Design Shop Inc.

Today Deb and Mel are heading to Mexico City for Art Week as VIP guests of Daniel Orozco Estudio. DOE will be part of one of the biggest exhibitions of this week - Zona Maco. Daniel Orozco Estudio is an interior design firm and shop based in Tulum and Mexico City, that we are currently in the process of a potential collaboration in the works…more on that later 😉⁠
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Head to our stories today for an AUA (ask us anything) edition with Deb and Mel OR drop your questions in the comments below 👇️⁠
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Hey, Marisa here….and today’s my birthday!

Since I’m somewhat new to the team here at Design Shop, swipe through for some photos to get to know me more. There’s some oldies, some more recent…and absolutely none in between, because we don’t need to know each other that well 🫣🤣

Last month NUVO Magazine published a piece on our Ubisoft project - a wellness-focused workspace for one of the world’s largest gaming companies, here in Winnipeg’s Historic Exchange District. ⁠
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“When conceptualizing the Ubisoft space, the designers focused on three central tenets: wellness, creativity, and connection. The interiors needed to encourage employees to move throughout their day, collaborate with one another, and brainstorm new ideas for the video games they work on.”⁠
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Read the whole piece from NUVO Magazine via the link in our bio.⁠
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⁠Photography .photo

This week we’re diving into the importance of branded photo shoots. Design Shop has been investing considerably in team photo shoots since our conception 10 years ago! However, without a clear intention in our early explorations of this medium, our shoots lacked a certain connection to our brand. Over the years we’ve honed our skills at getting clear with our vision, and through art direction we’ve been able to bring that story to life with photo shoots that truly reflect our brand narrative.⁠
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Stay tuned later this week for a new blog post in our Journal that delves in even deeper!⁠
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Scroll through to take a look at the evolution of our team photo shoots over the years and let us know your favourite! 🙈🤣😍⁠
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Happiest of birthdays to one of our newest editions to our team, our Studio Coordinator 🥳 We’re so incredibly grateful to have you in our Design Shop family!!! 🩷

Sitting pretty ✨

Renderings, mood boards, and original drawings for The Allery (creative community hub) and Maker Faire (rotating maker booths) at Winnipeg's famous Forks Market.⁠
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We worked with The Forks Trading Company to design The Allery as a place for ALL — a studio space that welcomes artists and makers a place to explore their creativity and share their craft with others. ⁠
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Tag an artist/maker/creative that you think would love to make use of these studio spaces! ⁠
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The Scotia den offers a secondary space for relaxation or hosting friends, enveloped by beautiful original wood paneling. To address the room's natural darkness, we kept it light and minimal with a chess table, statement artwork, and a custom white couch with subtle textures and patterns.

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Built in 1953, Scotia intertwines curiosity, creativity, and imagination to push the boundaries of residential interior design. We honoured the home's history by seamlessly fusing mid-century modern furniture and vintage objects with contemporary, functional design elements throughout. 

Our client, Kevin, owner of Winnipeg's Little Brown Jug, embraces rich colors, textures, and patterns, allowing us to explore new possibilities for his space. This is reflected throughout the house, but especially so in the kitchen, where bursts of colour and joy with pineapple wallpaper creates a bright, welcoming sightline from the living area.

Every inch of the space has been thoughtfully programmed to foster self-expression and provide an inviting atmosphere, resulting in a home brimming with life and personality.

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This renovated mid-century home in Winnipeg’s Scotia neighbourhood is playful, eclectic and effortless.

We carefully sourced vintage pieces and incorporated these alongside functional, contemporary elements to revitalize the space in a cost-efficient way. In the living area, vintage furniture, a sheer wall, gold foil and multi-colored shoji screens harmonize with the original Capiz shell room divider, capturing the simplicity and futuristic ambiance of the 1950s while maintaining comfort and coziness. 

Stay tuned this week for more details from this mid-century gem!

Last week Deb joined to discuss Design Shop’s evolution, touching on our 4 day work week and benefits, including our wellness/yoga program. Catch the full video via the link in our profile!

Why a 4 day workweek? Why Yoga? Because just like any well designed space, we deserve a well designed life!

Taking into account that medical clinics can often be a stressful or uncomfortable experience, we wanted to bring a sense of calmness for patients at Advanced Radiology in Lethbridge, Alberta.

Warm walnut sculptural walls, soft lighting, and playful seating creates a front of house experience that is layered with approachable interest with the intent of taking your mind off your visit. The back of house is streamlined, comfortable, and perfectly manicured, exuding a confidence for patients to feel safe and at ease.

Deb and Mel are in Chicago this week for NeoCon 2023.

“The world’s leading platform and most important event of the year for the commercial design industry since 1969, this year’s exhibition is complemented by first-class educational and inspirational programming offering expertise and insight into the most relevant topics in the industry today.”

Stay tuned for updates from their trip!

It’s not uncommon for us to fall for our clients, and our clients for us 😉

But in all seriousness, we have so many repeat clients, not just because of what we deliver in the end, but the relationship we build with them along the way.

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This week Deb and Amanda were guests on the Winning in Winnipeg Podcast.

“In this episode, we discussed the secrets behind Design Shop's extraordinary rise to success and our unwavering dedication to collaboration, mutual trust, and transformative design.”

Watch or Listen to the full conversation now!

🎙Available wherever you get your podcasts.

📽 Watch on YouTube (link in our profile)

Named after a mythical alpine creature, the Tatzelwurm DS-600 is an indestructible, variable modular system of upholstered furniture consisting of individual, addable armchair elements. With multiple configuration options, we knew this sectional was the perfect solution for one of our legacy home projects that has been keeping us busy lately. Actual colour way to vary!

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Today is our small yet mighty, fearless leader’s birthday!

A pure gemini at heart, the dichotomy of Deb is evident by all who know her….a fun loving, living life to it’s fullest kinda gal, yet profoundly passionate and dedicated to her work!

Happy Birthday Debs! 🥳

“Circadian lighting is the practice of mimicking natural daylight patterns through artificial light to support the human body’s natural circadian rhythm. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, circadian rhythm is your body’s internal biological clock that regulates various bodily functions, primarily your sleep-wake cycles, hormone production, and alertness levels. Although subtle, natural daylight changes progressively throughout the day. Circadian Lighting systems are designed to be dynamically adjustable throughout the day, allowing them to align with the natural light cycle outside. This typically means providing cooler, brighter lighting in the morning (which suppresses melatonin production and promotes alertness), and gradually transitioning to a warmer, dimmer light in the evening (“winding-down” your body and preparing it to go to sleep).”

Click the link in our profile to continue reading on our blog.

We often use collages as a conceptual and aesthetic tool for a design kick off point. We find they can be successful at evoking an emotional response that helps us gage the creative direction and point of view for the project.

Designers and creative minds alike, what tools do you use to tap into the feel of a project and get the creative process moving?

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Lutron’s beginnings started in the 1950’s, with a young physicist fascinated by the aesthetic manipulation of light in his makeshift lab in his New York City apartment. Today, Lutron’s innovations have resulted in numerous patents worldwide as they continue to lead in cutting edge lighting solutions and sophisticated design.

Partnering with companies that question boundaries and push innovation is what we’re all about! And bringing that knowledge to our clients to encourage them to dream even BIGGER is a thrill!

We’re all about expansion! Continuing our education and exposure to the latest in all things design is imperative to our growth as a team. Last month Amanda and Natasha were taken by Advance Electronics (ART division) to New York City to deep dive into all things Lutron!

This luxury and innovative company is know for creating beautiful lighting aesthetics for residential and commercial spaces, elegant controls, intelligent lighting, and automated shading solutions.

This deeper knowledge is being applied into some mind-blowing legacy projects we have on the go! Who can’t wait to see what we are up to?! ✨

We hear you…Interior Design services can be expensive and our wait list has been stacking up. With the intention of making Design Shop expertise more accessible we re-introduced our 90 Minute Consults, and now we bring you a 60 Minute offering for those who need a little less time. Who needs some immediate Interior Design TLC? Drop an “I do” below! 👇

Looking for a unique, tasty ice cream now that the summer heat is here? Milksmith, located on Corydon Avenue in Winnipeg’s Little Italy, is the perfect place to visit. Come check out this little cutie for yourself 🍦

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Check out our newest journal entry — “Space Identity”

“Good design isn’t just pretty, it responds to behavioural and functional needs. It reflects the values of who it is designed for. A well-designed space should provide the opportunity for people to envision themselves within it."

Tap the link in our bio to continue reading on our blog.

If you haven’t been to this fantastical patio oasis yet - you don’t want to miss. Let us know what you think when you do!

Did you know that we have partnered with Little Brown Jug since its conception, and this project is the 5th one we have worked on with LBJ owner, Kevin Selch. He’s a keeper and it seem he feels the same about us!

It was important that this patio design facilitated community engagement, the vision of the company, while expressing the quirky side of their personality throughout. Little Brown Jug is all about bringing in the Exchange District and Winnipeg community at large together. At its heart, this patio was designed to do just that!

Be on the lookout for the following events and more held at this destination outdoor space: Pride party, Nuite Blanche, speed dating event, pizza pop ups and more. What event are you most looking forward to?

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Our design process is driven by the way people behave and interact within their spaces. With every project we take on we set out to tell the story of our client seamlessly woven together with design strategy and narrative.