Industrial designers convert former church into creative studio in Trail

Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.

Article content

Industrial and product designers Krista Humphrey and Bernard Mitchell bought a former Catholic church in Trail, British Columbia, six years ago and renovated it. They did the “handwork” themselves, sanding their original maple floors and hiring professionals to help with the wiring and plumbing.

The church was built in the 1930s to serve Trail’s strong Italian community. With its 22-foot-high vaulted ceilings and soaring windows, Humphrey and Mitchell felt it was the perfect place to launch their Wewerke design studio, Mitchell says. Under Wewerke’s direction, they have designed products, furniture and sporting goods.

Article content

“It’s a really cool space. That’s how Bernie convinced me to move to an old Catholic church,” Humphrey says.

The couple studied industrial and product design at Artcenter College of Design in California. When they finished their studies they considered applying for jobs or pursuing a more entrepreneurial path and chose the latter, Humphrey says.

“We both missed Canada and wanted to live in the Kootenays. “We were looking for a studio space when this church came on the market,” she says.

Artists by nature

Humphrey and Mitchell recently launched the QWRKhouse design, an artistic offshoot of Wewerke.

His QWRK House The products are not necessarily designed for mass production and are all manufactured in-house or, rather, in the church.

“Self-satisfaction” is how Humphrey and Mitchell describe these artistic elements. But, of course, they also satisfy others: they are invited to exhibit their works in Berlin and Italy, they receive positive comments and they send them more invitations.

“Berliners responded very well to our work because it is curious and different,” says Mitchell.

Article content

Digital sculptors

They are digital sculptors, Mitchell says. Designing objects on their computers and using a 3D printer to make them real.

When they have printed an item and have an idea of ​​what it looks like, they enlarge it and print it as large as possible.

“Our goal is to get to a place where we print at a human scale or even for event spaces,” Mitchell says.

What 3D printing has allowed them

Humphrey says that because they live in a smaller, more isolated location, it can be difficult to produce the items they design.

3D printing has allowed them to self-produce and have a “production pipeline” where they can go from concept to design to physical object in a few days, Humphrey says.

It also means that they don’t have to rely on the manufacturing skills of others and that they have learned new skills along the way.

However, 3D printers are expensive, so they are limited by the size their printer allows them to print at, Mitchell says.

“Right now, our maximum is half a cubic meter,” he explains.

The benefits of doing smaller things

Mitchell and Humphrey have shown their furniture at Mobile Show (Milan’s elegant and famous annual furniture fair) twice and, although they love it, they say a frustration for them was how challenging and expensive it was to get their furniture to the fair.

“We’re embracing the ability to make things smaller so we can show them,” Mitchell says.

Mitchell and Humphrey often discuss how best to describe the items they design and manufacture.

“Are they lamps or illuminated sculptures? “They’re not really typical lamps,” says Humphrey.

They concluded by saying that their products have “strong personalities,” “character,” and, most importantly, “a sense of humor.”

Share this article in your social network