TDF Design Awards

The Emerging Designers In The Running To WIN At The TDF Design Awards

The TDF Design Awards are finally upon us, with our awards ceremony happening this Thursday night – eeek! This brings us to our very last piece of coverage of the shortlisted entries – the Emerging Designer Award.

Open to individuals and studios who have been operating for less than three years, the Emerging Designer category saw entries from many different creative fields, with architecture firms sitting alongside ceramicists and furniture designers.

This award has been judged by celebrated furniture and product designer Henry Wilson, former editor-at-large of Belle Magazine, Anne-Maree Sargeant, and Lucy Feagins, our very own founder and editor. Read on for an insight into seven of Australia’s most accomplished emerging creatives!

Written
by
Lucy Feagins
Supported by Phoenix Tapware

Edition Office, LEFT: Hawthorn House. Photo – Ben Hosking. RIGHT & BANNER: For Our Country’ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander War Memorial. Photo – Erin Vink.

Fomu Design. LEFT: Fomu Side table & Stools. Photo – Lillie Thompson. RIGHT: Odie Chair. Photo – Sean Fennessy.

Studio Edwards. LEFT: House 28. RIGHT: Vision Studio. Photo – Tony Gorsevski.

Writer
Lucy Feagins
16th of September 2019

Edition Office – Architecture

Founded in 2016 by established architects Aaron Roberts and Kim Brigland, Edition Office has quickly become one of Australia’s firms-to-watch. Approaching their work from a holistic perspective, Aaron and Kim have a keen interest in the cultural narratives of architecture, alongside its experiential qualities.

In their short time since launching, the firm has worked across an impressive breadth of projects, including single residential houses in both urban and remote locations, medium density housing projects, design studios, offices, art galleries, artist studios and archives including seminal institutions Station Gallery, Gertrude Contemporary and ArtBank, and recently the ‘For Our Country’ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island war memorial in collaboration with artist Daniel Boyd.

Fomu Design – Furniture Design

Originally from Tasmania, Andrew Beveridge and Gabrielle Beswick of Fomu Design relocated to Melbourne in order to pursue a career in design. After a few years working separately in the furniture and fashion industries respectively, Andrew and Gabrielle joined forced to form their own furniture design studio.

With an aim to make objects that embrace a sleek, simple aesthetic, Fomu Design creates timeless pieces, made in Australia at an affordable retail price. They describe their ethos as ‘modernist in design and minimalist in approach’.

Studio Edwards – Architecture and Interior Design

This Melbourne-based architecture and design practice was established by Ben Edwards in 2016. Bringing together architecture, interiors and conceptual design, Studio Edwards is dedicated to pushing these disciplines in unexpected directions.

Their work is defined by elegantly crafted responses that employ inventive solutions to complex situations and challenging budgets.

Zachary Hanna. LEFT: Trapeze Lamp. Photo – Sarah Spilsbury. RIGHT: Stack Lamp. Photo – Rah Dakota

Apparentt. LEFT: The Esteem Chair.  RIGHT: The Bank Credenza. Photo – Michael Gordon Hill.

Zachary Hanna – Lighting Design

Zachary Hanna is an emerging designer who is already making waves. Studying Integrated Product Design at the University of Technology, Sydney, he has spent time collaborating and working with designers and students around the world. In his own practice, he has had success in numerous prestigious competitions, including the Cult Design Journey, the Alessi Design Award and the Mercedes Benz Design Award.

Zachary’s practice has evolved from bespoke commissions and competition success to this year releasing his first project through NAU Design.

Apparentt – Furniture Design

Founded in mid-2016 by Elliott and Louise Gorham, furniture design studio Apparentt was founded as a way of combining the pair’s collective skills. Louise is the creative director, while Elliot is the managing director and key furniture designer/maker.

Each product in the range is carefully considered, designed with restraint and produced locally using the highest quality materials. Under Apparentt, Elliott and Louise create exclusive products that are beautiful, simple and durable, for residential and commercial interiors.

Tantri Mustika. LEFT: Garnitures. Photo – Melissa Cowan  RIGHT: Featherston inspired commision for Heide MOMA. Photo – Rob Corica.

Alichia van Rhijn. LEFT: Second Time Around.  RIGHT: A Sense of Being. Photo – Alichia van Rhijn.

Tantri Mustika – Ceramics

Tantri Mustika is a mostly self-taught ceramicist who has achieved great success creating playful yet poised handbuilt terrazzo vessels. Working full-time as a hairdresser for over a decade, Tantri only started to explore ceramics a few years ago as a hobby, and has achieved incredible success since launching her business two years ago.

In a remarkably short amount of time, Tantri has emerged as one of Australia’s most exciting young craft practitioners.

Alichia Van Rhijn – Ceramics + Fine Arts

Alichia Van Rhijn is a student, currently in her final year in her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the National Art School in Sydney, and prior to that undertook a Diploma of Ceramics.

Despite a life-long desire to pursue a creative practice, Alichia found herself working in corporate roles for the better part of a decade. After her husband gifted her a pottery wheel, she finally made the decision to leave the corporate life behind and pursue her creative practice. With a background in architecture and design, Alichia has a passion for creating objects and forms that explore underlying elements of place, memory, experience and loss, injecting elements of ‘play’ into her sculptural ceramic works.

From helping local sporting teams, through to fundraising initiatives over the last 30 years, Phoenix has always been committed to supporting the community at a grassroots level. This partnership with the TDF Design Awards takes that support to another level, investing in the future of design and creativity in Australia.

Recent TDF Design Awards