In the era of mass production where quality may be compromised, Canadian born woodworker Cadence Hays is restoring one piece of furniture at a time. In a big and bright studio, using natural processes to bring the beauty of mid century pieces to life, Cadence is injecting her own signature style into homes of clients. Here she discusses her favourite materials and finishes, her fundamental rules for clean restoration and managing family and studio life.
TLP: Hello Cadence, welcome to The Local Project and thank you for taking the time to chat. Could you please give us a quick introduction on yourself? How did you become interested in wood restorations?
CH: I’m Canadian born and raised and live in the city of Winnipeg, a place that can range from +40 celcius in the summer to -40 celcius in the winter. My father was a carpenter by trade, so I grew up in his workshop watching him and taking in the sights, smells and sounds that come with working with your hands. It’s the kind of environment that becomes ingrained in you; for me seeing a project come to life and the quiet satisfaction that my dad would get from his final product, that really resonated with me. So my interest in woodwork, which in turn led to restorations, definitely came from him.
TLP: Tell us about your amazing studio and your signature style?
CH: I work in a big, bright studio in an area of my city called the Exchange District. It’s a neighbourhood of old heritage buildings that were originally home to a lot of manufacturing companies. The buildings have since filled up with boutique stores, coffee shops, condos, restaurants, and small businesses. I’m lucky enough to have some really beautiful exposed brick walls and big, oversized windows in my studio, which are great for a ton of natural light. My signature style is a mix + match of organic and mid-century. So I guess ‘Organic Mid Century’ might sum it up. To me a perfect room would always include one signature, stand-out piece (like a restored credenza), a lot of greenery to create warmth + texture, and definitely a collection of pottery (I love vintage studio pottery) to make sure things don’t look too perfect and lifeless.
TLP: What are your favourite materials and/ or finishing methods to work with and why?
CH: I work with a lot of walnut and teak woods, both of which are commonly used in mid-century furniture designs (my specialty in restoring), Restoration certainly isn’t glamorous, but the fact that you can take an old piece of wood that’s been water damaged or sun bleached, for example, and make it look totally new again, is an amazing process to me. The end result is always worth it. I stay away from chemical strippers and stick to a simple method that includes an orbital sander, non-toxic oils as much as I can, and hand-mixed all-natural stains (when I need to colour match a piece). For those looking for an amazing finishing product, Osmo Oil (made in Germany) is something I always stick to. Through trial and error I’ve discovered great products like this.
TLP: What is fundamental to your restoration process?
CH: One fundamental rule I stick to in my restoration process is ‘natural is best’. Showcasing the natural beauty of the material is my main goal. In my case it’s the grain in the wood. A lot of times I’m stripping off some really ugly paint or mousey brown stain to bring a piece of furniture back to its most basic, simple form. People don’t come to me to have a dresser painted, for example. So I’m kind of in reverse mode when it comes to finishing furniture. I want everything off for a clean slate.
TLP: Do you have a favourite part of the restoration process? Is it the initial start of working on the piece or the final stages?
CH: For sure initially starting the process is my favourite part. I get a lot of commissioned work, meaning that people will bring me a piece of furniture to restore, so speaking with the client about their end vision and how I can make that happen is satisfying to me. And if you’ve never oiled a freshly sanded piece of wood before, it’s definitely worth a try sometime. Taking a dull, flat finish and wiping it with a walnut oil, for example (which is like MSG for wood), is a really beautiful process. All of a sudden you’ll see all of the light and golden browns mixed in with the grainy swirls of the wood. So I guess the oiling process is another favourite part of the restoration process for me.
TLP: How do you involve the client into the design process?
CH: I find that for the most part people know that what they see on my Instagram page (@thewhiitehouse) is what they’re going to get from me in terms of my restoration style. I don’t cut corners and I’ll let the client know from the start if their piece of furniture is going to be a good candidate for the restoration process. For example, a lot of mid-century furniture has what I call ‘dual grains’ – vertical wood grains on the drawers and horizontal wood grains on the doors (on a credenza, for example). The end result of the wood will therefore be more of a two-toned finish after restoration. After explaining this to the client they then have the choice to keep it natural and as-is, or we talk about stain matching so that the whole piece is uniform. I like to hash out the details so that there aren’t any surprises in the end.
TLP: What would be your dream collaboration?
CH: To find a local company that sources beautiful mid-century furniture that often times needs restoration work (insert my services). I know that doesn’t sound very exciting, but I’d love to streamline the work flow of my business. I love doing commissioned work mixed-in with selling my own pieces, but as an entrepreneur I feel like consistency is the key. On another path, a dream collaboration would be to photograph and style projects for an inspiring company or maker. One can dream, right? I’m a little obsessed with beautiful objects, especially for the home, and photography is certainly a passion of mine. I think about composition way too much (in a good way).
TLP: How do you feel social media platforms are influencing the furniture industry?
CH: For me Instagram has been a game-changer in a positive way. You can connect with others in your industry and literally follow their progress on a daily basis. It’s inspiring and motivating for me. I love seeing what’s trending in Melbourne in the furniture industry (via @thelocalproject and @popandscott for example) as compared to what’s most current here at home in Canada. The only concern I’d have for social media in the context of the furniture industry is that with all of the sharing going on with new ideas and designs, it’s easy to attract copycats or have your ideas ‘borrowed’ too early on in your design process.
TLP: How do you organise and manage the studio and family life?
CH: Some days I feel like the flow of the daytime studio is right in sync with a good work/family balance, and other times it can feel overwhelming to an extreme. I’ve learned to buffer my deadlines and to not rush things because ultimately, a rushed project can show in the end. What’s that old saying? “It’s best to under-promise and over-deliver”. Because there’s nothing worse than over-promising and under-delivering. I’m also a wife and a mother of a 4 and 7-year-old so I need to really keep my energy in check. Restoration is a physically tiring job, so when I put in a full day, then get home to make dinner, then rush out to a baseball or hockey game, it can be a recipe for disaster if I’m not careful about using my time wisely. My mind is always thinking about what’s next, whether it be going online with a shop to slow down, or just forging ahead with what’s currently working. I suppose time will tell!
