Blog

Artificial boxwood is a highly versatile product that can be custom designed by the Greenscape team to disguise unsightly outdoor views, increase privacy, create intimate green lounges or showcase a unique decor feature for your garden, patio, courtyard or condo balcony.

Grasses add a contemporary and architectural edge to any space. Whether you prefer a lean and linear look, or require the function of a tall privacy screen or a versatile space divider – our design team can add dimension to your patio or define areas within your floor plan.

Our exterior grade grasses can withstand harsh conditions and are fade resistant. Have beautiful landscaping year-round with minimal maintenance.  Custom planter options are available.

Email our design team to book a complimentary consultation to discuss your patio or outdoor space!

                        

Engagement season has officially passed, and soon-to-be newlyweds are flocking to start planning the details of their big day.To get in on the action we recently spent the weekend at the It’s My Wedding show at the Tradex in Abbotsford. We met some new designers, reconnected with old friends, and most importantly, saw some stunning styles and trends.

Here’s what we noticed is hot this season:

Rustic elegance still seems to be one of the leading trends for BC brides, with birch accents complimenting warm palettes. Pewters, chocolates and rich jewel tones look great in textured linens, such as pintuck and velvet.

               

Soothing tones of champagne and cream compliment each other perfectly and create an air of enveloping warmth for a naturally sophisticated design.

      

Manzanita Branches and dripping crystals look elegant as always, and are perfect for the couple that loves to sparkle and shine!

      

For a dramatic change to the soft palettes we’re seeing this season, we created a gothic romance for the Table Decor Challenge. We paired vibrant red with luxurious black damask linens. To carry the theme throughout all elements, our branchy centrepiece was growing right out of a Harlequin romance novel!

 We had a great time at It’s My Wedding, and we can’t wait to start ringing in wedding season.  Bride or planner, our design team is available to discuss your vision in a complimentary consultation!  CONTACT US to reserve a time convenient for you!

Beautiful and elegant for interior spaces, birch décor creates stunning backdrops and accent pieces to bring the outside in. Birch tree bark peels off in thin, scroll-like peels and makes an interesting textured column. Exceptionally versatile, birch trees grow up to 70 feet tall, so the sky’s the limit if you have a big ‘ol truck!

For a recent holiday event in Calgary with MacGillivray & Associates, Greenscape created distinctive birch screens, planters and backdrops that were up to 16’ tall. The natural white colour of the birch poles allowed for high impact lighting and created an inviting atmosphere in the room.

               

Greenscape Design & Décor was the proud recipient of the award for Best Theme Décor $15 000 to $40 000 presented November 4th, 2011 by the BC Event Awards.

This is a regional awards program recognizing outstanding achievements in special events, meeting management, and conference planning and exhibition management.

This was truly exciting for our team, as the event we chose to feature was The RIMS Opening Night Reception, one of the largest events we’ve worked on yet! The theme was “Rainforests of the World” and we truly created a magical and interactive event for guests to enjoy.

With the design concept headed by our Creative Director, Christine Cox, this was a significant achievement for us, as we transformed an empty exhibition hall into a 40 000 sq foot rainforest experience, featuring four distinct landscapes: Pacific Northwest, Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America. Every team member, and beyond, was called upon to bring forth their creativity and strength (20’ tall trees aren’t light!) and it was a privilege to have our design and teamwork recognized.

For a special treat, CLICK to view the gal on the right rapping a sweet acceptance speech!

The BC Event Awards were presented as part of the CSEME 2011 Conference where we showcased our newly launched Westcoast Modern themed booth, which featured our birch products and luxurious linens and chair covers from Chair Décor.

  

We also were excited to have received top honours for our participation in the CSEME Theme Décor Challenge. This is a design challenge in which you have a 10 x 10 space that must include a table setting useable for actual dining and include at least 4 chairs. It is an over the top design extravaganza. Our team created a Mexican inspired “Day of the Dead” (Dia de Muertes) table display was super sexy, fun and featured an explosion of colour!

From 40 000 square feet to a table set for 4, we can do it all! What design challenge would you like to see us create? Tweet us your ideas! @GreenscapeVan.

When I first entered the room for the first session of Event Camp Vancouver 2011, I knew I was entering a thought-changing landscape for learning, interaction, and innovative formats. With the chairs arranged in a giant circle, as if around a massive bonfire of ideas and energy, face-to-face engagement was set as the standard for the weekend. We talked, we sang, we danced, we “sexercised!”

Event Camp asked questions. Lots of them.

• What is the purpose?
• What is the objective?
• What are you trying to achieve?
• What do you want to learn in this moment?
• What do you want to experience?
• What way do you want to engage?
• What level of technology are you able or willing to embrace?
• What have you done that is sustainable today?
• What can you do to be sustainable everyday?
• What can we do to design better?
• What can we control and what can we influence?
• What are our resources?
• What can we do to design event experiences that don’t yet exist?
• What is your twitter handle?
• What change can you make to motivate yourself and others?

There were no right answers, but rather an overwhelming wealth of contributions and ideas from people all over the world who were excited about possibility, change and collaboration.  It was a dynamic and transforming dialogue.

In addition to attending this industry-changing experience – Greenscape contributed sustainable décor options for the Room for Thought. This “white space” was a green space designed to encourage participants to have a place to reflect and rejuvenate. We focused on creating an interactive and highly sustainable space. Every item was sustainable through our manufacturing process or had been refurbished, reclaimed, or repurposed with all items returning to our rental inventory to be endlessly reused.

               

For me, Event Camp created a legacy of new friendships, deeper connections, and bigger thoughts. I am inspired to be a better leader, a more creative designer, a more collaborative colleague. I will drive my company towards greater sustainability and higher levels of technological advances and innovation.  I want an app.  I want greener options.  I want to eliminate fear, fail, and fine from my vocabulary (I need to keep fake folks, until I change my tagline – Sometimes Fake Is Better!)  I want to learn more.  I want to be a champion for enthusiasm and change.  I want to help.

Tahira Endean was the loving force behind making Event Camp happen in Vancouver, yet Event Camp grew bigger than any one person or singular contribution. She was the spark behind this massive experience by saying, “Yes, lets” and then it was ignited by a passionate group of people that followed up with “Yes, and.”

The fire burns on…

I spent the last weekend at the four-day, annual Interior Design Show West (IDSwest) at the gorgeous Vancouver Convention Centrewith the Greenscape team showcasing our work and being inspired by amazing designs and designers! So many things I can’t yet afford – all conveniently under one roof! One day….We met some fantastic new people and had a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with our friends and fellow design fans. Our booth featured an interactive Westcoast Modern design, which encouraged people to be playful in the sandy beach floor and walk through the driftwood canopy.  Shoes were definitely optional!

      

Some of our favourite pieces at the show:

We loved the Illuminated tree rings by Judson Beaumont of Straight Line Designs, Inc.  Illuminated from within, these pieces are a playful perch for your feet or drink during the day, and provide bright and lively luminescence at night to transform your space.

A cool freestanding soft shelter partition system by Molo Design offers endless possibilities with shaping intimate spaces within larger open areas  - we thought this would be fantastic for special events!

And a big shout out to the Collaboration booth that was almost as messy as our sandbox with their beautiful moss floor! We will both probably end up with a vacuuming bill! They launched a striking collection of hand-cast planters with a wonderfully irregular silhouette.

What was your favourite exhibitor at IDSwest 2011?

Tweet us @greenscapevan or post here to let us know!

IDS West 2011

The Interior Design Show West (IDSwest) based in Vancouver BC, is Western Canada’s annual premiere design show for contemporary residential design.  From Sept 29 – Oct 2, 2011,  IDSwest tranforms the Vancouver Convention Centre into a mecca for design, showcasing the newest and most exciting top designers, retailers and manufacturers from around the world.  An audience of design-savvy consumers and industry professionals participate in a celebration of design, art and architecture through interactive displays, feature highlights, design competitions, and international keynote presenters. Greenscape is proud to be a 2011 exhibitor - don’t miss our booth!

TRIVIA TWEETS! ENTER TO WIN!

Follow us on twitter @GreenscapeVan and follow the hastag #TriviaTweets to enter to win an IDSwest Evening for 2 package including:

• a $50 Gift Certificate to Joey Restaurant
• 2 tickets to attend the IDSwest tradeshow
• 2 drink tickets at the show!

For our #TriviaTweets contest, we will be testing how well you know Greenscape Design & Décor! Each week for the next three weeks we will send out a new trivia question.  Tweet your answer, mention @GreenscapeVan and include the #TriviaTweets hashtag.  Answer all 3 questions and receive 3 entries into the draw!  The winner will be selected by random draw and announced via Twitter on September 26th, 2011.

Feel free to tweet something like this: “I entered to win an IDSwest Evening for 2 @GreenscapeVan with my answer:  (insert answer) #TriviaTweets”

QUESTION #1 (Sept 5-11) Which of our clients did we create the Pacific Passage exhibit for?

QUESTION #2 (Sept 12-18) What instrument does our Principal play in her band, Los Furios?

QUESTION #3 (Sept 19-24) What is the name of our red rose petal lady?

Enjoy a few pictures from our previous exhibits – however, prepare for the unexpected from our booth this year!

               

Celebrate design and become inspired by some of the world’s most creative people at IDSwest!  Visit our booth and participate in our interactive contest for more chances to win!

Bamboo has long been the darling of the green design world. Known for its lightening speed growth and extraordinary versatility, this plant may very well be the future of, well – many things.Its fibers can be spun into soft fabric used for clothing, or its poles can be used to reinforce buildings. Lately designers are taking bamboo to heights never before imagined (and bamboo can grow up to 100 feet!).  New innovations such as the electricity-free bamboo speaker and the bamboo bicycle keep proving that the uses of bamboo are infinite.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Bamboo isn’t wood – it is actually a grass that grows in stalks called culms.

• Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants in the worlds – some species can grow over 4’ in 24 hours.

• Trees used in conventional wood fencing can take up to 50 years to replenish whereas bamboo can regenerate its full mass in just 6 months.  Bamboo renews itself from it extensive root system, so does not need to be replanted.

• It is stronger than mild steel.

• Bamboo produces 35% more oxygen than an equivalent stand of trees and provides wildlife habitats for animals and birds.

At Greenscape, we love this renewable plant source, not only for its green factor but for its aesthetic excellence as well. Check out some of the displays we’ve recently done using this wonderful grass. Don’t forget to come by the warehouse to look at all the new bamboo we have in stock as well!