5 Questions with Vûrv Design

[Vûrv Design]

Modern Tails spoke with Vûrv Design about their innovative products!

MT: What's your inspiration behind the Wowo Dog Pod?

Vûrv: The dog pod was actually the result of a design competition for a "dog house." It was a charity event associated with a local Vancouver design trade show. This design was one of those epiphany moments for me. I had been researching ideas, and sketching for weeks - I knew I wanted to include some kind of roof, or enclosure - when it suddenly came to me. I loved the simplicity of the idea, and the pod quickly came to life from there.


MT: Name 3 adjectives to describe the Vurv dog.

Vûrv: An easy question because the name Vûrv comes from the phonetic spelling of the word Verve - defined as: vivaciousness; liveliness; animation. A vurv dog would possess these qualities.


MT: Are there any designers or architects that you look to for inspiration on your own work?

Vûrv: There are many. I generally prefer the work of lesser known regional designers rather than the big named "starchitects." Two of my favorite designers right now are Nigel Parish of Splyce design/build (www.splyce.ca) - architecture: and Karen Konzuc (www.konzuk.com) - stunning modern jewelry.


MT: Would you ever venture outside of furniture to design other pet items like collars or carriers?

Vûrv: Probably not. I have come from an architecture background, to furniture design, then to pet furniture design. While I love designing items for pets, my expertise is in creating "hard goods". And I do have a lot more ideas coming, it's a really fun area of design.


MT: Tell us about the first piece you designed and how it turned out.

Vûrv: There never really was a first piece. I've been "designing" since I was a kid - really starting with lego. However, I would say that my earliest commercial pieces were much less simple than my pieces are now. I love minimalism. I think there is a common misconception that minimal design is easy. Exact proportions, functionality and materials are so important when you cannot hide behind pastiche. In the same way, craftsmanship is important too, again, because there is nowhere to hide mistakes. Basically, I would say it has been a long and continuous process of learning, improving, and simplifying that has brought my designs to where they are now - a process that will continue guide me in the future.