Project · Production · Creative Direction

WABUZ

A six-month collaboration with Ashley McDonald — brand identity, cultural direction, and visual language for the project that became Sky House Furniture.

2023 · Ashley McDonald × Case Study Labs

The Brief

Ashley J MacDonald is a Canadian Indigenous artist and furniture designer. She had the collection. She needed a market. We came in on Collection GTM Strategy and Positioning — building the plan to get the work in front of the right people.

The Approach

Go-to-market planning, gallery outreach, and full event production. We pitched the show, built the deck, and positioned the collection within the context of contemporary Indigenous design. Ashley led graphic design — the visual identity was hers.

The Result

Successful show. Every piece stocked on the site sold. Gusto Buffalo News came out and covered it for their Sunday special art insert. The brand grew into Sky House Furniture — Ashley's ongoing practice at skyhousefurniture.com.

The Pieces

Six works now sold as Sky House Furniture. All by Ashley McDonald.

House Mule

skyhousefurniture.com →

Stool, side table, and cubby in a mule-shaped form. A steadfast companion — steady, loyal, and ready to serve. Drawn from Indigenous values of resilience and community.

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Big Cigs

skyhousefurniture.com →

Oversized cigarette butt forms — stools, side tables, or plant stands. Outdoor-safe. Sits at the intersection of Indigenous conceptual storytelling and contemporary design. Disrupts through scale, humor, and cultural commentary.

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Modlux Cabinet

skyhousefurniture.com →

Handcrafted wall-to-floor storage in birch plywood, South African mahogany, Danish oil, and metal hardware. 28″ W × 14″ D × 38″ H. Contemporary Indigenous aesthetics for those outside the mainstream.

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Chill Pill Medicine Cabinet

skyhousefurniture.com →

Wall-mounted sculptural storage in birch plywood with shatterproof acrylic mirror panels and sliding red and blue doors. 32″ W × 16″ H × 4.5″ D. Part storage, part modern art.

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Word Bubbles

skyhousefurniture.com →

Wall-mounted sculptural memo board in birch ply with elastic cord. Comic-book speech bubble form. A temporary home for small objects, notes, and mementos — turning everyday clutter into curated composition.

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Nightwater Table

skyhousefurniture.com →

Hand-carved side table in solid ash with India ink and water-based finish, accented with brass pins. 32″ H × 16″ W × 16″ D. A perfectly lumpy but smooth tabletop — organic form, functional design.

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Ashley McDonald

Artist, designer, founder of Sky House Furniture.

Sky House Furniture

The brand lives on at skyhousefurniture.com.

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