Willow & Stump Design Co.
Industrial Designers
Willow & Stump Design Co. is a multidisciplinary studio focused on creating meaningful products designed to function in our modern world. Partners Kaly Ryan and Bram Sawatzky are Industrial Designers based in Vancouver, Canada.
Vancouver, Canada
Get to know Willow & Stump Design Co.
What inspires you (in design or in life)?
EVERYTHING. It sounds cliche but there are design opportunities everywhere - from going to the grocery store to spending a night at the ballet. Sometimes we are inspired by events and objects in our daily lives and sometimes it takes a trip across the word to spark a new idea. One of the most exciting things about being a designer is getting to take some of our daily inspiration and bring it to life.
Why did you make a light based on a Ballet Piece?
Ballet BC is an established and influential part of the Vancouver cultural scene, performing highly acclaimed productions locally and internationally. Each show is a unique experience and we enjoy supporting other local artists. After seeing their Canadian premiere of William Forsythe’s piece Enemy in the Figure this past November, we knew we needed to incorporate the themes of the dance into a new design. Originally created in 1989, Enemy in the Figure showcases a single floodlight on wheels pushed across the stage throughout the piece, illuminating and obscuring dancers in a dynamic theatrical display of chaos and anticipation. Light is an integral part of the suspense, becoming a character alongside the dancers, and we wanted to recreate this dramatic tension in a consumer product.
Tell us about your studio/workspace
It’s messy! We share our studio & woodshop with several other industrial designers and woodworkers based in Vancouver. It is great to be in an environment where we can be creative and bounce ideas off of other people. We really appreciate being able to prototype and tweak physical models of our products in-house.
© 2025 Gantri, Inc. All Rights Reserved.