Organic Gardening News

If there is one thing Chantel and Ryan Ness of Supermarket Studio and Andrea Ewanchyna of Andrea Jae Studio have in common, it’s the belief that collaboration makes design stronger. Both studios are rooted in craft and process. Both are attentive to material, structure and the lived experience of a space, and both approach design as a dialogue rather than a solo act.

This mindset is what brought them together to design a custom stair runner for a residential project. Ewanchyna conceived a runner that would become the visual anchor of the home.

“We collaborated with Supermarket Studio to make it happen,” she says.

The stair runner design drew from Bauhaus textiles and architectural lines, resulting in a bold geometric pattern that honoured structure.

“That project was really rooted in design for purpose rather than design for esthetics, which is how Bauhaus came into the mix because ‘form follows function’ is their M.O.,” says Ewanchyna.

As Ewanchyna and Supermarket Studio refined the design, they realized it resonated beyond the client’s home. “We’d have random strangers coming up to us asking where they could purchase that rug,” says Ewanchyna.

Supermarket Studio received similar inquiries after posting progress images. The response led to the creation of the Loom x Andrea Jae Studio capsule collection.

The Loom collection

At the heart of the collection is a shared respect for textile history.

“Andrea and I were thinking a lot about weaving as a female-led tradition. Heritage and tradition have been carried forward through knowledge, repetition and making,” says Chantel Ness.

The influence of Bauhaus textile artist Anni Albers was intentional.

“We were inspired by Anni Albers’ idea of textiles as a dialogue between maker and material, which encouraged us to work with restraint and rhythm rather than decoration,” says Ness.

Bauhaus was a German design movement focused on function, geometry and the union of art and craft. In the Loom collection, Ewanchyna and Ness reflect that ethos by prioritizing structure and material over ornament, using disciplined geometry and the loom’s warp as a starting point to create purposeful, tactile rugs.

Colour, personality and comfort

The Loom collection features three distinct colourways, says Ness.

“‘Espresso’ is intentionally neutral and easy to live with, ‘Coast’ is a bit more fun, and ‘Plum’ nods to the colour-drenching trend happening in interiors right now. It was really about seeing how far the same design could stretch just through colour,” she says.

Developing those palettes required experimentation, says Ewanchyna. Supermarket Studio have hundreds of colours in their studio to select from.

What you think might work doesn’t necessarily translate, so the colour pompoms Supermarket Studio uses have become critical to the design process, says Ewanchyna. Their studio also helps with decisions on pile height, density and yarn spin so the rugs feel as good as they look.

West Coast modern esthetic

The Loom collection reflects a West Coast modern sensibility, says Ewanchyna.

“In terms of design, West Coast modern means framing views of the natural world around us, whether that is through a vista in a window or creating a mood through layering of materials. There are lichens out there in our rainforest in these tones that we can tend to forget about,” she says.

Ultimately, she says, it’s about how these rugs make a space feel: “I want people to feel underfoot comfort! That’s the whole point of an area rug, isn’t it?! I also want them to feel like it’s a piece of art, but on the floor. I want them to know that each one of these rugs is handmade and therefore one of a kind.”

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Sam Curleigh and his wife, Samantha Croll, spent eight months looking for “the perfect family-size townhome” to accommodate their growing family and two large dogs.

“We visited several projects, but there was always something missing,” says Curleigh. “When we visited Terrain, it ticked off all our boxes.”

Croll, who is pregnant with the couple’s second child, agreed. “We love the spacious yard and the location, which backs onto the longest trail system in Squamish. We really did our research, and we are excited to move into a three-bedroom townhome with great views of the Tantalis Mountain range this October.”

Located at the confluence of the mountains and the sea, Polygon Homes’ Terrain has been carefully integrated into the hillside in the Garibaldi Springs neighbourhood, creating a subtle transition between urban and rural landscapes.

As one of the fastest-growing communities in Canada, Squamish’s reputation as a world-class tourist destination has made this town a desirable place to live, work and play. Known as the “outdoor recreational capital of Canada,” many people from across the Lower Mainland are moving here for the outdoor lifestyle.

“Squamish is a very desirable location in the Lower Mainland, and we are seeing this area appeal to a wide range of buyers. Terrain itself is adjacent to over 90 acres of parkland with views of the breathtaking surroundings and just steps from Squamish’s extensive trail network, so it’s highly attractive to outdoor lovers and adventurers,” says Goldie Alam, senior vice-president of marketing at Polygon Homes, adding that during its opening day on Jan. 31, 2026, Polygon sold 22 homes.

Since Terrain’s opening, the response has been overwhelmingly positive — everyone from downsizers to young couples who are expanding their families and needing more space.

“We also saw a lot of parents coming with their kids and grandchildren to provide both emotional and financial support to assist the next generation of their families as they enter or move up in the market,” says Alam. “One of our floor plans features a secondary suite and some families are buying this type of home to have multiple generations living together.”

Overlooking the Squamish Valley, within Polygon’s master planned community of Garibaldi Springs, Terrain is a collection of 127 three and four-bedroom contemporary townhomes, ranging from 1,480 to 2,232 square feet. Each home comes with large decks or patios, fenced-in backyards, and side-by-side oversized garages that are insulated and heated with EV rough-ins and plenty of storage for outdoor toys. When complete, Garibaldi Springs will comprise 314 townhomes.

Designed by Ekistics, the homes’ architecture blends well with the mountain setting with sharply pitched roof lines, black-framed windows and vertical siding.

“The homes on the higher elevation have better views of the mountains, but each home has some kind of view,” says Alam.

Curated by Polygon Interior Design, each townhome is comfortably designed for today, with over-height ceilings, expansive windows flooding the homes with natural light, contemporary cabinetry with matte black steel hardware, and a Samsung appliance package including an induction cooktop with oven, and in some plans integrated refrigerators and dishwashers.

Spacious, these larger homes’ interiors reflect a blend of modern design and urban flair, with generous open-plan layouts perfect for entertaining family and friends.

Alam went on to say that the three-bedroom homes have been selling extremely well.

“The smaller townhomes have been very popular with first-time homebuyers. … They are obviously at a lower price point, starting at just over a million,” she says. “Upstairs, there are little den areas adjacent to the kitchen. Some buyers are creating coffee bars, while others have made them into little play areas or dens.”

Another big draw for young families is Terrain’s proximity to a great school system and daycares, as well as the community’s three-acre Hub Park, with ponds that connect to the existing trail system.

Project: Terrain

Project address: 41159 Garibaldi Springs Way, Squamish

Developer: Polygon Terrain Homes Ltd.

Architect: Ekistics

Interior designer: Polygon Interior Design

Project size: 127 homes

Number of bedrooms: Three and four bedrooms wood-framed townhomes

Price: Starting from $1,068,000

Sales centre: 41159 Garibaldi Springs Way, Squamish

Centre hours: Open daily from noon to 5 p.m. (closed Fridays)

Phone: 604.757.5550

Website: polyhomes.com/community/terrain/

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Are you a garden gambler? Good gamblers usually win more than they lose, but in the garden we all take a gamble. Unforeseen bad weather, insects, disease and lack of time or attention are all risks we face every year, but good garden gamblers aren’t just lucky, they stack the odds in their favour.

As a new season begins, let’s play the odds to our advantage. First, we need to get to know Mother Nature a little better. She loves to fool us with some very nice weather early on. Sunny March days when the temperature bumps up to 15-18°C is a garden motivator like nothing else. Gardeners almost feel a little tardy in getting some early varieties going. We tend to think it’s going to be an early spring so we should take advantage of the weather and start planting.

Unfortunately, clear sunny days are followed by cold frosty nights and, with no cloud protection, white frost can appear in the early mornings, damaging some of those optimistic plantings.

We can mitigate some of the cold by using raised beds and Remay coverings to keep the soil and plants warmer, but we need to question our rationale. Every day now the sun in our Northern Hemisphere gives us about one minute more daylight, and as the sun’s angle gets higher, a little more warmth as well.

A good gambler would look at this and say, “Why not wait a little longer to do my early planting?” The bragging rights of having the earliest lettuce, spinach or peas don’t outweigh the benefits of planting a later crop with less risk and better production.

Soil preparation is another example of logic vs. luck. Heavy, wet soils are the No. 1 reason plants don’t thrive and are your biggest risk for failure. On the other hand, well-prepared soils increase your chances of success more than you can imagine. Your plants will take off more quickly, grow more vigorously, resist disease more effectively, and mature into beautiful specimens.

The practice of regenerative gardening means less digging, rototilling and, overall, less soil disturbance. To establish a “no-till” garden, seasonal additions of organic matter like mushroom compost or other more fibrous material will keep your soils more open and looser. When you’ve got the texture just right, all you need to do is rake it out and you’re ready to go.

Seeds or transplants? Which are better for you? As a rule of thumb, planting larger seeds later is a good decision. For instance, peas, beans and broad beans germinate easily and are inexpensive to grow, but they still should not be direct seeded outdoors until all danger of frost has passed and the soil has reached a consistent night temperature of 10°C.

Smaller seeds, like onions, lettuce and brassicas, are best pre-started in plug trays or small packs, and the new plantable pots. It often takes growers a month or more to produce a saleable young transplant, and when you consider the time factor, I would gamble on the pre-started plants for my garden. You are almost guaranteed success and have saved four to six weeks of time and maintenance.

Once you set plants out in your garden, you are arranging a buffet for a whole host of slugs, insects, rodents, rabbits, and yes, even our garden friendly birds.

It’s important to remember, early in the season, there is little else for wildlife to eat, and your garden is their best bet. Later in the season, as grass, weeds, leaves, and many native perennial plants begin to grow, wildlife has lots of alternatives, but meantime, be prepared.

If you’re a novice gambler, you will just leave them there and hope for the best. Garden wise gamblers will not take that chance. Setting out pet-safe slug baits and deterrents and covering your young plants with Remay or row cover materials dramatically increases your odds of a favourable outcome.

Another success factor here is observation. You need to be out there daily to check not only the condition of your plants, but also to look for signs of any small intruders. Nibbled leaves, slug slime trails, and aphid droppings are all evidence a good garden detective will quickly pick up on and remedy as quickly as possible.

Early in the season, plants grow quite slowly. When we get consistently warmer day and night temperatures, plants can grow two or three times more quickly so your chances of success are far greater.

I’ve learned a great deal from many seasoned gardeners. These are folks who have a passion for gardening and love to share their experiences and expertise. They seem to have one thing in common which is a strong preference for certain plant varieties and they are quite resistant to change. I’m always encouraging them to try newer, more exciting introductions, but with limited success! Their reluctance comes from experience and their own positive results with the varieties they grow. They are less willing to gamble on new plants when they have seen continued success with favourites they know and trust.

When folks share their gardening success stories, I always ask them which varieties worked the best and honestly, sometimes they forget. Keeping an ongoing garden journal for timely notes, best varieties, care, and feeding tips you’ve learned and had success with along the way takes away a lot of uncertainty out of planting year after year.

As I said, gardening is a gamble, but a good one. It teaches us so much about soils, nutrients, timing for planting and plant care, and watching weather patterns. It also makes us very aware that we need to focus on our plants and protect them as well as enjoy them.

Nature loves to play with us and at times throw a punch or two, but she is also the best teacher, if we learn to observe, listen, and learn. The more we do that, the less gardening remains a gamble and becomes more of a safe bet.

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