An Interview with Molly Sedlacek from ORCA
When searching for an additional exterior treatment for our Lighthouse Sauna, we were immediately drawn towards ORCA's Wood Patina. This product provides lifetime protection and allows us to offer the silvered, weathered grey patina often found in harsh and coastal environments to our saunas immediately.
We've admired the work from Molly and the team at ORCA for quite some time, and are thrilled to be able to offer their Wood Patina as the standard exterior treatment option for our Lighthouse Sauna. Beyond this, we're excited to announce our partnership as we are working behind the scenes on a collaborative product slated for release this summer.
We invited Molly to join us for an interview to learn more about her process and approach in landscape and material design.
Photo credit: Justin Chung
Molly Sedlacek is the founder and principal designer from ORCA, a landscape and outdoor design studio.
How did ORCA get started?
Molly: I grew up on the Oregon coast and spent my childhood playing in a Bay Laurel hedge my parents planted and a bamboo forest my dad grew. These innate acts of living in the outdoors started my journey as an outdoor designer. It was a blueprint to living that my family handed down.
I discovered my talent in outdoor design when I was planting, curating, and exploring use of outdoor space in my own garden in San Francisco. What I wanted, I couldn’t point to in a picture, it only existed in my imagination. It took material sourcing and experimenting to understand what flora, stone, and timber felt right. Quickly after completing this garden, my community of friends and family began supporting this conceptual approach to landscape design, and ORCA was born.
What are your top considerations when designing a new outdoor space?
Molly: It begins with the human. What are they missing in their connection to their landscape? Is it physical interaction? Rest? Community? Understanding what in the natural surroundings needs to be highlighted, incorporated, or restored is the first step in designing a landscape. From there, we dive into materials and layouts that support the garden and are climate appropriate.
Tell us about the ORCA Wood Patina we're introducing for our builds at Harbor. What's special about it, and what we can expect from it over the years to come?
Molly: Our Wood Patina advances the natural silvering process of wood. It’s a great non-toxic option when we’re looking to soften the appearance of new gates, fences, furnishings, or even saunas.
Photo credit: ORCA
Obviously you care deeply about incorporating both materials and process that will provide decades of use. Why is it important we opt for higher quality, locally sourced products and materials?
Molly: I love working with anything that is natural and needs very little human touch. The more organic a material can be, the better it is to me. I’m less inclined and not interested in plastics or very uniform materials. Perfect lines don’t necessarily exist in nature, there’s always a wobble with a story, and I find beauty in the imperfections surrounding us.
What's coming next from ORCA that you're excited about?
Molly: We are excited to be expanding our building material offerings and making it more accessible for people to purchase pavers, rock, decking, and lighting online. We’re also getting ready to launch our new gate hardware collection that consists of three living finishes: worn silver, raw brass, and blackened brass. All of our materials are designed to age beautifully and evolve with nature’s elements.
Discover ORCA's wide range of products and explore their latest outdoor projects here: www.orcaliving.com
