design patriotism
I’m a Canadian designer. My business: located in Canada.
You know this from my About page, so why am I going on about it now? Let’s talk about the ethos of buying for your home at home.
The situationship.
At the time of writing, Canada is on the brink of a trade war. Beyond trade conflict, it has been communicated that our sovereignty is under threat. Many Americans (and U.S. companies) do not support either of these points under their current political situationship, but they don’t have much, if any, control over it. In fact, they are likely to suffer negative impacts under this leadership as well, with or without the burgeoning Buy Canadian movement. It is my preference that none of us suffer this. And yet…
As Canadians, our actions are limited to what we control. We do control how we spend our money.
In response to the spectre of aggressive tariffs + our own domestic counter-tariffs many citizens are expressing a strong interest in domestic products.
I love this for us.
Prioritizing sources.
Since beginning to work in design it has been my general rule when sourcing/shopping related to interior products and finishes to prioritize domestic and local sources as much as possible. When there is a necessary product at a good price point, that performs well, the local + domestic option is at the top of the list.
As a next-best choice, I typically support local businesses who are dealers or distributors of products and materials for international products that, again, best fit the purpose.
For things that can’t be sourced locally in the domestic market – for me, locally means Ontario, or either Quebec or Manitoba – my personal guideline has been to seek out cross-border suppliers in NY and other northern states, alongside Western Canadian sources, then North American, and following that, further afield.
Under a stable trade agreement that works, but not any more.
The spirit of the current moment is to foreground goods that are not merely local but proudly Canadian.
Why local?
Community solidarity. As a small business here in Canada, I see the benefit of supporting others who have taken the risk and commitment to supply our communities; it strengthens our economy, making us more self-sufficient and resilient.
Risk mitigation. Building relies on physical materials, finishes, furnishings, and acquiring them from suppliers in closer proximity to our final location reduces project timeline and budget risks related to import issues at the border and delayed timelines due to supply chain interruptions.
Lower costs + carbon. To reduce the energy required to extract, process, fabricate, and transport materials to their eventual location on the build site.
Honour this place. To link the building’s form and story in a profound, intrinsic way, to the place, time, history, and community in which it sits – an approach that is referred to as Regionalism. To learn more, read this article on regionalism and sustainable design in Canada.
Celebrate our people. Concurrent with Regionalism is more widespread awareness of Indigenous Design principles. These include profound respect for environment+place, community, and the interconnectedness of generations past, present, and future—that all of us will be affected by present actions. To learn more, view this article on vernacular and Indigenous building in Canada and this article in AZURE profiling Indigenous designers.
In practice.
With so much in flux, when I provide source lists to my clients going forward I will further prioritize domestic products, even if they are coming in from Western Canada, rather than sourcing from directly across the border in upstate NY or other northern states. This will help support our domestic economy and mitigate risk of cost increases and supply chain issues that are triggered at the whim of our neighbouring country’s current administration.
For products where there is no feasible domestic product substitution, I will seek international products with strong commitments to our domestic economy, such as Canadian manufacturing facilities and other substantive ties to local businesses, jobs, and community.
So that’s the ‘why’ of prioritizing Canadian stuff as you renovate or purchase new furnishings for your home.
You might now wonder where are these domestic products lurking?
Stay tuned. I’ll share a list of sources by category in a future post.
