Rick Labrin has been designing and building furniture and mill work in East Vancouver since establishing Free Hand Woodwork in 2012.
In design Rick draws primarily from the Danish mid-century modern tradition. This style of furniture design and fabrication centers on a philosophy of functional minimalism applied to the creation of warm and inviting furniture. Gentle curves and woods of a warm tone imbue the pieces with a homey quality. Milled wooden pulls harken back to the Danish tradition, and the collaboration between designers and cabinetmakers so integral to that tradition. The furniture is designed to confer a sense of ease and lightness, of restfulness, and comfort in the home.
Free Hand Woodwork is operated within the Miller Goodwood Woodworkers Society, a co-operative woodshop where Rick is a member of the board and shop steward.
Cherry has very warm colour reminiscent of teak in its rich red tones. With time the colour deepens naturally.
Eastern Walnut has a rich chocolate tone that naturally warms with time, developing more of a honey coloured undertone with age
Eastern Maple is an exceptionally hard wood. Its amber tone naturally deepens with age.
The finest of Danish furniture from the mid-century period was made from teak or rosewood. These woods are beautiful and they were readily available to furniture makers of the day. The burgeoning global trade in commodities brought these tropical woods to Europe in great quantities and with great efficiency – such that these species of trees were brought to the brink of extinction. Today old growth wood of these species is no longer available; material from younger trees grown on plantations is available at a high cost and exclusively from far away places. Teak and rosewood are not the functional choices they once were. While we are pleased to make work in any material that can be ethically sourced, we appreciate the consideration of the beautiful hardwoods local to North America.
We guarantee our furniture for the lifetime of the original owner against any defect in craftsmanship or material.
All of our furniture is finished with a hand-rubbed oil treatment. Protect and rejuvenate your furniture with a good quality furniture wax, Howard’s Feed and Wax is good and easily found at hardware stores.
If your furniture has been damaged in one way or another we are pleased to help with the repair, contact us for more details.
We are pleased to offer custom design and fabrication. All of our products can be modified or reworked to suit your vision. If you have something in mind we would be pleased to work with you to see your idea realized.
All of our pieces can be crated and shipped. Contact us for a quote.
