Colin Schleeh

Colin Schleeh was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1955. He began his design career working for his father, sculptor Hans Schleeh, polishing marble sculptures and cleaning the ever-growing piles of marble chips. Attracted to the organic qualities of wood, he began his studies in wood design at the age of 17, apprenticing at the Berufs und Fachschule, Holz und Kunstgewerbe in Stuttgart Germany, before moving to Edmonton where he also completed a Canadian apprenticeship as a furniture designer and builder at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. Opening his studio in 1980, Schleeh designed and built custom furniture, as well as having his own work featured in galleries and stores across western Canada.

Moving his family to Montreal in 1986, Schleeh worked as a boat-builder, set designer, custom furniture designer/builder, sculptor, jewelry designer, and completed a one year stint as manager of a custom furniture company (not all at the same time!), before accepting a position at Dawson College to head their Fine Arts studio. Schleeh taught for ten years, always maintaining his own studio. When it became apparent that the increasing demand for his work required his full attention, Colin Schleeh opened Schleeh Design with Rachael Schwartz in the fall of 2001.

Operating out of a converted studio on the banks of the Lachine Canal, Schleeh Design offers a line of innovative limited production accessories and serves as a showcase for Schleeh's collection of handmade vases and decorative art.

Recent work includes design commissions for Hermes of Paris, Bulgari and Shreve Crump and Low. Schleeh's work is represented in galleries and collections throughout Canada and the United States, as well as Japan and Europe. Back to artist's page.