About Clayoquot Crafts

Daniel Lamarche has lived in Tofino, BC on the West Coast of Canada since 1972. Tofino is located in Clayoquot Sound, a designated United Nations Biosphere. Daniel grew up in Quebec and after travelling as a young man decided to make the small village of Tofino his home. Besides the ocean and beaches which draw a lot of visitors to Tofino, Daniel was attracted by the beautiful west coast rain forests. He believes that the Western Red Cedar here is the most beautiful cedar in the world.

Daniel worked with cedar in many ways from harvesting, making cedar shakes, as a sawmill operator, wood drying and building cedar houses along the West Coast.

Making furniture first as a hobby, Daniel started Clayoquot Crafts in 1992.  A self-taught craftsman, he quickly made a name for himself.  Over the years Daniel has acquired various Awards and Satisfied Customers in North American and Abroad.

Daniel works in collaboration with Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation people, who have lived in the Pacific Northwest for centuries and are known as those who know and respect the cedar. Clayoquot Crafts only uses salvaged local red cedar making their outdoor cedar furniture eco-friendly. By purchasing Clayoquot Craft cedar furniture you helping to keep old-growth BC forests intact.

Names and Pronunciations of Clayoquot Sound

Daniel has named his company Clayoquot Crafts and his cedar outdoor furniture after local names.

Clayoquot Sound (Pronounced Cla-kwhat Sound)
The area of ocean, islands, rain forests, beaches mountains, villages that make up this area of the west coast of Canada and the northeast Pacific Ocean coastal environment. For more information about Clayoquot Sound please visit the Clayoquot Sound UNESCO Biosphere Reserve website.

Nootka (pronounced as it's spelled Noot-ka)
The Nootka are a band of First Nations people who have lived along the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada, and the northwest portion of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. Nootka Sound is located just north of Clayoquot Sound.

Esowista (pronounced as it's spelled Es-o-wista)
Tofino is located on a narrow finger of land called the Esowista Peninsula. Esowista is the reserve of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation.

Of the course the words Cape Cod, Adirondack and Muskoka are not native British Columbian words but recognized as descriptive words for a unique and comfortable outdoor chair design. Many of us have experienced these chairs in back yards, on decks or by the beach. The first version of an Adirondack chair was designed by Thomas Lee in 1903. He was on vacation at Westport, inside the Adirondack State Park in the United States. In Canada the chair is also known as the Muskoka Chair. Muskoka is cottage country and an outdoor recreational region in southern Ontario. Daniel's are the most beautiful, functional, comfortable and environmentally friendly Adirondack or Muskoka chairs in the world.