Solid Wood Furniture with Humble Object
When it comes to designing and building solid wood furniture that balances timeless simplicity with thoughtful details, few do it quite like Doug Izon of Humble Object Furniture Inc. Based in East Vancouver, Doug has spent the past four years crafting both commercial and residential pieces that invite closer inspection—pieces where the beauty is in the subtle curves, clever joinery, and natural finishes. From collaborating with interior designers and developers to building personal projects that evolve over time, Doug brings a deep respect for materials and a love for hands-on woodworking to everything he creates.
We sat down with Doug to learn more about his inspirations, his approach to finishes, and the tools and techniques that make his work stand out.
Meet Doug Izon, the human behind Humble Object
Doug Izon is the founder of Humble Object Furniture Inc., a Vancouver-based woodworking studio specializing in solid wood furniture. He designs and builds both commercial and residential pieces, blending timeless simplicity with thoughtful details that reveal themselves the closer you look.
Website: www.humbleobject.com
Instagram: @humble_object
Tik tok: @Noema.nest
Our shop is based out of East Vancouver, BC, Canada
Who are you and what do you specialize in?
My Name is Doug Izon. I specialize in designing and building solid wood stand alone furniture. I work on commercial b2b projects with interior designers and developers as well as residential pieces.
How long have you been practicing? How did you get started?
I have been building furniture for 4 years. I got started previously through renovating photo studios In Toronto, Chicago, and Vancouver that I owned and operated for 5 years.
What inspires your designs and choice of materials?
I am inspired by simple furniture from the past. I take inspiration from Japanese joinery and Scandinavian wood choices. I look to create simple silhouettes that have more to see the closer you look. I like people to double back and wonder how a joint or curve was created.
How do you choose your wood finishes?
I always look for a natural matte finish that preserves the colour of light wood such as Oak And Ash and darkens darker woods such as Walnut or Cherry.
What’s your biggest frustration when finishing wood?
One of the biggest frustrations is probably the dry time of most finishes and working with heavy projects with complex curves that you have to finish in stages.
What do you value most in a wood finish?
Ease of application (Self Leveling), Durability, and dry time.
What’s your favourite type of project to work on?
I really enjoy working on personal projects for my house because I get to live with them for many years and see the subtle changes over time. It's crazy how much Cherry darkens over time. I love to see that. I also get to mill them down if I don't like the design after a couple years and build something completely new.
We’ve asked you to share some of your favourite pieces finished with Osmo, can you tell us what makes them special to you?
All of the pieces I've shared were the first time I built these designs. This is always the most fun. It does become more of a job and less creative every time you build the same thing again so I do really enjoy the firsts.
How do you feel about the upkeep and maintenance of your finished pieces?
I build with solid wood only to make sure the pieces live on for as long as the owner wants and I like them to age naturally so I usually don't up keep that much but definitely if there are major scratches I will do a full resand and re-seal.
Do you have any advice for someone entering woodworking?
Find a co-op shop that allows you to use the larger industrial tools. Once you start building you will know if it's right for you or not. Try to attend every industry event in your city or area and network network network!
What tool can you not live without?
The hand router! Paired with hand made jigs you can literally do anything.
What is something you wish you knew sooner in your career?
Design for wood movement! Solid wood will move and expand and contract but it's ok, you can fit this into your design process and it doesn't have to be intimidating.
Where do you shop for finishes and materials?
GreenWorks at 1350 William St in Vancouver for all the finishing products. We get our wood from Reimer in Abbotsford and everything else from Home Depot.
Favourite Osmo product?
The one I use the most and definitely my favorite is Osmo Polyx®-Oil 3051 Raw. I will be upgrading to the LED-UV light curing options this year hopefully.
What are you most excited about this year?
More product design and seeing more and more of our pieces out there in the wild. Also building our personal apartment account @Noema.nest where we build and update our dream apartment
Anything else you would like to share?
Thanks so much for featuring us! We do truly love the products that Osmo creates and are very excited to try out the new UV Light cure. If you're new woodworkers out there and want to connect with us send a DM we love to help out where we can!
Where you can find Doug Izon and Humble Object
You can find Humble Object at:
Website: www.humbleobject.com
Instagram: @humble_object
Tik tok: @Noema.nest
Location: Based out of East Vancouver, BC, Canada
Need Wood Finish in the Vancouver area?
You can find Osmo products at the following locations:
Hue and Hammer Broadway
1838 West Broadway Vancouver, BC V6J 1Y9
Greenworks Building Supply Inc
1350 William Street Vancouver, BC V5L 2P5
Lee Valley Vancouver
1180 South East Marine Drive Vancouver, BC V5X 2V6
Windsor Plywood Burnaby
2280 Holdom Ave Burnaby, BC V5B 4Y5
Lee Valley Coquitlam
1401 United Boulevard Coquitlam, BC V3K 6Y7
Windsor Plywood Coquitlam
#105 - 2700 Barnet Highway Coquitlam, BC V3B 1B8
Poco Building Supplies
2650 Mary Hill Rd, Port Coquitlam, BC V3C 3B3
Windsor Plywood Surrey
13315 Comber Way Surrey, BC V3W 5V8
