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11 Emerging Local Furniture Designers To Watch In 2026

Hot off the heels of this year’s incredible Melbourne Design Week (MDW), we’ve been feeling especially inspired by the calibre of Australia’s local and emerging designers.

From those who are just getting started in the industry, to the experienced makers stepping into the spotlight with their own studios, here are some of the most exciting furniture designers to watch 2026!

Written

Christina Karras

Bound Chair (Oxblood + Coffee) by Locki Humphrey. Photo – Sarah Forgie

Nopal Lounger by Locki Humphrey. All Heaven Broke Loose, MDW 2026. Photo – CJ Cornish

Melbourne Art Fair, Woven Room Divider + Woven Bench Seat by Locki Humphrey. Photo – CJ Cornish

Orville Coffee Table (with hand) by Locki Humphrey. Photo – CJ Cornish

Designer Locki Humpry. Photo – CJ Cornish

Locki Humphrey

While Melbourne-based furniture and object designer Locki Humphrey first dabbled with furniture design during the pandemic (when they taught themselves how to do digital 3D modelling), they officially launched their practice about a year ago. Now, they’re one of the rising stars of our design scene, having just featured in five different MDW shows.

Texture is the main character of Locki’s pieces, which range from colourful chairs overlaid with woven cord, to coffee tables with tactile leather tassels, and so much more.

locki.au

Byron Bay-based designer Georgina Davies.

Set Piece Lampshade by Georgina Davies.

Open Span Lampshade by Georgina Davies.

Undressed Tall Bookshelf by Georgina Davies.

Georgina Davies

Based in Byron Bay, interior designer Georgina Davies started designing furniture and objects as a creative outlet where she could explore materials and ideas on her own terms.

Her pieces are delicate and distinctive, with an emphasis on the beauty of handmade irregularities. Georgina is all about exploring materials that are ‘honest and industrial’; taking something typically overlooked and treating it with care and intention to create bookshelves, lighting, and homewares.

georgegeorgegeorge.work

Collection by Ka Ra Studio.

Buddy, Bedside in Shining Gum by Ka Ra Studio.

Ka Ra Studio designer Katrina Ramm. Photo – Amelia Stanwix

Ka Ra Studio

Katrina Ramm started out as an interior designer, before discovering her true passion was in actually in designing and making playful furniture. She launched Ka Ra Studio in 2022.

Mostly working with Australian timbers, Katrina channels inspiration from nostalgic references (think vintage toys and childhood memories) into furniture bursting with character — like a table with exaggerated ‘shoes’ or a smiling sideboard.

ka-ra.studio

Sean Brickhill in his Melbourne studio. Photo – Amelia Stanwix

Photo – Amelia Stanwix

Sean’s popular stiletto stools. Photo – Amelia Stanwix

Sean Brickhill

You might not know it, but we bet you’ve come across Sean Brickhill’s intricate woodwork before (maybe even on the cover of The Design Files Magazine Issue 03!)

After falling into a furniture design course by default at age 18, Sean Brickhill now sells his bespoke woodwork in stores like Ma House, pépite, and Bow + Arrow, and crafts each piece out of his Coburg North studio. A true creative, he’s always working on a new project, whether that be a new exhibition for MDW or curating rare art and design books for his project, First Editions Library.

seanbrickhill.com

Flood Bench by Curtis Bloxidge.

Kukeri Floor Lamp by Curtis Bloxidge, in collaboration with 2am close.

Flood Floor Lamp by Curtis Bloxidge.

Wave Stool by Curtis Bloxidge.

Curtis Bloxidge

To say Curtis Bloxidge is an experienced maker would be an understatement. He apprenticed as a cabinet and furniture maker almost two decades ago, before spending his 20s building sets for the theatre industry, but it wasn’t until COVID that he returned to his roots in furniture design.

Now running his own practice from Melbourne, Curtis’ work merges classic concepts and subtle references from the natural world to create designs with an overwhelming honesty in their minimalistic forms.

curtisbloxsidge.com

Occasional Chair by AND Studio as featured in 100 CHAIRS at Melbourne Design Week 2026. Creative Director & Photographer – Ingrid Rhule. Creative Director & Producer – Ellen Keillar. Lighting and Technical Director – Mark Harper. Technical Support and Video Production – Chad Weerasighe. Lighting Equipment – Kayell Australia & Boncolor.

Desk by AND Studio.

Loom Lounge.

AND Studio

At the MDW 100 Chairs exhibition, an impeccably crafted timber chair (with the ability to shift between seating and side table) caught my eye. It turns out to be one of the debut designs from emerging practice AND Studio — a new venture by designer-maker friends Samantha Duffee and Julian Allen.

The duo — who met while studying at RMIT — are combining their years of experience working for other makers to create their own pieces for sale with a special focus on exploration. No form or material is off limits.

we.are.and

Pipeflute Box Light by Carl Broesen Studio.

Loom Dining Chair by Carl Broesen Studio.

Loom Lounge by Carl Broesen Studio.

Carl Broesen Studio

Starting out as a concept designer and fabricator alongside acclaimed designers like Adam Goodrum, industrial designer and maker Carl Broesen has since made a name for himself.

Often returning to durable materials like stainless steel or textile waste (both of which feature in his boundary-pushing Loom Lounge), Carl’s overarching ethos is all about ‘making things well and making them last’.

carlbroesenstudio.com

Celebrating With Only You by Photo – Matthew McQuiggan

SMS x StudioBlank, First Subject. Photo – Lachlan Mackay

SMS, Sally Caroline, Lunetta Collection. Photo – Lillie Thompson

SMS x StudioBlank, Second Subject. Photo – Lachlan Mackay.

Space-man Studio

Creative director Lachlan Mackay cut his teeth designing custom furniture with his friend Veronica Paiva (founder at Studio Blank) in the evenings after his 9-to-5 job for years. Eventually, when interior designer Sally Caroline engaged his help in curating her first-ever product collection to life, Lachlan decided to go all in.

Now working under Space-man Studio, Lachlan frequently collaborates on furniture, objects, lighting, retail, and art, in addition to bringing his own novel and emotive pieces to life!

space-man.studio

Bloc lights by Bel Williams. Photo – Sarah Forgie for Craft Victoria

Balance table by Bel Williams. Photo – Bel Williams

Custom Bar designed by Bel Williams with Space Between for At The Above. Photo – Lillie Thompson.

Bel Williams

Before starting her own studio a few years ago, multidisciplinary designer Bel Williams worked in the design team at Jardan with ‘shoemaking and sculpting internships dotted in between’.

Working across furniture, lighting and interiors, Bel’s sculptural pieces often begin with sourcing collected offcuts and salvaged materials. Having experimented with car engine parts, ceiling joists from factories, and even inners from old sofas, these unconventional materials help drive her fresh concepts and distinctive design language.

belwilliams.com

Table by Claire Markwick-Smith.

Surface Series by Claire Markwick-Smith.

Claire Markwick-Smith

Claire Markwick-Smith is an interior, spatial, and object designer based between South Australia and Los Angeles.

Her interest in furniture design initially evolved out of the ‘disconnect’ she’d experienced as an interior designer. Seeking a closer understanding of materials and construction processes, she undertook a year-long metal fabrication residency and has since produced a series of distinctive, metallic pieces that instantly catch your eye.

clairemarkwicksmith.com

Malli’s debut Flush collection. Photo – Amelia Stanwix

Photo – Amelia Stanwix

Malli founder and designer Goodie in his Melbourne workshop. Photo – Amelia Stanwix

Malli

With a diploma in industrial design, a certificate in metal fabrication, and years of working with steel, it’s fair to say Guthike Watawala is an expert at his craft.

The Melbourne-based designer, who goes by Goodie, has just launched a new furniture brand, Malli — revealing a debut collection of meticulously made stainless-steel furniture designed to fit into any environment.

malli.com.au