The Partnership

Dieuwertje von Aesch and Frances Sidhe are the partners who own Victoria Wood Studio. They combine a passion for art and architecture with a love of gardens and the natural world to create a company that Designs, Builds and Installs unique structures for the out of doors. They also work with a talented team of people to offer a full range of services to complement their unique gates, panels and arbours. In a few short years they have garnered many awards culminating in 2010 when Dieuwertje won Landscape Designer of the Year from Western Living Magazine.
Landscape Designer of the Year Award

Dieuwertje von Aesch

Dieuwertje was born in Holland but moved to Vancouver when she was six. She grew up in East Vancouver but spent a lot of time in the Chilcotin and grew to love the oceans and mountain wilderness that is so a part of the Canadian experience. Yet she remains strongly influenced by her European roots with its love for form and structure in both art and architecture.  As a young woman she attended Vancouver School of Art (Now Emily Carr) where she explored both art and graphic design. Marrying her love of free form style with the more formal approach of graphic design is typical of Dita’s approach. She decided to finally focus on working in wood because the hard edges of this unforgiving medium force her to moderate her design ideas. In, other words, Dita loves the place where two seemingly opposite forces meet to create a third entity that is greater than its parts. So she added to her artistic training by completing both the Fine Furniture Program at Camosun College and the Artisan program at the Inside Passage School of Fine Woodworking on the Sunshine Coast.

Frances Sidhe

Frances Sidhe is the business side of VWS but she is also a talented Sommelier at Zambri's, an award winning Italian restaurant. What both her businesses have in common is a commitment to the time and patience required to deliver an excellent product. Frances has a passion for business and a love for the creative side of being an entrepreneur. She was raised in a small town on the Prairies. Here she learned from her Grandfather, a Farmer, that you are nothing without your reputation.  Honestly and integrity are the buzz words of today, but in a small town where everyone truly knows you, they always formed an underlying part of any successful business.  As a young woman Frances graduated with a B.A. Hons from the University of Lethbridge. Her research and writing skills have now been put to good use getting the word out about her unique company including entering competitions which have resulted in many awards in a short period of time. View awards