Creating Something from Nothing

Gregor Cann Painting

Gregor Cann's Kitchen

Photography by Eric Roth

As a youngster, designer and artist Gregor Cann learned the magic of creating something from nothing from his Aunt Lily. And this talent still serves him today as a successful interior designer.

Working to create a custom look for his cottage in Maine he became friends with the bittersweet vine. “In this part of the country,” Gregor says, “the vine is intrusive, climbing trees and cutting off the sunlight that can eventually kill the tree.” So, he explains, “Most people are not friends or friendly with this plant. They try to keep it cut back.” Gregor, however, found it to be a perfect material for embellishing everything from tables to cabinet doors in his vacation retreat.

Bittersweet Vine

In renovating the cottage, Gregor decided to embellish the plain, stock cabinet doors using materials at hand. And the one material that was plentiful and at arm’s reach was the bittersweet vine. He gathered the fresh vines, cut them to the desired length, and attached them to the door panel, creating a rectangular outline. Gregor says, “I like to create patterns within a shape so I cut and add rounds and squares from smaller pieces of vines.”