Located in Calgary's trendy Inglewood, DaDe ART & DESIGN LAB, bring forth their unique design concepts.  Co-owned by Darcy Lundgren, who has been designing high-end residential since 1992, and interior and commercial design since 2009, Lundgren is now DaDe's creative director.  Teamed with Greg Fraser as DaDe's General Manager and Danielle Bartlette, artist and Artistic Advisor, they provide innovative creations to enhance any living space.  Offering a complete range of products, such as furniture and art by both local and international artists ranging from $200 - $20,000.

The gallery is set up exhibition style and can stage as many as 15 artists at any given time.  The artwork found here use mediums such as metal sculpture, silverworks, and blown glass, just name a few.  Opening in only 2009, DaDe has moved locations two times in two years.  Their current location, a 3000 square foot space, is set with 3 garage doors that really add to this one-of-a kind building.

DaDe's clientele are just as unique as the products they offer.  There does not seem to be a common thread amongst DaDe's users, other than a love for aesthetically pleasing decor.

Happy customers are the best form of promotion, and word of mouth advertising really boosts this gallery.  Fortunately for shoppers, DaDe opened their doors to the public just as many local furniture stores were closing theirs.  This was a big risk, but thus far seemingly a worthwhile one, considering their continuing success'.

DaDe's services include: art, design and decor consultations, research and concept development for residential floor planning, and exterior elevations, along with design development and space planning, graphic presentations, and art rendering, which use color and material palates to produce specifications, sketches and / or technical drawings for clients.  They can also design or remodel kitchens, bathrooms and office space, and they offer custom furniture and mill works.  In addition to their extensive list of services they also offer home staging and styling and special events.   Their past work includes trade shows, media events, fashion shows, weddings and dinner parties, decorating for model suites, private residences and working with realtors, magazines and individual home owners.

Just when you thought it could not get any better, DaDe brings another avenue of art; that being the art of fashion.

Beginning September 10th the gallery will also host the apparel of Fashion Institute of Technology NY graduate, Lauren Bagliore.  She has worked with the House of Vivienne Westwood, Zac Posen, LIBERTINE, and Canada's own Paul Hardy.  Best described by the designer herself, Lauren states:
"I love creating edgy, fashion forward designs and clothes that are beautifully draped and wonderfully cut" she says.  "I want women to feel sexy and unique, but also comfortable in my cloths."

DaDe currently carries her collection "La Risurrezione: dalla Scura alla Luce", which translates into Italian to "the resurrection from dark to light".  The line can be viewed in DaDe's gallery as well as on their website, www.dadegallery.com  They also carry custom one-of-a-kind, made-to-measure leather, outerwear, vests, and other fashion pieces created right here in Calgary by DaDe's own Darcy Lundgren, and William Lewis, who was featured earlier this year in FASHION Magazine.

Not only are they available as space for rent for events and event planners, but also as home decorators, fashion and art retailers and interior designers.  DaDe's got it covered..It seems that the sky is the limit here with DaDe's so waht can they do for you?  Or maybe a better question is what can't these guys do?!        

Small businesses often thrive through word of mouth about their unique products and great service, but the really good ones also succeed because they work at curb appeal.

DaDe Art and Design Lab is one such store. Located in the Inglewood BRZ, DaDe is that set-back place on the south side of 9th Avenue S.E. that for years had those see-through horse sculptures in front on their little plaza area and a broad front window expanse brimming with interestinglooking art.

These days there is a metal sort of filigree seethrough outdoor sculpture called The Cube by Michael Perks that can be rotated and a large piece by Matthew Mark Bourree that looks like two giant ever so pretty pickup sticks wooden bouquets. DaDe's frontage grabs your eye and draws you in.

After meeting charismatic co-owners Darcy Lundgren and Greg Fraser, I was determined to make the time to go take a proper look. DaDe opened in a small space in 2008 in Art Central, but success prompted a move to their current 3,000 beautiful, airy square feet in Inglewood.

Lundgren describes the gallery as an exhibition space for unique local art and unusual furniture from all over the world.

One artist, known only as Sam, creates pieces using old elm wood salvaged from warehouses in Beijing that are just astounding.

DaDe carries antique, repurposed and new items. They have an amazing pair of antique red Chinese wedding wardrobes.

The groom's piece is decorated with a bamboo design and the bride's with cherry blossoms.

I should be so lucky to have a bedroom in which these exceptional pieces could be displayed. At the other end of the spectrum are stainless steel handcrafted wardrobes, media cabinets and sideboards.

DaDe's modern couches and chairs, by Bullfrog, are so chic, so comfortable, I can only dream of such sophisticated furniture instead of the tatty Velveteen rabbit couch currently in my living room and habitually occupied by a gritty, hairy dog and two snacking teenagers. The cool thing about these couches is you can reconfigure the backs and arms to create new shapes.

There are also some pretty amazing art pieces here, including abstract pictures, lots of cool glass sculptures from Bee Kingdom that are made from flowing coloured glass, a guy who does bike sculptures for those of you who are passionate about your bikes, some one-of-a-kind jewelry and leather pieces, and interesting room dividers that are made of smaller shapes and incorporate light and movement in their design.

DaDe will work with clients to help them design, to decorate or to rework their living space using the clients' own pieces as well as new items from the gallery.

If you have an old wardrobe, sideboard, bureau or other piece of antique furniture in need of loving care, check out their antiques that have been redone in beautiful coloured lacquer finishes that play up all the wonderful features of these old pieces while making them look fresh and modern.

Reupholstered, repainted armchairs and reclaimed wood cabinets with graffiti-inspired designs created by David Brunning (KidBelo) as well as paintings and a mural outside the store are part of the current exhibit.

DaDe's lovely space is also available to rent for private functions, fundraisers and exhibitions in case you are on the lookout for an amazing location to host your next event.

Next time you are in the Inglewood BRZ, be sure to check out DaDe Art and Design Lab located at 1327 9th Ave. S.E.

Prepare to be wowed and probably a bit covetous and inspired.

The go-to shopping destination for those who seek eco-friendly design for a modern lifestyle, DaDe Art & Design Lab shows off its wares in a new, 3,000-square-foot location.  Look for everything from custom pieces to antiques and reclaimed designs.

lauren bagliore

best known for: Bagliore uses sexy, buttery Italian jersey fabrics, edgy monochromatic, draping silhouettes and assymetrical cuts. “There are a lot of seemingly basic pieces that are not boring,” she says.

inspiration for 2011 collection: Italian sculptor Bernini. Bagliore’s Italian background comes to the fore in her fall collection, featuring pieces such as the brilliantly designed Desiree “endless” dress that can be worn 15 ways, short or long and even upside down. “I looked at something hard like marble and saw how the masters could make it look so flowing.” Bagliore’s achieved that beautifully in several pieces like the Toga gown and the namesake Bernini dress

favourite piece: The coats. Cashmere/wool blends will stand up to Calgary’s winters and make a stunning statement with their assymetrical cuts, a shawl collar that doubles as a hood and a horn clasp.

who would love this: Women who want comfortable, edgy clothes that can be worn in layers for a seasonless look.

totally new in 2011: The coats, which will be numbered and singed just like art pieces. She’s also introducing some eye-popping silk prints, which can be seen in the linings of her coats, but will be even more prevalant in Spring 2012.

what’s next: Asian inpiration from a recent trip to Thailand will show up in Bagliore’s spring 2012 collection.

pricetag: $525 to $3,200

where to find it in Calgary: Starting Sept. 1, Bagliore’s designs can be found at DaDe Art and Design Lab in Inglewood (dadegallery.com). Also watch for a fashion show and exhibit at the gallery on Nov. 3.

Bicycles are most often seen as utilitarian objects, and through that they have become universal. But in that utility, they also have a unique and interesting esthetic.

Those are the themes explored in the work of Calgary artist Robertus van der Wege, who has an exhibition called The Secret Life of Bicycles at the DaDe Art & Design Lab in Inglewood. van der Wege creates art out of bicycles, toying with ideas of technology, universality, consumerism and humanity.

Here’s how the artist describes it:

“I chose to use these simple pieces of engineering because they are so universal in nature, and I have come to see them as a metaphor for humanity. Throughout the world, only our ability to walk is used more as a means of locomotion. The bicycle exists in every culture and the knowledge of the bicycle mechanic is universal. The skill to repair a bike is the same in Boston, Bangkok, Beirut, or Beijing, and language is not a prerequisite to solving the most complex bicycle problems.”

The Secret Life of Bicycles runs until Sept. 4, so you better hurry down there and check it out.

It’s in the heart of the popular Inglewood neighbourhood with all its unique business ventures.

And DaDe Art & Design adds a different twist to the retailers that dot the 9th Avenue S.E. landscape.

“We’re a really unique concept for Calgary,” says Darcy Lundgren, who owns DaDe Art & Design Lab with Greg Fraser. “What we’re doing is we’re focusing on local artists, but we’re importing furniture from all over the world.

“Right now, we have 15 local artists. Anywhere from blown glass to metal sculpture to silver work to artwork on the walls. Just a very dynamic group of artists that we’re working with.”

The gallery is set up for exhibition space and part of their business plan is renting out the space for private functions and events. There is a rotation of events every six weeks with the artists.

DaDe Art & Design Lab opened in 2009. It is in 3,000 square feet of space. The building was originally a radiator shop. Three garage doors open into the building.

“I’ve been designing high-end residential for 20 years,” says Lundgren. “This has always been a dream to move into the interior design, but offering clients just something unique and very different. Everything we have for product — the furniture, the artwork — it’s all exclusive to us.”

Items range in price from $200 to $20,000 for a sofa.

There is also unique wood product salvaged from buildings slated for demolition in Beijing.

“Our craftsman over there dismantles old factories and warehouses and saves the wood,” says Lundgren.

“Our antiques range anywhere from 100 to 200 years old from China. There’s a library cabinet, wedding cabinets. An altar table.”

The same craftsman does a stainless steel cabinet.

Lundgren says customers range from clients in their 20s starting a new home right up to retired people.

“It’s quite interesting that there hasn’t really been a common denominator so far. It’s just definitely people who want to spend their money on good quality original pieces other than just buying kind of what everybody else has.”

The business opened when other local furniture stores were closing.

“We have taken a huge risk,” says Lundgren. “The year has been quite amazing. The art especially has been doing really well. People are really supporting our artists.

“But we’re not out of the woods yet. We have a long ways to go to let people know that we’re here.”

When is a bicycle not a bicycle?  Does it have to move you?  If so, does it have to move you through space, or is an emotional response (even just a chuckle) good enough?  Robertus van der Wege's bikes are anything but practical.  They look as though they were pulled directly from the pages of Dr. Seuss book, with wheels that spin other wheels, frames connected to frames and new takes on the look of bike seats.  Quirkiness rules over function.  



- Drew Anderson

We get by with a little help from our friends; and sometimes, as in the case of sculptor Robertus Joost van der Wege, we get by with the help of the Malta Bike Man.

Van der Wege, whose international bicycle-inspired sculptures will be on display at Calgary’s DaDe Art & Design Lab starting July 22, began with a vision in 2005, inspired by a trip to the Netherlands. He imagined four bicycles attached in a ring around a tree.

“I would take off the front fork and wheel, and they would all be supported on the back tire,” he explains, “so that four humans could use it and it wouldn’t in any way touch or affect the tree.”

But procuring the raw materials for such a piece was a challenge, considering that even used bikes can be pricey.

Enter the Malta Bike Man.

During his continual search for art-worthy junkers, van der Wege discovered a sort of real-life superhero in Malta, Illinois. The Malta Bike Man, a German-American farmer named Lyle Drexler, had barns packed with hundreds of used bikes, many of which were abandoned, then donated by the surrounding schools. Lyle would collect and sell the bikes, and with the proceeds he would employ local boys in a makeshift bicycle repair shop.

So van der Wege got his bikes, and the sculpture, “A Ride in the Woods,” was born.

“And so I built this thing,” says van der Wege, “And once I had built it, I thought to myself: It’d be neat to do this with a bicycle or that with a bicycle. One thing led to another, and I just never stopped. The ideas just keep coming and coming.”

Each sculpture is carefully thought out, and although the larger pieces have a similar look to them — well, they’re all made of bicycles — the ideas behind them are diverse.

“People have a hard time relating to a dysfunctional bicycle,” says van der Wege in relation to his neatly symmetrical piece, “Siamese Schwinns,” in which the bodies of two bicycles share the same set of wheels. Another un-rideable bike, based on personal experience, is “Bipolar Lady or Lady Bipolar,” two bikes angled together sharing the same seat and handlebar. His inspiration for that piece was being married to an undiagnosed bipolar woman.

Van der Wege, now based in Calgary after living in Libya, was born in the U.S. but has travelled extensively and worked in some far-flung corners of the globe, and this international experience and curiosity is evident in his work. His most political sculpture is called the “Robert Mugabe (Nobody Gets to Ride) Bicycle.” The four-wheeled piece is painted with Zimbabwe’s flags, has no seats, no handlebars, and the breaks are seized. As a final touch, van der Wege recorded real Zimbabwe inflation rates (some of the worst in the world) on each of the four tires. Clearly, no one gets to ride this bike.

“It’s an obvious link between our walking and the automobile or any further,” explains van der Wege. “People are doing automobile art all the time, people are doing aircraft art. We didn’t look at this interim stage of bicycles that much. I’m really fascinated with them as forms.”

In looking at the sculptures, you can sense how many ideas van der Wege has incubating in his head — and how much he enjoys his art.

“I think my work conveys how much fun I have as a sculptor,” he says. “I have a lot of fun — I love to do this.

In the right hands a bike can be so much more than transportation...

Gil Tucker
Global News Calgary