Douglas and Bec, started in 2006, were originally called Workroom Design. Crafting furniture and lighting by hand in their Clevedon workshop, their designs have now seen a bevy of awards and projects on the international stage.
They’ve been featured in the likes of Monocle Magazine, Architectural Designers New Zealand, and Aortica. Commercial projects in the past have included the Waiheke Island Yacht Club, Peter Gordon’s Sugar Club, and the now infamous Rosie in Parnell.
But the biggest accomplishment they’ve achieved is making bespoke furniture for an entire 75-room hotel – The Alex Hotel in Perth – and with only 10 staff on roster. It’s no mean feat. Working with leading Sydney interior architects Arent and Pyke, they were involved from the inception. Bed heads, side tables, room cabinets and lobby banquets, everything was tailor-made.
The accolades and big projects are a telling tale of their success: “Since 2007, every year, we’ve experienced 100 to 150% growth per annum,” says the duo.
Working with “creators with an artisanal ethos”, their commitment to local manufacturing is not only at the heart of the brand, but also what drives their success.
Their latest collection is an excursion into different territory. Instead of the all timber aesthetic they’ve subscribed to in the past, their new designs instead venture in to the world of glass, brass, steel, and painted timber finishes.
Simply titled ‘Line’, it’s a natural extension of their minimalist outlook. The designs look more like crop circles or alien drawings, but the products born out of this simplified aesthetic is neither strange nor boring. Instead, it’s a pleasingly “effortless classic”.
Line plays homage to American sculptor Alexander Calder, best known as the originator of the mobile sculpture.
“I feel this new work is a natural progression and very much in keeping with our reductive approach,” says daughter-designer Bec. “It is the same visual language but put together with new materials.”
One of the “new materials” in the collection is ‘blackened brass’, which treats brass through a chemical darkening process. Instead of the traditionally gold appearance brass-made items hold, the process leaves it with a dark pearl-like finish.
The collection will include a floor lamp, table lamp, three multi-armed manoeuvrable pendant lights and side tables. Colour palette extends from dark smoky grey and a matte white combined with a mix of brass and pink hues.
It has been available in New Zealand since May 6th, while Australia and the rest of the world will be available starting May 15th.
Visit their Instagram page and Tumblr blog for more inspiring pictures.
