Dreaming the fable

The Hazelnut Inn, being the ultimate dream project, truly had a fairytale beginning. A little more than 10 years ago, Peter and Hailey Sawatzky were lucky enough to travel to Europe for their honeymoon. During their trip, they spent a little time in Italy and had the opportunity to stay in a beautifully restored tower in an old Roman villa. Peter and Hailey had a wonderful experience, and the visit sparked a dream of building their own magical getaway back home.

But dreams alone don’t magically turn into castles. Something like this takes a whole lot of planning and even more hard work. Fortunately, they had the skills and experience to build such a structure, for Peter and Hailey are partners with Dan and Janis Sawatzky in the Imagination Corporation. This one-of-a-kind Canadian sign company specializes in the design and fabrication of dimensional signs and photo opportunities primarily for the theme park industry across North America and beyond.

Signs, by the Sawatzkys’ description, are anything that draws attention to the customer’s product, service, or business. An underground dwelling, explorer’s villa, enchanted castle, and all the related details fit neatly inside that definition.

From orchard to site

Imagination Corporation operates on a small acreage in Chilliwack, British Columbia. When a portion of a defunct hazelnut orchard next door became available, Peter and Hailey snapped it up. This would be the ideal location in which to realize their dream. We designed three unique suites, each with about 55.7 m² (600 sf) and another 55.7 m² (600 sf) of private garden. Zoning was applied for, plans were drawn, engineers engaged, and official approval was garnered. That process took about six months. It took a further eight months for a variety of contractors to install the underground services and build the basic building shell. It didn’t yet look like anything like what Peter and Hailey had imagined.

As the outside contractors laboured, our crew began fabricating key elements of the building that were craned into place as the structure went vertical. These elements included multiple towers, the giant ship’s stern, and curved roofs. We also started designing and fabricating the elaborate exterior and interior sign system, the one-of-a-kind doors and gates, and the numerous features scattered inside and out of the suites. Every element we built was in service of the stories we were telling. These were all constructed in our workshop next door, then transported onsite and installed as needed.

In the spring of 2019, the contractors had finished taking the building framework to the lock-up stage. Our talented crew took over from that point, transforming every square inch into a magical fairytale. We used the same techniques we had developed for our sign and theme park work.

Every magical detail

Being a personal passion project, we understood it would take much longer than most projects in our shop. We had to fit this work on the Inn around our paying projects. Save for door handles, plumbing fixtures, and mechanical components, almost everything is custom-designed and fabricated. The first task was to finish the exterior, which took nearly three years.

North Star Suite: A ship of wonder

When it was too cold to work outside in the winter months, we worked on the interior of the North Star Suite. Every element of construction was guided by the story we had written for the suite:

Sculpted from a wide variety of materials, every detail serves the magical story. Our crew hand-sculpted stone and brickwork, metalwork, plaster details, big timbers, and artwork scattered throughout the suite. The landscaping was accomplished by the Imagination Corporation team, led by Rebecca Sigaty (my daughter). Rebecca also co-ordinated the interior finishing details and manages the Hazelnut Inn to this day. On June 1, 2024, we held our first grand opening and open house with more than 1,400 people waiting in line to get a peek inside. The next day, we welcomed our first guests to the Hazelnut Inn. Reviews were positive, as there is nothing this Inn can be directly compared to.

Under Hill Suite: Hidden magic

Meanwhile, we continued work on the Under Hill Suite. Again, every square inch was hand-sculpted to tell a unique story:

Our talented crew welded miles of hand-formed steel pencil rod to form the twisted root armature. Diamond lath was then painstakingly tied to the frame, and fibreglass-reinforced concrete was troweled on and carved to look like wood. Our painters glazed the result to complete a room unlike anything else. Even the wallpaper is hand-painted. The Under Hill opened a year after the North Star Suite.

Copper Crown Suite: The castle dream

The third and last suite, the Copper Crown, was next. This is the castle idea that inspired the project. It too has a special story:

The Copper Crown took inspiration from the fanciful castles of Europe, constructed of heavy timber and giant stonework. The suite is largely hand-sculpted from fibreglass-reinforced concrete. Starting at the ceiling, we gradually removed scaffolding as we worked down. Every detail, from ventilation vents to fixture mounting plates and handrails, is custom-fabricated. The suite’s grand opening is scheduled for June 6, 2026, with bookings already extending beyond that date.

Dan Sawatzky is the founder and creative force behind Imagination Corporation, based in Chilliwack, B.C. Imagination Corporation specializes in the design and construction of custom architecture, immersive photo ops, and one-of-a-kind dimensional signs. Blending state-of-the-art tools with old-world craftsmanship—and a healthy dose of imagination—the team creates environments designed to spark delight, wonder, and more than a few double-takes. Sawatzky is best described as a visual storyteller extraordinaire.