In the heart of West Broadway’s artistic community, musician and songwriter Noah Derksen has transformed his home into a creative workspace. His space also houses a personal music studio, located downstairs, where he creates heartfelt compositions.

His home also functions as a personal journaling spot and a gallery for eye-catching art pieces. His music, characterized by rich acoustic-guitar arrangements, is profoundly shaped by the environment within his home, where each corner embodies his artistic spirit.

In his downstairs studio, Derksen’s music comes to life amid a pleasant ambiance, an impressive collection of guitars and a piano with warm and mellow sounds.

“It’s cozy and nice to have a separate creative space from the rest of the house,” Derksen says. He also has an interesting guitar collection, with his current favourite dating back to roughly 1967. “I just really like the way it sounds,” he says.

“In the pandemic, (I) started collecting guitars, but these are just the five that I’ve kind of been using as of late,” Derksen says. “I was just in the process of making a new record of covers. And so these guitars were all the five that I recorded on that album.”

Derksen says the covers album is currently in the works, and fans can anticipate its release in about six to eight months.

Among the five guitars, there’s also an old 1960 Gibson that Derksen says he stumbled upon on Kijiji. “It’s just a beautiful small guitar,” he says.

Upstairs, Derksen’s lounge, a room bathed in gentle morning light, serves as his cozy space for journaling, adorned with a mix of artwork and decor.

Among the decor is a vintage brown wooden chair with earthy undertones that adds character to the room. “I took it from my parents’ house,” he says, adding, “I’m not sure where they got it. But a couple of years ago, I was in Mexico, and at a restaurant, they had the exact same chairs.”

In the hallway, five framed art pieces created by Kitchener-Waterloo artist Luke Swinson immediately draw attention. “I forget how I got connected with him in the first place, but I really liked his work, so I bought a bunch of them, and here they sit,” Derksen says.

Derksen’s love for plants extends to his home, where they thrive despite his frequent travels. “Even with a busy schedule, they’ve still managed to survive,” he says.

Derksen’s future plans include the release of a B-sides EP at the end of November and an upcoming show at the Good Will on Dec. 3 to celebrate.

He was named Canadian Folk Music’s 2021 Emerging Artist of the Year and says he finds the award incredibly validating.

“The award came at the perfect time. In COVID-19, I was rethinking my career path moving forward and wondering if there was space for me as a songwriter,” he says. “Then this award came along and reminded me that I have done some stuff here.”

University memory (left) - “This mask was actually in my house when I lived in Vancouver. I had a roommate, and so we found this at Value Village. It’s just a beautiful piece. One day, I came home and he had made googly eyes that would follow you across the room.”

Book collection (right) - “In the last number of years, I’ve probably read most of these books. Not the Jane Austen one, I admit. I started that and haven’t quite finished it yet. Kurt Vonnegut is one of the authors that I’ve loved as of late. He’s a great author that’s just kind of absurd, and the stories are really out there and quite imaginative.”

Last Winter - “There was a group of us that played hockey together out at the (Robert A.) Steen rink, a public community rink in Wolseley. They were getting rid of all their old jerseys, so we just happened to be there, and we got the R. A. Steen Riverettes World Champions jerseys.”

Bedroom poster (left)- “The Instagram algorithm served me a photo of this cat, and I freaking loved it. Suki the cat (is a) Bengal and lives in Alberta and just goes on all sorts of adventures … I immediately bought two posters, and I have an enamel mug as well with the cat on it.”

Current obsession (right) - “I’ve gotten into cameras lately, so this is just an old film camera. My friend Brody recommended that I buy this thing.”

Published in Volume 78, Number 09 of The Uniter (November 9, 2023)