Sometimes what designers do, ironically, doesn't happen by design. Take Mischa Couvrette, for instance. The Toronto native was studying marine biology and environmental sciences at Dalhousie University in Halifax when he accidentally stumbled upon a passion for furniture-making.
He was building a boat with some friends (which they eventually sailed to Guatemala) and realized that working with his hands was more invigorating than working in a lab. Such happy mishaps continue at his Toronto studio hollis+morris.
He got the idea for his Bellwoods Clothes Stand when he saw a piece of fabric get caught in a tree. He liked the way the branches caught the textile, so he turned it into a piece of furniture. The triad of oak or walnut sticks even has a look of happenstance, as though the three tall twigs just happened to fall into the right position to hold a bevy of jackets. From $800 at hollis+morris