the big issue

teddy bears, huh? those threadbare companions with undone stuffing and missing bits reveal their stories directly to camera at the studio of photographer, Mark Nixon, and feature in The Big Issue Taiwan. ironic juxtaposition. in the same issue but not so frighted is my itty bitty story of luminous things. 'twas an enriching experience working with Vivian Yang and Hui-Min Tsar.

cotton on the riviera

completely sochi-fied out from a blur of flying, twirling, olympic lycra, that I flipped down to poland… the reason for no posts these past two weeks. albeit, this heady tour was (regrettably) via eyetv and the pages of the polish 'riviera' magazine where the grandeliers skated onto the 'new designs' page. ah, the life of a light. and lycra.

festive marketing

if you're in tropical melbourne today (dec 8) then jostle in for the final day of The Big Design Market, Royal Exhibition Building...over 250 'designer shops'...close to the amount of hand cut 'leaves' for our wall. say hello to our new range.

aand if you're in Hobart, get down to the Masonic Temple where there are many beautiful present possibilities to be procured at the market. our fave creative collective, DOT (Designed Objects Tasmania) will be hosting their very own pop-up shop, brimming with covetable wares & illuminated by a few fine grandeliers, of course!

think BIG

think festive shopping is an oxymoron?  you've been visiting the wrong places scrooge.  now rid your sacks of that coal and nasty dollar store fillers, and prepare your list for The Big Design Market!  this weekend, melbournes Royal Exhibition Building once again provides the dramatic backdrop for over two hundred independent designers to showcase their wares.  2 Brothers Brewery will be bringing the jolly, alongside a troop of merry meal makers (everything from decadent triple choc brownies to beatbox burgers). intoxicated by the creative air, you may just be moved to partake in one of the many crafty workshops on offer…  and while you're at it - steer the tots toward the badge maker to knock up a few nifty home-made stocking stuffers.  

fashion, accessories, homewares, textiles, lifestyle and kids products, stationary, books and a spectacular new light by moi!  that's right - we'll be unveiling our latest pride and joy at this three day design extravaganza, so be sure to pop by (it's fab lighting for a few shameless selfies).  all the details and an a drool-inducing gazette can be located on The Big Design Market site.

images courtesy of The Big Design Market

street light

with all the recent focus on our luxe leather, we couldn't resist grabbing a moment to tinker with some timber - to get back to our roots (tassie oak, to be precise) and see what materialises.  a flurry of slicing, folding, weaving and questionable origami interpretations ensued…  and from it 'Street Light' emerged.

a nod to our incredibly public-spirited pal, Caitlin Street, this little number is our most personable yet.  customisable in shape, size, interior colour… as a stand alone lamp or simply as a shade.  so grab a ruler and a swatch book and tell us - what does your street look like?

profiled and postable

it's the news we hope all you lighting enthusiasts have awaited…  Pod Luxe is only 3 - 7 working days from a power point near you!  that's right, our luxurious leather pendants have joined the collection of unique homewares to dot the delightful shelves at hardtofind, and are ready to 'add to cart' pronto.

in honour of the new arrival, hardtofind have also given us our very own cyber spread.  so, after you've bagged yourself a couple of pendants (who can say no to free shipping?!), jump to their blog and peer into the grey matter that conjures these luminous creations.

photos: Chris Crerar

WORKSHOPPED 13

"how can design be future proofed for a disposable society?"

it's the question that's seen fifty home-grown bright sparks weild hammer and pixel to bring you fifty innovative responses at Workshopped13.  honoured to be asked for our input, we saw no better time to debut our new 'mod tech meets ancient craft' pendant - Pod Luxe.

emulating the success of the designers they foster, Workshopped kicked off in 2001 as a hobby, with 5 designers and an opening night figure of 400.  ok, so thats not a bad crowd, but...  zip forward to o-twelve and we have the single largest event on the australian product design calendar, with a history of 200 designers, and over half million names on the visitors book.

Workshopped13 is free (yep, save your coins for all the goods you'll soon be adding to your wish lists), and runs from august 15 - 25 at sydneys supa centa moore park.

photo: chris crerar

the new black

thanks to the wonders of modern technology, and good taste, we welcome our boldest timber yet - eucalypt in liquid amber.

fine slices of sustainably managed, FSC endorsed eucalyptus, penetrated with a deep black (liquid amber) dye. the result? a veneer which embodies all the bewitching boldness and versatility of an eco resin in a sensuous, tactile timber light.

but enough with the pitch - Chris Crerar captures the essence perfectly with this moody black baroque.  the only question now is - which style will you choose?

stacked, folded, done, dusted.

the final installment of flat.stack.fold 2013 was delivered at full-tilt this week.  two fruitful, brisbane-based workshops, devoured by nine extraordinary tasmanian designers, culminating in the completion of nine extraordinary, new tasmanian designs.
loading our precious protos in the dodge (l-r) master craftsman Jye Edwards, Street & Garden Furniture Co. director David Shaw, and Design Tas GM Rye Dunsmuir

noteworthy highlights?  our mentor, David Shaw, delivering us to Brand + Slater Architects in his fabulous ex-Vegas dodge… enlightened moments behind-the-scenes at metal fabricator, Rockpress… a beer-fuelled presentation (at west ends über cool watering hole, Depo) to haled designers from Luxx Box, Derlot,and the curators from Artisan… and, of course, the buoyant feedback received for our newest luminaire - a flat-pack version of pod luxe - 'bolb'!  

watch this space for details on the official unveiling of our future-friendly creations in september.

euro-meets-wildlife watering hole, Depo - co-founded by director of award winning design studio, Derlot, Alexander Lotersztain.  the mans prolific!  

imagine, collab, create

the conflux of rolodexes and blackberries will be audible in brisbanes fortitude valley, next wednesday, as we hobnob with the cream of queenslands design industries. renowned for their exclusive networking events for the architecture and interior design community, The Arc Agency are set transform brisbanes Judith Wright Centre with a careful edit of covetables, canapé and creative conversation. setting the mood will be a dazzling array of our finest grandeliers, courtesy of our date, and sleek brisbane stockist, Lumen-8.

rsvps are essential, so head to The Arc website pronto.

flat.stack.fold

Q. how do you stuff a grand, incandescent bovine into a humble envelope?

good question!  and perhaps a tad ambitious.  but we are eager to to explore the possibilities when Design Tasmania kicks off the second edition of their flat.stack.fold (FSF13) workshops next month.  acknowledging our conundrum (large leather pendant seeks petite packaging for future-friendly travel), Design Tas selected us to take part in their four day, bi-state intensive, alongside seven other forward-thinking furniture designers.  expertly guided by Street & Garden Furniture Co. director, David Shaw, our flat-packed, stacked and folded creations will be unveiled for public scrutiny in september.

there's no business like...

we'd like to take a moment to thank you (yes you. right there. hello!) for your tremendous support of a humble business with grand dreams of illuminating the homes and lives of the masses.  we also enthusiastically welcome our newest allies, Business Spectator and Bendigo Bank, who've graciously cast us as the tas-wege stars of their new online business consult series!  THE Business Spectator himself, Alan Kohler will be joining Bendigo Banks sage business advisors in imparting their wealth of business savvy, as part of a four-part series broadcast nationally via the Business Spectators website.  lights, camera, eeek!  stay tuned…

inflight hype

way up high, in the blue above brunei, a sweet pair of cotton pendants are proudly brandishing the 'global trends' tag alongside a handful of worldly treasures. actually, there's quite a number of trips and treats to tempt in this months Muhibah - Royal Brunei Airlines' inflight mag. so here, my land bound friends…  go ahead and sneak a peek…

launch love

2:15 to spare?  encapsulated in this two minute reel are the sensory highlights of Design Tasmania's Autumn Launch Party.  of course, you can skip to 1:17 for a gander at the luminous pod luxe pendants, but we highly recommend a full viewing so as to appreciate the splendid sampling of local artistry, and rather awe-inspiring craftsmanship of wood turner, Brad Moss.  better yet… pop over to The Design Tasmania Centre and soak up this superb showcase in person.

green inside (and) out

hot pops of cool colour adorn the vibrant pages of aprils Inside Out.  flip to page twenty for the leaders of the pack, featuring one, rather fetching, electric blue baroque. with vivid hues all the rage, these beauties are 'flat-out' proving that carbon neutral doesn't also have to mean pigment neutral.

pod luxe

long enamoured by natures ingenious design and the 'slow' crafts of our forefathers, we've literally returned to our roots to draw inspiration for our new range.  INDUSTRY OF NATURE is the irresistible convergence of the natural world and ancient crafts.  POD LUXE, the radiant debut from the collection, borrows its form from the reticulated tunic of the corm (not horticulturally versed? ...the bulbous encasing of irises, gladiolus, et al), and has been sculpted through the time honoured tradition of cuir bouilli (non parlez-vous français? ...the boiling and taming of leather).

our tactile little beauty beckons for a closer inspection, doesn't it?  be amongst the first at tonights Autumn Design Launch Party in launceston (though, p'haps enjoy the gourmet snags after fondling the hide).  or catch Objects in Place by the water in hobart 'til the twentieth…

ten days of cuir bouilli

with all the fuss made over tassies gourmet nosh, we thought we'd step into the kitchen and see if we could infuse our pendants with some of that culinary magic. intrigued? on the boil since 2012, our new lumières are set for their big reveal next month, at australias only state-wide international arts fest, Ten Days on the Island...

first, circle march 14 - 20.  DOTs interactive Objects in Place, at hobarts waterside pavilion, explores the design of public spaces and features new works from a shortlist of fifteen very fine jewellers, ceramicists, furniture makers, lighting designers (ahem!) and more.

next, head north to launcestons Design Centre Tasmania, for a behind-the-scenes peek at how technology shapes the process and informs the final product of some of tassies top designers.  Think.Make.Change.  runs from march 8 to may 26, but if you like your design with a side of food, wine and music (err… anyone who didn't put their hand up?), then make sure you're there on march 15 for their autumn launch party.

of course, our bitty selection's not all that's on offer (we're just a little biased) - so grab your festival planner here and go exploring!

the homebody gift guide

as the flurry of festive shopping reaches fever pitch, we've discovered some last minute 'giftspiration', curated by the very gifted (no pun) Jess, owner of the ethically and aesthetically sound sydney store, shelf / life.  apparently, a long time admirer of Jess' good taste is none other than photographer, stylist and blogger extraordinaire, Pia Jane Bijkerk...  so pour yourself an egg nog and take a peek at Pia's self titled blog for an enticing compilation of beautiful wares.  oh, and should anything take your fancy, such as the luminous cotton, you can also purchase each item on the shelf / life cyber store just in time for santa to slip them under the tree.  merry shopping!

monument 112

this month, the esteemed architecture and design mag, Monument dimmed the grandeliers and turned the spotlight on their creator (eep!).  procure or peep at a copy for some insight into the passion, the vision and divine afflatus (also known as a good bottle of red) that gives light to a grandelier.  we also spilled the beans on what WDT adventures will be dominating your facebook feed in 2013… oh you know, world dom and the like...

blooming in burke's backyard

"just one beautifully chosen piece can give any interior its own personality"… heed the sage advice of Don Burke when you're making your yuletide purchases this year.  he (or at least his tasteful staff) have selected a small bloom (of the luminous oak variety, that is) to feature in the latest issue of Burke's Backyard Magazine.  sharing print space with a few goodies I wouldn't mind finding in my own stocking next month.  check it out…