The Aussies who are part of the furniture in Milan
Milan Furniture Fair started in 1961 as a trade show focusing on the best Italian furniture, and is now part of a vastly influential event, Milan Design Week, showcasing all areas of international design, including the best new talent working in lighting and homewares. Leading the charge of Australian designers at this year's fair is Sydney-based designer, curator and all-round creative powerhouse Emma Elizabeth, who has organised for 44 Australian creatives to show in Milan from April 9 to 14. From their work, we have selected 10 favourites.
SKEEHAN X STELLEN
Australian design studios Skeehan and Stellen Workshop combined their talents for a Local Design exclusive collection, creatively directed by Emma Elizabeth, for Hong Kong-based department store Lane Crawford. The collaboration includes the "Aviso" armchair with a leather and fabric upholstered seat and matching pedestal table. skeehan.com.au; stellen.com.au
MARSHA GOLEMAC
Making its debut in Milan is New Volumes by Artedomus, a collection of pieces designed in elba, a grey stone mined from a Greek quarry. Eight designers have produced pieces ranging from a large dining table to a mortar and pestle. Here is Marsha Golemac's "Spomenik I", in which raw stone has been worked to create a vase or bowl inspired by modernist monuments in the Balkans. marshagolemac.com; artedomus.com
TOM FEREDAY AND STUDIOKYSS
A collaboration between award-winning furniture designer Tom Fereday and metalsmith Kenny Yong-soo Son of Studiokyss features a dining table (pictured below) and coffee table with the same elements: folded solid brass in a sculptural form, with a beautifully shaped top in oak or walnut timber. The faceted vase (a signature of Studiokyss) pokes out of the table like the tip of an iceberg. tomfereday.com; studiokyss.com
COCO FLIP
Coco Flip is a Melbourne studio that emphasises thoughtful furniture and lighting design and quality over quantity. Kate Stokes and Haslett Grounds work hand in hand with local manufacturers to create products with enduring appeal. The "Jolly" double rod pendant combines hand-blown glass, solid metal rods and a choice of finishes in muted tones. cocoflip.com.au
VOLKER HAUG STUDIO
Volker Haug Studio, based in Melbourne, combines the decorative, the curious and the playful. The Pyramid Scheme series features this wall light (below), a trio of cones nesting in a vertical stack supported by a metal framework. The conical forms play out further in the forms of a chandelier, pendant, wall light and ceiling light. volkerhaug.com
ALEX FITZPATRICK
Alex Fitzpatrick, who fronts Sydney-based lighting practice ADesignStudio, combines new technologies with the traditional skills of glassblowing and metalwork. His Greenway Crackle collection references Sydney's maritime architecture with five glass shapes featuring a complex effect inspired by deconstructing the Macquarie Lighthouse. adesignstudio.com.au
ROSANNA CERAVOLO
Melbourne architect and designer Rosanna Ceravolo's latest collection, Moored, includes a console (pictured) and modular shelving system constructed in powder-coated metal with solid brass detailing. The concept for this range takes poetic reference from the silhouette of boats tethered along the Mekong River. rosannaceravolo.com
ADAM GOODRUM
Jorn Utzon famously cut a sphere into segments and reconfigured them into a new form when creating the Sydney Opera House. Award-winning designer Adam Goodrum has applied the same process to a rectangular prism to produce this folded "Chatterbox" stool for Local Design's collection for Lane Crawford. adamgoodrum.com
TRENT JANSEN AND CHRIS NICHOLSON
The Shaker Family Home is a group of five, interrelated, crafted objects (the chest of drawers has a candelabra, hand mirror, desk and coat rack), developed through a mix of Jansen's anthropological design approach and Nicholson's nuanced understanding of the methodologies used by the Shakers, a skilled and fastidious 18th-century religious sect. trentjansen.com
C.J. ANDERSON
The birth of designer C.J. Anderson's son influenced his design approach as he began to appreciate the world through the eyes of a child, and his "Soigné" chair resembles extruded licorice. The powder-coated metal frame combines with heavy-duty leather and brass detailing, adding sophistication to its playful form. cjand.com
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