Concordia Journal Home > Archives > May 29, 2008 issue >

Class Action 

Humble aspen makes nifty furniture

SIDIM, the Salon International du design d’intérieur de Montréal, took over the exhibition space in Place Bonaventure for three days this month to show the latest furniture and home accessories to the publicand interior design professionals.

Concordia design students take an active part in SIDIM, creating their own furniture out of recycled and ecologically sound materials with an emphasis on economy, versatility and quick assembly.

Martin Racine’s class made a connection this year with ValoriTremble, a Quebec company that processes and promotes one of our most common tree species, the trembling aspen.

A member of the poplar family, populus tremuloides Michx grows in almost all of Canada’s forest regions. The wood is pale and lightweight, with low density and a fine texture.

Right now it is used for packaging, particleboard, veneer, plywood, kitchen utensils, window shade slats, oars and casket components, but it is slowly coming into wider use for furniture; for example, Ikea now has a line of products.

ValoriTremble gave the class all the wood they needed, treated and untreated.

The results are surprisingly effective. Untreated, the wood is blond like birch. When it is treated with heat, or “torre-fied,” it becomes harder and darker, and can be used outdoors. Many of the students used this visual contrast to good effect.