Local design talent Stephanie Ng has launched her first solo project, the Halo Modular Lighting. Made up of singular modules that join together to form a continuos link that grows as far as the space allows. We love when innovative design allows people to play and customise a composition to create their own look.
Made from spun steel with a powder coat exterior, the Halo Modular Light is available in speciality colour options upon request. Visit stephaniengdesign.com for further information
Much loved Melbourne label Iggy & Lou Lou have recently launched their latest collection titled Desert Road Trip. All pieces are meticulously handmade originals and well worth viewing. Prices range from $88 - $990 and the range includes porcelain jewellery, homewares and signed sculptures.
For further information visit iggyandloulou.com
The craftsmanship on this Splay Lounge and Table by Jon Goulder for OneThird is amazing. This stylish modern design is made from solid Tasmanian Oak frame with a fabric or leather upholstered seat and back. The Tasmanian Oak frame is finished to natural as a standard however a coloured stain finish is also available. Make sure you also view the quirky three leg side table, it completes the collection and looks fantastic alongside the chair.
Call into call into Stylecraft Melbourne, 145-149 Flinders Lane to view this for yourself. For more information visit stylecraft.com.au
The versatile Tub Chair by Adam Goodrum for one/third has an understated simplicity that is both intriguing and beautiful.
Tub is an originally design collection by one/third The Tub series includes a single armchair, 2 seater lounge, coffee table and a uniquely designed bench featuring an armchair. Fabric or leather may be specified for the upholstered components whilst the timber bases are available in American Ash or solid Tasmanian Oak in a natural or coloured stain finish.
one/third is a collaboration of five designers including Alexander Lotersztain, Adam Goodrum, Helen Kontouris, Jon Goulder and Matthew Prince. Offering considered, contemporary design, the collection is manufactured in Australia (Tasmania) with a focus on craftsmanship and quality.
For further information visit stylecraft.com or call into Stylecraft Melbourne, 145-149 Flinders Lane.
Urchin, by designer Chris Hardy, is a contemporary chandelier. It’s body is constructed using Direct Digital Manufacturing to create a form that is relatively unachievable in terms of traditional manufacturing processes. Light is managed using contemporary high flux LED technologies.
Urchin is made to order and may be finished in colours and LED Kelvin temperatures as specified (warm, neutral and cool). For further information contact Cafe Culture Melbourne.
We love this Pleat chair by designer Chris Hardy. The contemporary stool that pays homage to Verner Panton’s ‘S Chair’, and before that Poul Kjaerholm’s ‘Cantilevered Lounge Chair’.
Pleat is made in Australia from a single sheet of marine ply and is available in a range of colours to suit a range of interiors. For further information contact Cafe Culture Melbourne.
ORA is an interesting lighting project from ilanel (creators of Rain), meditating between light and darkness through transparent colour.
It is an interactive luminary that engages in experimentation and exploration of coloured illumination.
ORA enables personalisation, for coloured light can have an emotional meaning and therefore can influence the atmosphere of a space.
The intention behind ORA is physical interaction - Act to affect. To control its outcome, three knobs were fitted; each adjust one colour spectrum - red, green and blue.
Adjusting the intensities of these light spectrums, results in endless coloured light options. For further information visit ilanel.com
These beautiful minimalistic timepieces are designed by Melbourne outfit AÃRK Collective.
Inspired by an appreciation of geometry, graphic elements and minimalist design, each timepiece has been crafted from the most trusted components, including PVD ion-plated 316L surgical steel, Italian calfskin leather and precision Japanese Quartz movements.
We’re always excited to see product of this calibre coming out of Melbourne. The level of refinement is a credit to design team, a perfect mix of the contemporary and luxury. Make sure you check out their extensive product lines at aarkcollective.com.
Architect Rob Mills has created a beautiful beach house that is visually striking, exists as one with its wilderness surrounds and will survive the marine environment for years to come. Rising from a steep slope overlooking the Great Ocean Road, Ocean House is a beach retreat that challenges convention. Combining a bold interpretation of the traditional timber coastal pavilion with lower floors built from concrete. Architect Rob Mills has created a beach house that is visually striking, exists as one with its wilderness surrounds and will survive the marine environment for years to come.
Ocean House is a bold expression of Mills’ design philosophy, a seven-bedroom property that can operate as one home or be divided into two acoustically separate dwellings. Based around pure architectural forms – the tall cylinder forming its southern end contrasts dramatically with the sharp lines of the pavilion – it generates a series of distinct experiences. Viewed from the ridge above, circular windows and angled balustrades echo a ship’s hull, while the colours of the ocean pouring through the walls of glass enhance the nautical feel.
The raw materials offer excellent thermal mass, helping cool the house in summer and retaining warmth in winter. The raw structure also becomes the finish. Ocean House’s subdued, natural palette blends with the forest that forms its backdrop, placing architecture and landscape in perfect harmony
For more information visit robmills.com.au or oceanhouse.com.au
Designer Gail Sorronda has created a bold range inspired by pantomime Pierrot the Clown and silent horror film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.
The collection, Oh My Goth!, carries Gail Sorronda’s typical black and white theme with highlights of bold accentuated colour. We love the styling and cut of this seasons range coupled with the gorgeous accessories. Make sure call into Shoe & The City in Port Melbourne to view the extensive range.
For further information visit gailsorronda.com
Well worth viewing is Josh Goot’s beautiful SS12 range. We especially love the vivid florals, exquisit tailoring and kaleidoscope inspired print.
The Josh Goot range can be found in Melbourne at David Jones, Green With Envy, Paloma Bleu , Cactus Jam and Lacquer.
Earl Pinto is a Melbourne based design studio crafting signature furniture and lighting combining new technologies with traditional hand craftsmanship. Along with a growing range of products, Earl Pinto custom design and make for both commercial and residential markets. Earl Pinto is a unique collaboration between two designers who create with a pallet of solid timbers, plywood, acrylic, polypropylene, brass and steel.
I enjoyed a casual chat with the designers, Alex Earl and Gerard Pinto. Both Earl and Pinto design for the label as well as taking on special commissions and project work. You can check out the Earl Pinto designs in their workshop and showroom space in Sackville St. Collingwood.
What was the inspiration behind the Anise light concept?
Gerard Pinto: “The Anise light was the first collaboration between Alex and myself. The form was built up from a simple geometry study of shapes, experimenting with how we could create complicated three-dimensional forms out of flat shapes. The finished product ended up looking very natural and organic.”
Is the pen mightier than the computer?
Alex Earl: “The short answer is no. However that doesn’t mean that we don’t sketch, we sketch a lot. More often than not however scale mock-ups and material studies have a lot more to do with the development of an Earl Pinto product than sketches do. Of course all of our pieces are computer cut, using CAD (Computer Aided Design) technology.”
Gerard Pinto: “All ideation starts in the sketch book. Of course designs are refined through computer technologies… CAD drawings are no substitute for the understanding of form and proportion that sketching gives you.
Alex and I often sit down together when working on a new concept and discuss various construction methods before we touch the computer.”
Who is someone that you would like to collaborate with in the future?
Alex Earl: “I’d like to collaborate with Henry Selick, a stop motion director who created scenes like the Jaguar Shark animation in The Life Aquatic. I really admire people with great imagination who create worlds that tell a story.”
Does working in Melbourne influence/ enhance your work?
Gerard Pinto: “We sell our work all over Australia and around the world. The majority of our customers are local (Melbournians) and they do like a certain look, which is all about playful details and quality finishes. We work collaboratively with amazing crafts people in Melbourne like Thomas Burless who makes anything we need out of metal, enhancing our pieces.”
For further information visit earlpinto.com.au
Article by Georgina Lewis
The Bridge Hotel in Richmond has undergone a impressive redevelopment designed by Melbourne architectural group Techne.
The conceptual approach to the Bridge Hotel was to take the existing venue, characterised by its dark and enclosed spaces, and to physically carve a laneway through the building to bring in natural light and openness. Designed to minimise structural change and material wastage, a richly detailed and decorated laneway has been cut through the centre of the building. The remaining volume, bisected into two new internal facades, is further broken down into a series of differentiated ‘tenancies’, including bar spaces, a bistro and wintergarden, loading dock and stairs to first floor spaces that were imagined as apartments or studios that all interact with the central laneway.
Spatially, both the interior and the lane are intentionally a progression of intimate volumes and restricted circulation spaces. This fosters a sense of discovery as the interior reveals itself gradually. A layering of recycled and re-used materials builds a sense of urban charm, and extensive collections of found objects and installation art, which borrow further from the city’s intricate street culture. The resulting venue could be viewed as a uniquely whimsical addition to the ongoing evolution of pubs in Melbourne.
Make sure you call into the Bridge Hotel in Richmond to view the space for yourself and enjoy a beer and meal while you are there.
For further information on Techne Architects visit techne.com.au
This great little Duo stool by Melbourne design studio Olio Objects can be used as a stool, side table or hung upside down as a serving tray/ shelf. The design is held together by friction (the Tasmanian Oak dowel is tapered to fit securely within the copper fittings). Ready made parts inspired this fun design.
Olio Objects is a design studio started by Georgi Lewis that creates products and the processes to manufacture, promote and sell those products. The aim of the studio is to design with the end in mind and make objects that promote valuable crafts, are created responsibly and that can be enjoyed by the customer on more than one level.
The inspiration for this experimental piece came from a challenging brief to design a low tech product that could be made in a home workshop, out of standardised existing materials. This item can be made completely from salvaged materials.
The Duo stool can be purchase from Schtick and is in the window of Schtick on Lygon for the rest of July and into mid August.
Price: $250
For further information visit olioobjects.com
James Hargraves trained in Mechanical Engineering, but after graduating, gravitated towards Multi-Media & Graphic Design.
Later his work extended beyond 2 dimensions with exhibition design. In 2009, he designed his first piece of furniture as an exercise to advance his burgeoning computer modelling skills. After receiving a couple of awards, he was encouraged to pursue product design.
His work explores structural optimisation and the formal potential offered by the coupling of 3D modelling with digital fabrication techniques, married with hands on craft practices.
I was lucky enough to catch James via email whilst he was out of the country. James is a highly conceptual designer, his designs are meticulously hand crafted (typically hand assembled laser cut pieces) and very well thought out. You can view the WEFT designs at www.tongueandgroove.com.au.
1. What was the inspiration behind the WEFT 056 concept?
“This project was unusual, because I developed the technique without having a form in mind. And that came about by playing with paper & scissors.”
2. Is the pen mightier than the computer?
“No, computer modeling is a profound advance on drawing for both visualization & documentation of design. But that is not to say that it has made sketching redundant. Both pen & computer are just tools for externalizing design which is essentially a mental activity.”
3. Does working in Melbourne influence/ enhance your work?
“I find walking and looking a great source of inspiration; and Melbourne is a great city for a wanderer. So I would agree that being based in Melbourne enhances my practice but my Influences are from all over.”
4. Who is someone that you would like to collaborate with in the future?
“No-one I can think of, offhand. It is not something I have given much thought, but I am open to invitations.”
5. What experiences/ projects are you looking forward to?
“I’m in New York, this moment as I right this, and despite feeling at home in Melbourne, there is nothing better than getting far away…So in answer to your question I would say: future travels.”
For further information visit jameshargraves.com
Article by Georgina Lewis
