Nood Co

This afternoon we take a look at a Perth-based company, with a surprising affection for concrete.

Matt Di Costa of Nood Co takes us through the ways in which his team are injecting colour and variety into the often-overlooked material, through their locally manufactured furniture range.

Written

Elle Murrell

The Nood Co team of Matt Di Costa, Chris Walker and Kim Di Costa. Photo – courtesy of Nood Co.

Product designer Matt’s a bit old school; we’re impressed/jealous when he replies that he won’t be in front of a computer until 7:30pm to respond, and by the fact that he likes to design with pencil and paper. ‘There are so many limitations with furniture design, and so I find it freeing to begin the process free of restriction. Once we arrive at some designs that have a great feel and proportion, we then set about refining them into a manufacturable piece,’ he tells. Photo – courtesy of Nood Co.

The company has innovated their choice material, striving for thinness, organic lines, bold hues, and sense of humour in their designs. ‘Concrete is very unique; We live in a very progressive world with incredible innovation and technology but amazingly concrete is still a staple in the construction industry,’ says Matt. Photo – courtesy of Nood Co.

Writer

Elle Murrell

13th of July 2017

One day six years ago while scrolling Pinterest seeking inspiration for their own home renovation, Matt Di Costa and his wife Kim came across a concrete sink trough. It was love at first sight.

Little did they know, reconciling that special piece with the Haussman-style interior they had in mind would open a can of worms! ‘How do we seal it so it lasts, how do we make it lighter?’ Matt reflects. ‘We solved those problems, and then took a look at the market, soon realising that there weren’t any concrete designs like this in Australia at the time. We saw an opening and, sure enough, Nood Co was born!’

Today, the Perth-based company’s range spans dining tables, sinks, coffee tables, side tables, cafe tables, stools, mirrors, bowls and homewares, with around 30 different design currently in production. These are all developed with one intention: ‘to correct the ways (and woes) of concrete from the past,’ explains Matt. He admits that there have been tons of challenges – they’ve researched and experimented over many years to make their signature material stronger, lighter, transportable, colourful, curved and, most importantly, sealed.

‘From a design standpoint, we were very firm on the idea that concrete didn’t have to be masculine, and we wanted it to fit within all interior and exterior settings, not just industrial or minimalist ones,’ explains the product designer. ‘We first started with the designs, and then created our own material, sealer and manufacturing process to suit them.’

You may recognise Matt from Channel 9’s The Block, or hosting, designing and producing the spin-off renovation show Matt and Kim to the Rescue. Long before TV, he was the son of a draftsperson/sketch artist and a residential builder. ‘One of the first things I remember, as a child, is playing with floor plans,’ jokes the UWA architecture graduate. ‘I was always interested in how design could help society function better, how design could make us happier. Aesthetics didn’t seem enough to me… all designers have different drivers or creative compasses, and mine is strongly aimed toward creating an emotional connection between the person and the product.’

Nood Co is proud to be manufacturing in WA, where it’s bizarrely more affordable to freight from than it is to freight across Melbourne (!!), as many trucks return to the east coast empty! ‘It’s expensive to manufacture in Australia, but not impossible. We have quality control here and plan on showing the Australian design market a new level of quality, with reasonable turn-around times – gone are the days of the 12 week wait!’

Nood Co is expanding its manufacturing and will be launching new product ranges, beyond furniture, next. Stay up to day by following, here.