs is to ensure you have the support of your family, work hard, be focused, and take the time to launch your business right the first time; don’t settle for mediocrity.
