Timeless Craft: The Beauty of What Endures

What if “timeless” isn’t a look, but a way of working? We sit down live with Jeremy Bull (Alexander Co.), Simone Haag, Bree Banfield and Nicci Kavals of Articolo Studios to unpack the real markers of longevity: craft, material honesty, and the stories that form when people actually live with their spaces. It’s a candid tour through trend cycles, practical sustainability, and the design choices that keep rooms relevant without sanding off their character.

Jeremy shares how Alexander House was conceived to look old before it looked new, using recycled materials and exposed structure to avoid disposable linings—proof that method and supply chain can shape a lasting aesthetic. Simone dives into the power of collectible pieces and why confidence, not caution, carries objects across eras; she argues that the rooms we remember are built on layered narratives, not risk-free palettes. Nicci opens the curtain on craft, from straw marquetry to cast bronze, and makes the case that honest sustainability sometimes means making the few things people will keep and repair for decades.

We explore the tension that makes spaces feel alive: old versus new, feminine against masculine, stone with glass, minimal shells warmed by art. We also tackle real-world constraints—budgets, kids, shipping, and the myth that avoiding trends guarantees longevity. You’ll hear practical ways to design for optionality: favour furniture-like kitchens, specify solid timber over glues, and choose pieces you’ll reupholster instead of replace. Most of all, we circle back to memory—why a lamp’s glow at 2 a.m. can be more enduring than any “timeless” swatch.

If you believe interiors should age with grace and gather meaning, this conversation will sharpen your eye and steady your choices. Listen, share with a design-obsessed friend, and if it resonated, leave a five-star review and tell us the one piece you’ll never let go of.

Check out the incredible works of Jeremy, Simone & Nicci below

https://alexanderand.co   +    @alexander_andco

https://www.simonehaag.com.au   +   @simonehaag

https://articolostudios.com   +  @articolostudios

Bree is now offering a 90-minute online design consult to help you tackle key challenges like colour selection, furniture curation, layout, and styling. Get tailored one-on-one advice and a detailed follow-up report with actionable recommendations—all without a full-service commitment.

Bookings now open - Book now

Join Lauren online for a workshop to help break down the Design steps to run your project & business a little smoother with the Design Process MasterClass, opening 15th October!

For more info see below

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 7 (00:02):
Welcome to Design Anatomy, the Interior Design
Podcast hosted by friends andfellow designers me, Lauren Li,
and Bree Banfield.
We are talking to some amazingguests in this episode, which is
a bit of a throwback actually.
Bree and I spoke to Jeremy Bullof Alexander Co., Simone Haag

(00:25):
needs no introduction, and NicciKavals, the designer and owner
of Articolo, which is actuallywhere this event was held.
So this is a live recording,and the topic is about
timelessness and what thatactually means in interior
design today.
Timelessness is something thatlives rent-free in my head.

(00:46):
I'm always thinking about thatwhenever I hear that term, which
I feel is a little overused,and I was really inspired to
bring together a few differentperspectives on what
timelessness means to them.
I really hope that you enjoythis discussion that was held
during Melbourne Design Week.
And thank you so much forlistening.

(01:08):
Um, I've had some really cutemessages this week.
One of our favourite listenerssent me a photo of her dining
table with a gorgeous pendantlight hanging above it, and she
said that listening to us talkabout lighting really inspired
her.
And she bought a beautifulAkari pendant.

(01:29):
So this is what we want to do.
We are enablers.
So if we have um encouraged youto go out and buy a light,
well, I think our work is done.
So enjoy this episode.
And if you feel inclined, wewould absolutely love it if you
tapped a little five-star reviewor even wrote us a note.
So this discussion today is umwhat is the purpose of timeless

(01:53):
design?
The pinnacle of design iscreating something timeless.
But should we strive for atimeless design and which time?
So, in this discussion, we willdiscuss what makes design
timeless with Jeremy Bull ofAlexander Co., Bree Leech next
to me, Simone on the other end,beating from my list here, and

(02:16):
Nicci Kavals of Articolo.
And my name is Lauren Li.
Thank you all so much for beinghere.
.
Um, so I'd just like tointroduce everybody.
Um, so uh with a wealth ofdesign accolades, a portfolio of
exceptional projects, and aroster of enviable clients,
Simone Haag is considered one ofAustralia's leading stylists.

(02:40):
Bringing considerableexperience and singular vision
to every project, Simone definesnew boundaries in furniture art
and object curation.
Her experience lies inproducing enduring interiors
that overlay distinctive vintagepieces, contemporary design,
and her clients' personalnarratives define her signature
aesthetic.

(03:00):
Um, also we have Jeremy.

Speaker 3 (03:02):
Thank you for so for singing the testosterone to the
tank to the panel.

Speaker (03:08):
I don't know if I do that.

Speaker 7 (03:11):
So um, Jeremy Bull is the founder and principal of
Alexander Co., bringing 25 yearsof experience in modern
architecture to the table.
His impressive portfolio spansexceptional residential and
commercial interiors, reflectinghis dedication to both
technical precision and creativeflair.
Under Jeremy's leadership,Alexander Co.
has become a powerhouse ofinnovation and creative

(03:34):
excellence.
Then, uh Nicci.
So designer Nicci Kavalsreturns to the Melbourne Design
Week Festival in May to unveilArticolo's first furniture
smalls, capable, capsule, sorry,bringing with her a flair for
design that has been harnessedover decades in the industry.
So lots of long words in thatsome dead word.

(03:54):
So thank you for having us,Nicci, because it's so great to
be in your beautiful space.
Um each tailored peasencapsulates encapsulating
equality and craftsmanship,where contemporary design and
tactility converge to make astatement.
Articolo home is a truecelebration of Cavill's love of
Belgian architecture and Italianclassicism, together with her

(04:18):
respect for contemporaryminimalism.
Her influences are steeped inEuropean history, yet she
cleverly dials the Atelier modeto tap into people's desire for
quiet luxury pieces within thehome to create modern and
practical sheep for theeveryday.
But I guess what I wanted tosay is I mean, you've just come

(04:39):
back from Milan as well and NewYork, so um I like to talk a bit
about that as well in the talk.
Last but not least.
Brie Leach has spent decadesperfecting her craft, bringing a
wealth of knowledge and sharpeye for detail to every project.
Brie's passion is all abouttransforming interior trends

(04:59):
into beautifully styled spacesthat are not only visually
stunning but also tell rich,engaging stories.
Renowned for her trendexpertise in trend forecasting,
Brie has a unique talent forpredicting and interpreting
designed trends, making her aninvaluable asset to the
Australian brands, looking tocreate contemporary and
forward-thinking aesthetic.
So I suppose when I wasthinking about this topic of

(05:21):
timelessness, I was like, whocan we talk about to that might
have a few different points ofviews, but they're really at the
forefront of the Australiandesign scene?
So thank you guys so much forcoming to talk about this topic
because it does live and refrainmy mind all the time.
So um I guess I had just a fewsort of questions.

(05:44):
And I suppose maybe if I couldkick off with you, Jeremy, how
do you define timeless design?
Is that something that youstrive for?
Is it something your clientsask for?
Or what does that mean to you?

Speaker (05:57):
Uh yeah, I don't know if it's a I don't know if it's
an express request from clients,actually.
Like it to be just totallyliteral about it, I think
anything that can endure andlast by definition is, I guess,
um, timeless.
But I think I think we use theword as being emblematic of
particular aesthetics as well.
So I think you know thinkingabout our own work, there is

(06:19):
something of a intention interms of um reducing the amount
of work we do and and trying toreduce the amount of churn
that's going to happendownstream of us.
And I think that what we'veseen in our work is that does
start to look a particular way alittle bit, like there is it
starts to resemble somethingthat maybe could have been
around for a while and might bea bit old, it might be a bit

(06:41):
new.
But at a totally practicallevel, I guess really, if we
were to night to nail this, it'dbe, you know, producing
something like a Roman churchthat in 2000 years was sort of
just as beautiful as it was whenit was built.
So like I think it's a complextopic, actually.

Speaker 7 (06:57):
Funny about that.
Yeah, I think that's somethinginteresting.
Yeah, I've been thinking aboutas well.
Just that what does the literalmeaning of timelessness mean?
Um, and do we use it in thatliteral way?
Um, did you want to add onthat, Bree?

Speaker 6 (07:14):
I 100% agree with everything that uh Jeremy said
in terms of it being somethingthat um endures.
But I would say that umtimeless design transcends
trends.
So it sort of goes beyond thetrend and and stays relevant for
a longer period of time.
However, I think that um it'salso in the eye of the beholder

(07:37):
a little bit too as to whothinks something's timeless.
Um, but uh yeah, that'sprobably the main thing I want
to add there.

Speaker 7 (07:46):
So there's yeah, some pieces that can transcend the
time they were created.
And it's the same thing that'sright.

Speaker (07:53):
I think the challenge is a trend now.
We don't have any capacity toknow whether uh something which
is really hot right now is alsogoing to be time enduring.
So you kind of by definitiondon't don't really know.

Speaker 6 (08:04):
If you have good style, great style, you're a
good designer, you do qualitywork, then it's more likely to
be transcending that timeperiod, isn't it?

Speaker 4 (08:13):
And doesn't it have to be of a time?
I think that's the point.
It doesn't have to be of thismoment, it has to be something
that will still be relevant in20 years or 30 years or and
beyond.
So it's not disposable.

Speaker 6 (08:28):
And that's not easy to do.

Speaker 3 (08:31):
I'm curious as well whether timelessness is
something that is identified atthe moment, something that's
created, or moreretrospectively, because you
know, and retrospectivelysurely.
That's it, because you, youknow, you obviously always
strive to make beautiful spacesand endeavour for them to be
beautiful, but it's it's thatlooking back where you can
actually reconcile whetheryou've achieved that or not.
That was something that isyeah, for the projects we're

(08:53):
doing now, it may be a guessing.

Speaker (08:55):
We're just guessing, you know.

Speaker 6 (08:57):
So I I don't I don't know about you, but when they
set about creating a project ora space or whatever it is,
that's not in my mind.
So it's an accidental thingthat might happen.
I don't know, man.

Speaker 4 (09:09):
When I was specifically designed with that
in mind, I I want, I think thatum from a sustainable
perspective, you I don't want todo disposable um product.
I want to know that what wedesign will remain on the walls
or the ceilings and be relevantin decades to come.

(09:31):
So it doesn't become landfill.
We, you know, like the idea intime where we can refurbish,
because I think that then alsoflows into a timeless aspect of
you know, keeping somethingcurrent and just refurbishing
it.
But everything we do with anintention of being artisanal,

(09:55):
different, unique, but also notof this moment.
Certainly not um we don't getinfluenced by fads or trends.
In fact, we try very hard tostay away from that.
So we try and do something thatis unique and not out there.
And I think sometimes we nailit and other times we don't.
But on the whole, there arecertain pieces that I believe

(10:18):
are becoming very much, youknow, timeless pieces.

Speaker 6 (10:22):
Something I hadn't even thought about was which I
should be thinking about, whichwe should all be thinking about,
the sustainability and exactlywhat you said, because that's
one thing that actually hadn'tcrossed my mind, but it sort of
goes hand in hand.

Speaker 4 (10:35):
Well, there's a there was something I saw the other
day and it was um on socialmedia, and so some big fashion
brand did a catwalk show throughla fashion landfill.
And it was somewhere in SouthAmerica, I think.
But it touched me because thatdisposable fashion, disposable
design, it's of now, and thenit's you know ricocheted.

(11:00):
And I think that you know,there's only sort of so much
landfill.
And I thought it was a reallypowerful message having a very
high-end brand actuallycatwalking through disposable
landfill.
So is it a question of qualityor timelessness?
I think quality is veryimportant and agile crafts.

(11:20):
Your craftsmanship is gettinglost.
There are so manyextraordinary, not just glass
blows, but cast your cast bronzeand leather workers, and so
many of these crafts areactually being lost.

Speaker 7 (11:33):
Well, I saw your straw marketry just on the side
tables, which is stunning.
Yeah, and that is a lost craftcraft in a way.
So, you know, seeing thefashion go through, you know,
this fashion show walk throughum all of this disposable
fashion.
But do you think um it's notthat the pieces are timeless,
it's just that the quality ofit's higher?

(11:54):
Because I think, like as yousaid, Jeremy, like it is hard to
know to have a crystal ball andsay, no, these designs are
timeless because who knows, wedon't know, in 10 years we might
suddenly think that Victorianfurniture is all the vogue
again.

Speaker 6 (12:09):
Yeah.
I think that that has to be oneof the boxes that gets tipped.
It's a timeless design, there'squality.
It has to be probably the top,the top um, I don't know, yeah
characteristic.

Speaker 7 (12:20):
And I think if somebody has paid a lot of money
for something, they are goingto treasure it, they're gonna
prize it.
Um, you know, these areobviously, you know, these
pieces are beautifully craftedhigh-end.
They're not of that disposablenature.
So yeah, I think quality itcomes into that.
Do you ever have your clients,Simone, ask for a timeless space

(12:41):
or something that won't date?

Speaker 3 (12:43):
Yeah, it's quite interesting.
I don't think I've had that hadthat actual brief for
timelessness.
Um, I think when the when thehome has that personal
connection to the space, it'scontextual, it's it's wanted,
it's it there's like a mutualbriefing from husband, wife,
kids.
I think when when when there'sthat when it's an appropriate
design response, it just ends upnaturally being more, I guess,

(13:06):
more timeless and more enduring.
Um got a few notes here, and uhbut um, you know, one of the
things that I've um got note ofhere is that that trends are the
biggest marker of time.
So making it timeless is justto kind of make it trendless.
So um the clients that come tous don't actually ever come
seeking a trend.
Um, they've seen a look andthey want their own version of

(13:29):
that.
But I would say timelessness isis not often an immediate part
of the brief, but it'sultimately part of our response
because we would see ourselvesas there for the you know, the
like slow burn spaces, not.

Speaker 6 (13:40):
I always find it really interesting because
obviously when you when you'reworking, not necessarily against
trends, but you're trying to betrendless, that's the word.
Um what happens a lot of thetime is the designers who are
doing this actuallyinadvertently create a new
trend.

unknown (13:56):
Yeah.

Speaker 6 (13:57):
Create a new look, yeah, a new direction.
Yeah.
Because they're kind of thethey're usually the leaders.
So they're usually the peoplewho are exploring and doing new
things.
And then when it gets noticed,um, the people who maybe aren't
the leaders and they're thefollowers who, you know, get
coin it.
Damn the coin it.
Yeah, it sort of createssomething.
So I always find that reallyinteresting.

(14:17):
Um and I I always get a bitfrustrated when people go, We we
are very against trends.
That's I I totally understandwhy.
And when we talk aboutsustainability, but you're part
you're already part of itwithout even deliberately trying
to be part of it.
That's probably got nothing todo with timeless design.

Speaker 7 (14:34):
Well, there's No, it does.
Well, I I think that yeah, andthe topic of trends, like, yeah,
it's um even sustainability.
Like if you're if you'reputting your head in the sand
and saying we don't observetrends, we don't look into
fashion, well, you're missingout on a lot because even
sustainability is a huge wave ofchange that's come through

(14:56):
design and you you gotta takenotice of what is happening.
But I guess, you know, as yousaid, Brie, you guys, that's why
I've got you guys here becauseyou are leading those trends and
you're creating those new,those new trends that um, you
know, the Pinterest and it goesin a rounded circles and then
they're created five years downthe track has come to.

Speaker 6 (15:15):
It's unfortunate that the word trend is used to
describe um, I think disposablefashion is probably what it's
most related to.

Speaker 3 (15:23):
And that's why most designers go, we don't give it a
bit of a dirty name, hasn't it?
Yeah, it really is.

Speaker 6 (15:28):
And it's the whole, well, you know, even just
talking about it boats so funny,it's quite ironic that one of
the big trends issustainability.
When trend is a dirty word foreither disposable fashion, but
really it's exactly what Sminesaid, it's marking a point in
time, it's unavoidable, wecannot escape it.
This is what's happening.
Um, when we look back, even atyou know what we call a design

(15:49):
era now.
That was a trend.

Speaker 4 (15:52):
Actually, Eve, I just want to add to that
sustainability thing because itis a really hot topic and it is
it is very important.
But there's also a lot offalsehoods around it too.
I think there has to behonesty.
So, from our perspective, howdo we say that we're
sustainable?
We're blowing glass.
It's one of the leastsustainable things that you can

(16:15):
do.
We're making metals, we'reyou're shipping products, you
know, our glass from Europe, orwe're air freighting our orders
around the world.
So it's not sustainable.
We've tried sustainablepackaging, and we've really
tried.
And the bubble rack just is notuh solid enough.

(16:35):
So then the product arrivesbroken, the tape is not sticky
enough, so then it opens thebox, the boxes aren't dense
enough.
So then you look at it and yourather than sort of saying,
well, we're sustainable becauseI think you've got to be
terribly careful, you've got tolook at what is your part and
where what is your answer tothat?
And our answer, genuinely, iswe will always try and do things

(17:01):
um with the right code and beas sustainable as we possibly
can.
But if we can design productthat stands the test of time and
is not replaced, so you buy itonce and it hangs on a wall or
wherever it hangs, and you feelyou love it, you feel proud of

(17:21):
it, then we've done our jobbecause that, in our view, is
sustainability in the best waythat we can do it.

Speaker 7 (17:30):
So um I think what you were saying, um, Simone,
it's really interesting thatyeah, you are trying to create
something that is trendless, andyou know, you are able to use
your imagination to create that.
But on the other hand,sometimes when we're asked to
create something that'strendless or that won't date,

(17:51):
it's just very void of anylayering of any personality or
anything.
So it can kind of swing theother way.
So that also is aiming fortimelessness, but I feel like
that it's still off its time.
Boredom.

unknown (18:09):
Yeah, with that.

Speaker 3 (18:10):
Um I think um a really great way of saying what
we do is is collectible art as astudio and it's the axis in
which our entire world um turnsis collectible, um, collectible
pieces, collectible furniture.
Um, so for us, we're thinkingabout timelessness, it's
actually quite tricky becausethat that those collectible
pieces are by their nature quiteimpactful and quite um probably

(18:34):
the the least timeless.
So, but I think what isinteresting for us is that the
way that the pieces cometogether, it's this jigsaw
puzzle that is entirely uniquefor every client.
So yeah, for us, I thinkcollectible art creates a
narrative of the home and theowner and where they live and
what they surround themselveswith.
And um, because it's genuine,it's it's a genuine love of the

(18:56):
pieces, it's not being specifiedbecause we're telling them to,
that they have to really beengaged with these pieces
because they're not inexpensiveand they're not disposable.
So by the very nature of thatprocess, the client gets very
involved and engaged with it.
And I think, you know, for us,that's where the timelessness
comes in because they can thenassociate with it and respond to
it and talk about it andactually, you know, invite their

(19:18):
friends in and discuss whatwhat it is and where it's come
from, um, which isn't again thatword enduring, which I know
we've used a couple of timestonight already, but I think
when they have a story that theycan hang their hat on as to why
that's what or where it's comefrom, that creates me longevity
in a piece.

Speaker 7 (19:34):
And it kind of leads into another kind of topic,
which is nostalgia.
So I imagine, like, you know, aspace that you've created is so
treasured by the client.
They're living their life inthis kind of beautiful backdrop.
And, you know, the kids aregrowing up, and then in the the
next, you know, 20, 30 years,they've got these beautiful

(19:54):
memories of this home that theygrew up with, and they were
surrounded by these pieces andthey get handed down to family
heirlies.
And I guess like with Nicci,you know, they get passed on.
That that's the kind of idea.
So um, maybe Jeremy, do youthink about nostalgia in your
work?

Speaker (20:09):
Is that something that clients have ever I don't know
if they articulate these things,but I'm I'm thinking while
everyone's talking about the theoffice that we built, which we
built during 2020, because likewhen we're not new to this, to
the story of sustainability, andnow we're a B-corp, we're
carbon neutral and yada yada.

(20:30):
But in 2020, we were like,let's build an office and how do
we try and use the office as alandscape in which to learn?
And there was kind of variousgoals, which was that everything
could come from a recycledsource, that everything could
could go to a recycled source,so that um it could be uh burnt,
wood shipped, turned into newfurniture, compost, broken down,

(20:51):
turned into a brick.
And and one of the, becauseit's an office and we have lots
of people in it, one of thethings that was important to me
is that it looked old before itlooked new.
So that it never got, it neverwent through that life cycle
where it looked old.
And so when we were sort ofideating this this building that
looked old before it looked newand was built out of a whole
collection of materials thatcould have came from a location

(21:14):
that allowed them to also berepurposed in the future, the
thing that it came to sort oflook like a little bit was
something crossed between an oldbarn and an old church.
And we're like, it'd be reallybeautiful if walking into the
office felt like the combinationbetween a hotel foyer and an
old church, because there'ssomething nostalgically timeless
about that old church thing,the express, you know, exposed

(21:36):
structure and something thatfeels really monolithic and has
weight to it and holds the lightin a particular way.
So I think that one of thethings that we kind of and we're
still in that building, and andum it was a really beautiful
building to be in, and we we wetested ourselves and realized
that there was a lot of thingsthat we couldn't do that would
have like a sustainablepost-consumer life.

(21:58):
Like in we couldn't build abloody couch without using
petroleum-based foams and craplike that.
Like we just couldn't getaround it.
But what we did find, and we'vesubsequently unplugged the
underfloor heating because itburns carbon, but we did find
there was like various thingsthat were really effective, um,
and that we could take materialfrom the old house and turn them

(22:19):
into new masonry.
And so I guess there was likepillars that came out of it.
Well, one was um we use thisbrick.
This is a company calledNatural Brick.
Okay, we now work, um, liketheir goal this year is
something like 50 millionbricks, but or five million
bricks.
But when we did the projectAlexander House, they'd never
made a brick for a project.
And we're like, oh, what canyou do?
I'm like, we don't really know.
And they were like, okay, takethe rubbish from our old house,

(22:40):
mulch it up, and turn it intomasonry.
We're like, oh, that reallyworked.
And so now we find that all ofour projects have this brick in
it, and the brick has aparticular feeling, like an old
church.
So what what I have found isthat the essence of that
methodology creeps into all ofour work.
And clients are always like,what's your style?
And I fucking hate thequestion.
And I'm like, uh, but I'm like,what we do have is is like

(23:03):
process and supply chain.
And I think the kind of conceptof craft, like the quality, um,
like you got when we buildjoinery, we're like, don't build
joinery and build it in, justbuild furniture and put it on
against the wall.
And you can take it with youand go somewhere.
So get rid of the formaldehydechipboards, get rid of the
formaldehyde based plywoods, andjust build furniture out of
walnut.
It's going to cost you waymore, but you'll be able to

(23:24):
bring it with you for the restof your life.
So now you've now your kitchenstart looking like a collection
of furniture on a concrete benchthat could be made from a
recycled source and get churnedinto a brick afterwards.
And so that's we've reallynoticed that is that our we have
a style, but not a style perse.
We have an output which triesto conform to various
performance specifications.
You know, we always have theseexposed structures because we

(23:46):
don't want to put linings in.
We always have rural ruralwalls because we don't want to
clad them with crap.
We've always got exposedconcrete because we don't want
to put uh, you know,formaldehyde-based plywood
engineered flooring down.
Or we got hardwood floors whichhave been taken from an old
barn.
So what we've found is that itstarts looking a particular way,
but not because we wanted it tolook a particular way.

Speaker 7 (24:04):
So you've you don't try to have a style, but it's
the the values that stay thesame.
More or less.

Speaker (24:10):
Like I think the idea of craft, like you connecting
things together the way that inways that are quality looks a
particular way.
Like you just can't get aroundit.
When you join two thingsmechanically with a clasp and a
screw because it's going toreally last, it looks like
something.
When you weld it two bits ofanodized aluminium and then put
it into a trough, it looks acertain way.
So you you find, I really thinkthat you find that the the

(24:33):
methodology has a look, but it'sit's a downstream effect of the
methodology.
And then people go, oh, it'sthis thing, it's timeless.
And you're like, well, it itmay look like that.
It may look like that, but thatwas not the plan.

Speaker 7 (24:46):
Um, it's really interesting when you s uh
started talking about that,Jeremy, that you sort of said
that the space looked old, butit was new, and that's a really
hard thing for clients to gettheir head around because
they're spending all of theirmoney and they want it to look
new.

Speaker (25:02):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (25:03):
So I guess the best way to explain that is to build
an office and show them.

Speaker (25:09):
Yeah.
Yeah, it's like a bit like aconcept car though.
They're like, that's a niceidea, but maybe not at my house.
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (25:19):
Um, we touched on before talking about, you know,
how could you predict a timelesskind of space?
And I think that there are somepieces that do come to mind
that are timeless.
And I think, do you have anythat come to mind?
I don't know, I'm gonna tellyou what I think.

Speaker 6 (25:36):
Yeah, what do you what did you say?
Um I guess it's that same thingof that transcending trends
where perhaps it was on trend atthe time.
Um, the panton chair, which isnot necessarily something, you
know, like timber and leatherand classically um formed in
terms of materials, but it wasvery um unique in its time.

(25:56):
So it's sort of these littlemarkers of time, I think, that
then transcend um and they kindof mingle well with other eras.
That's my other thing too, Ithink that um when it comes to
potenti uh potentially furnitureand watching or things that you
place within the space.
I think timeless for thosepieces means that they can kind
of go anywhere and it doesn'tmatter.

(26:16):
They don't have to fit aspecific look.
When they're in the space, theyhave their own they have got
their own language.
Yeah, absolutely.
And so then they can standalone in any space and still be,
I don't know, still add to thespace, still be relevant.
That's sort of how I see.

Speaker 4 (26:32):
It's interesting when we approached the flair to
those tables.
The concept there was whatwould happen if we do one shape
and then we put that shape intodifferent materials?
How does the personality ofthat form change?
So, you know, we started withveneer and you know, did these

(26:57):
expressed bronze fins.
So degree of difficulty just,you know, 11 out of 10, but it
becomes very refined and veryelegant.
So then we thought, all right,well, what happens with the
personality of that if we cladit in brass and do burnished
brass with the bronze fins, andthen suddenly it looks very

(27:18):
robust and masculine andsculptural.
But then you put it intoleather like upstairs, which is
a vintage leather, and it'sgonna wear and scratch and you
know be like your favourite pairof old boots, or like the straw
marketer, which is just soincredibly elegant and looks uh
like metal actually, but inactual fact it's this age-old

(27:41):
craft, and the personality ofthat piece in exactly the same
form has changed again.
That's quite an interestingapproach.

Speaker 7 (27:50):
So, same design, different materiality, and how
that can, yes, sit in adifferent space and you know, it
and yeah, we don't have acrystal ball, but they seem like
uh I can't fit them into atrend category, right?
That was a minute.

Speaker 4 (28:06):
The approach was definitely not trend.
It was trying to find forms ortrying to design forms that were
not out there.
So I wanted to do hot couturefor the home.
So that it felt um that it hada European sensibility, um, that
they were more like um littlepieces to dress a space that

(28:32):
were just unique and differentin their sculptural approach.
So that was sort of how it'sall started.
They're beautiful.

Speaker 7 (28:41):
So beautiful.
Um, what about you guys?
Do you have some pieces thatyou consider to be timeless?

Speaker 3 (28:48):
I've had to think about this.
There's many, and I thinkthere's one uniting factor, and
that's actually confidence.
So I think for me, the piecesthat have that are quote unquote
iconic, for want of a betterword, there's this the uniting
concept is they've all got aconfidence that takes them
beyond.
And I think that is what is forme the important part.
I mean, I think there's somespaces that we've created that

(29:11):
have been successful where we'vehad a confidence about us.
And I think that comes fromtrust and a good budget and
enough time and all those goodthings.
But when you have that swaggeror the designer has that
swagger, and that to me, thatis, I don't know it's not a
really very precise answer, butI think it's an interesting way
of thinking of things.
So I think they're confident,and I like the confidence in

(29:32):
those pieces, Nicci, wherethey're not just you know, just
not a side table or coffeetable, you know, like had it on
their own.
They can be an entrance moment,pop your handbag down in a
restaurant next to the lady, youknow, put a you know, you know,
the handbag handbag.
Like, you know, and I thinkjust pieces like that that
aren't always utilized in theways that they've been intended.
Yes, absolutely.

Speaker 6 (29:51):
Which is funny, isn't it?
Because I think a lot of us umor a lot of people would think
timeless is being caught likekind of peared back and there's
not Lot going on because it'salmost trying to be too safe,
isn't it?
Whereas actually what you'resaying is right, when you think
about it, it's actually thecharacter that makes it
timeless, not the lack of.
Yeah.
It's like uh, you know, peoplethink it's safe to have a white

(30:13):
kitchen.
Do we all think white kitchensare really dated at the moment?
So they're not super timeless,right?
But it's yeah, but it's uh inthe character.

Speaker 7 (30:22):
Yeah, well, um, yeah, we were talk, we went to a talk
the other day and they weretalking about Haymor Hall, the
interiors being timeless, and itis a bold interior.
It's brass, it's mirror.
I don't know if it's timeless.
For me, that's like so 1970s,but the quality and the
confidence of it, it's juststands the test of time in that

(30:42):
it's just a great space.
Yeah.
All right.
I guess for you, Brie, likewith your work with trend
forecasting, it's um how do yousort of think about trends and
timelessness?

Speaker 6 (30:55):
Well, actually, it comes into play call with a lot
of things that we've mentioned.

Speaker 7 (30:59):
Well sustainability, even you know, yeah.
And looking back, like I alwaysfind it really interesting, you
know, looking back, likelooking back back on some of
those duelux campaigns, and youjust have such a fond memory,
like, oh my gosh, remember whenwe did Millennial Pink,
everything?
So I think that some sometimeslike I think aiming for

(31:24):
something that's timeless iskind of the wrong thing.
I think aiming for quality andyeah, confidence, but um trying
to trying to create a space thatdoesn't date, I think that
sometimes the general publicbecome pretty obsessed with that
because real estate character,right?

Speaker 6 (31:39):
Yes, what you're gonna say about the real estate.

Speaker 7 (31:41):
Yeah, so they're so scared that it's gonna date
because they're going to sellit.
And it's kind of like, oh, oh,when are you gonna sell their
house?
Are you gonna sell it?
Oh, maybe we'll sell it in 10or 15 years' time.
So we'll just go with the whitekitchen sort of thing.
And yeah, you just feel like,oh my gosh, it's your
opportunity to create your home.
Put in what you want.
And I think that so many peopleare so scared of that.

(32:04):
Um, this whole fear of dating.
And I think it's because, youknow, they look back on their
childhood home and think, oh mygod, that was hideous, what we
did in the 1980s.
Bit of potpourri on the coffeetable and the buttons, yeah,
little terracotta cherub hangingon the wall.

Speaker 6 (32:24):
This is still cherubs in my family home, too.

Speaker 7 (32:28):
But I think it's yeah, that recent history that
we kind of look back and cringe,but somehow, you know, if you
look back a bit further or notas far, that seems to be okay.
So it's something about a alike, I don't know, 30 years
sort of looking back.
But you know, we're seeing the1970s come back, you know, in a
big way with furniture.

(32:48):
So these things they come inand they go out and then they
come back in again.
I just find that so fascinatingas well.

Speaker 6 (32:55):
There's definitely a cyclical nature to trends.
And I think it's a lot to dowith nostalgia, actually.
I think that people get to acertain point where they
actually find fondness in a lotof those things.
And so they're more drawn toit, whether that's colour
combinations or furniturepieces.
Um, so that tends to add tothat cyclical nature.

Speaker 3 (33:15):
Yeah, although I find the opposite, though I find a
lot of clients will say no tosomething, mate, that reminds me
of what my mom has.
Yeah, actually, to me, it hasthe opposite effect.
Yes.

Speaker 6 (33:25):
I think it's oh, and often weirdly at the moment,
it's the younger generations,not the so it's like the you
know, the millennials who arelike, and people who are
somewhere into the 90s, whichfeels like that, isn't it?
That's I I've just had a wholediscussion about um, you know,
90s homes, and I'm like, that'sactually really hard to define

(33:46):
for some reasons.

Speaker (33:47):
But um well, the thing that's coming up in all this is
like if you talk about timeless,we're still like like we're
we're still talking aboutproduct that's like sub 100
years old.
Like it's like do tocontextualize that what time has
been around for a pretty longtime.
So I'm I'm also like I'm tryingto think of an example of for
us, and I don't do too much FFNEmyself, but we do in the

(34:07):
practice.
But we did this um this sort ofheritage farm in New Zealand in
Queenstown, and we did it as afood and beverage project, and
they spent hoops of money, andwe rebuilt a whole suite of old
buildings that wereagricultural, and we took them
apart, and they were made out ofstone.
They're stone they're calledschist in Queenstown, it's like
a blue granite-y sort of stoneand timber, and we unbuilt them

(34:28):
and then had to put all thecoutremonts in to allow them to
be habitable spaces and dealwith earthquakes, and we rebuilt
them.
And so those buildings are theydate between 100 and 200 years
old, which is about as old asanything gets these days that
we're working on, but justinteresting in terms of like
what is the goal here that we'reworking on?
We're doing this project inIsle of Wight, and it's got a

(34:49):
hundred-year life cycle goalwhen we're doing a house in
bloody these suburbs of Sydney.
You're lucky to try and getsomeone to get to 50, and it's
probably 20.
So I'm also like within thekind of vernacular of
timelessness, like we're alsotalking about inherently not
very timeless things.
So like everything's a minute.

Speaker 7 (35:12):
Well, I went to see an event for design week today.
I went to see Daniel Barbera'sum furniture sculpture range,
and he is inspired by ancientartifacts, and it's so wild to
see like he's uh experimentingwith glass and melting down
glass, and again, he's he's onlyin his own trend, he's in his

(35:34):
own little bubble ofexperimentation, and that is so
inspiring.
Um, but yeah, you're right, youknow, sometimes you can look uh
go into the the NationalGallery and stumble across some
Egyptian chair and it's like5,000 years old, and you're
like, but that looks so modern.
Like, so yeah, we we do kind oftalk about it in pretty recent
times.

Speaker (35:55):
Fetishizing contemporariness, I guess.

Speaker 7 (35:57):
Yeah.

Speaker (35:58):
Um, but I think if you if you change the constraints,
say actually it's got to last200 years.
Like I think you almost youalmost have to rule out most of
what we do because, like, well,that leather chair is not gonna
go the distance and thatcladding is not gonna go the
distance.
And you end up with these thesebuildings which are made out of
stone and which do look like aRomanesque thing because it's

(36:19):
about the only thing that trulyis timeless, the rest doesn't.

Speaker 7 (36:23):
And I guess on that topic of quality as well, it's
not always true.
Like, even if it's a reallyhigh quality piece of furniture,
it is worthless and it's sodated.
And I just think about yeah,Victorian furniture, beautiful
handcrafted timber inlays, andyou cannot give them away.
So it's not always true thatjust because something's of a

(36:46):
good quality that it's going tobe handed down, like all these
family heirlooms that, yeah, youjust can't even give away.

Speaker 3 (36:54):
It's gonna sound a bit weird, he said he took me to
the basement.
Not in that kind of way, butanyway, it was and down there he
said, Oh what, do you reckonyou can sell this to one of your
clients?
And it was exactly bad.
It was it, and I said, Oh, ohsorry, and it was in the garage.
I think it had like dumbbellsin it.

Speaker 7 (37:10):
I said, I think it's best kept with well now's the
time to buy up all those pieces.
We just have to wait about 30odd years.

Speaker (37:19):
Yeah.
But I think at the same time,if you can turn it literally
turn into another piece offurniture or firewood, who cares
anyway?

Speaker 3 (37:25):
Yeah, absolutely.
Well, that's part of it, right?
Or the varnish, wouldn't youjust get it high off the fear?
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (37:31):
Cheap Japanese burning.
I mean, make a a beautifulvintage piece, Japanese burn it,
and bring it back to lifeagain.

Speaker (37:38):
Like what what are what what are all the life cycles
that the thing can go through?
It doesn't have to be right.
You don't have to nail it forit to last 200 years.
It just has to have anotherpurpose that you can't foresee.

Speaker 4 (37:49):
You know, there was something that I saw many years
ago, and it was wheat sacks thatwere actually the most
beautiful wheat sacks that wereactually turned into gorgeous
armchairs.
And it was in um Harrods, butit was just so clever.
And it was just repurposing.
So just because it's aVictorian, you know, Graham
Getty's table, just turn it onan axis and do something

(38:12):
different with it, and suddenlyit's you know, relevant.

Speaker 7 (38:15):
You know, the fact is we have indoor toilets now, we
don't need a washstand and allof these pieces of furniture.
Like that I guess I guess iswhere trends come in, and you've
got to repurpose and somethingthat was created for that life,
it doesn't suit our lifestyleanymore.
Thank goodness we're indoortoilets.
So I guess on the the flip sideof looking for timelessness is

(38:39):
looking for newness andfreshness and innovation because
I think if we keep looking backand we're always in that
pursuit of something timeless,then we're missing out on
something new.
So I feel like um Simone, likewith your work, you're always
showing us something new.
So I suppose is that somethingthat you seek to do?

(39:01):
Or does that kind of keep youinvigorated?

Speaker 3 (39:03):
And one thing that um I guess when the development of
my practice was working with ayou know an incredible design
studio where um when I went outwhen I went out on my own, I
made a very deliberate choicethat I had to go down a
completely different directionaesthetically because I felt
otherwise it would it would bedisrespectful to my employees to

(39:24):
sort of adopt their look.
So I sort of thought, well,where have I been for the last
eight years whilst being umemployed?
And then if I flip it and walkthe other direction, where's it
going to take me?
And I think for me that waslooking further and wider and
getting pieces that weren'tnecessarily accessible in um in
Australia, that weren'trepresented, you know, you
couldn't um you couldn't geteasily.

(39:46):
And so I think what that doesdo is it creates a business
where there is a lot ofdifficulty in importing things,
a lot of difficulty once youhave imported them, if they're
not quite right, you can'treturn them.
Um the logistics, um, customsduties, all of that has made
it's I've had to employ a personfull time to help manage that.
But what it has done is it'sbrought in a suite of pieces

(40:09):
that people aren't seeing, and Ithink that has propelled our
aesthetic um beyond.
So I think for uh, but youknow, certainly very supportive
of all our local suppliers,couldn't do it without them, but
just that layering of going,all right, what is inaccessible
here?
And now let's make, let's bringthat and it's not easy.
It's definitely sometimessometimes I say to the to the

(40:30):
girls, no more direct imports onthis job.
We just have to go to churchstreet.
Well, I love church street andI love I love all of the street
suppliers, but yeah, for us,it's like what are the things
that are too hard for everyoneelse to get and make those our
point of difference.

Speaker 7 (40:46):
And yeah, I guess that comes back to you know,
creating those timeless spacesby creating those, yeah,
bringing bringing together thosepieces.
You're not thinking, well, wecould, you know, use the panton
chair like tick, like that'sgonna look good.
Because there can be a bit of aformula.

Speaker 3 (41:03):
I'm also very conscious of um the the ability
of people to loan pieces forchutes and and and access things
and how then everyone is come,there's a small pool that
everyone's learning from.
And then when you want to gobuy those productions, they
can't buy that because actuallyX, Y, and Z have loaned it for
their chute.
So I think um it's actuallythis.
Oh no, thanks, so for you it'strying to go, okay, I'm seeing

(41:27):
this a lot and I've just gottathat's my business model is to
is to go, okay.
I have to then try innovate,you don't repeat yourself,
you're always looking fornewness, freshness.
If a client if a client asksfor uh us to specify something
we specified before, we'd reallyum caution against it and and
almost if it's unique to thatclient or that job.
So yeah, try not to to repeatthings.

Speaker 7 (41:50):
I was gonna say, did you guys have anything else to
add before we open up forquestions?

Speaker (41:53):
I I only on the the newness thing versus the oldness
thing.
I actually think that thethere's a certain health in the
work when there is a tensionbetween the two anyway.
So although I don't think wehave an interest in looking new
or an interest in nostalgia, Ithink we have an interest in the
tension that lies between thetwo.

(42:14):
I think it's in it's in seeingsomething as feminine and
masculine, as light and dark, asold and new.
I think it's in that space inbetween that things get really
kind of alchemical.
So so maybe to to just answerit through our lens, neither
matters as long as you findyourself in the tension between
both.

Speaker 3 (42:35):
What was that in my notes?

Speaker (42:38):
Alchemical, yeah.

Speaker 3 (42:39):
Yeah, sure.

Speaker 7 (42:40):
I wrote that down too, Sarah.
So I guess um, yeah, just openup to any questions.
Does anybody have any thoughts,questions they wanted to add?
Don't be afraid.
Do we cover off timeless listentirely?

Speaker (42:56):
Should we throw it at the journalist in the room?
Yeah, good.

Speaker 8 (43:02):
Yeah, okay.

Speaker 1 (43:04):
So this uh when you were talking before about um the
point was something that youbrought up and readmirping,
that's what it was when youthought about readmurpacing, it
made you think.
I went to a talk last year umby Manuel Matias, watch his
architect, who does work onpieces, sort of architecture
that he not to the I wouldn'twant to use the word timeless,

(43:24):
but he's very injury.
It's got the brilliancequality, so it's well very, very
vast in itself, materiality ofit.
But he was talking abouttranscending and transcending
train basic hope but alsocreating this injury aspect by
making sure that, and this ismore in up with the term
architecture and guilt for builtenvironment, that spaces can be
agile for their use.

(43:44):
So that comes down to likefurniture, it comes down to all
aspects of design, I think.
So when it comes to reclips,when you're talking about the
overwash stands and like whatcan they become to there?
But if you can walk into abuilding that was once a church
that then becomes a house, thatthen can be kind of soul, yeah,
they do go beyond that 100 yearyou're talking about.

Speaker (44:03):
There's this author who I love called Nasim Taleb, he's
like an economicalstatistician, but he talks about
this thing called the Turkeyproblem.
And the the premise is that theTurkey is fed for 364 days and
on the 365th day, it's killed.
But up until day 364, it'sassured that life is great.
And he's talking about he'stalking about another concept.
But one of the things thatalways comes out is you don't

(44:25):
really know what's going tohappen next.
Like we're all just, you know,falling backwards.
So we don't really know what'sgoing to happen next.
So the one thing you can do isto create some optionality in
your work, which is where I likeit, like a solid timber thing,
which can be broken apart andchopped up, is better than a
chipboard thing where there's noeconomy in doing anything.
You throw it in the bin.
So I think underpinning theturkey problem in architecture

(44:48):
and design is like, how do youjust know that you don't really
know what's going to happennext?
And so allow your work to havesome optionality at it.
You want to take it and breakit, you want to take it and burn
it, you want to take it intomake a new thing.
It doesn't really matterbecause it can do all those
things.
I think that's a form oftimelessness is that simply we
don't anticipate what's going tohappen, but we allow space for

(45:09):
anything to take place.

Speaker 3 (45:10):
I like the idea of pieces that have had that in the
uh have been a trend or ontrend, like the idea of all of
those in the one room at the onetime.
And then what trend does thatcreate?
But have fun.
Do you think like all of those?
Just really fuck with them, putit all in the one space, and
then guess I want to figure itout.

Speaker 6 (45:30):
But that's what I was gonna do this year at the end.
Oh, really?

Speaker 5 (45:33):
Any other questions at all?
I have a question in heresomewhere.
It's not particularlyformulated, so bear with me.

Speaker 6 (45:39):
But within this talk, there's the timeless being
something that is withstood tothe test of time.
Well, the thing is, um, theaesthetic of something doesn't
necessarily fit into onecategory that from this panel of
designers who all have, in myopinion, um, different
aesthetics and it was a stylejourney.

(46:01):
Um But well, you guys do thatstick talk about it, very bad
over there.
But so about sort of reallyenjoying the same Korats sub
hundred years, and we calledthem timeless.
And I would say that althoughthe many of us who had the same
interest would agree with theproducts that we've spoken about
in that way.
Um so there's you know a bit ofa dark dichotomy and what
timeless is.

(46:22):
Is it is it uh an aestheticthat doesn't adhere to one
particular um space that or orperiod that we go, or that's
still as relevant today as itwas 50, 60, 70 years ago and
it'll be 50, 60, 70 years, or isit that this product is strong,
durable, um, recyclable,reusable?
And so there's you know,there's two different things.

(46:42):
And I don't know about everyoneelse, but I'm constantly torn
between the I want to completemy space, buy once, buy well,
and it be done beautiful, I canfinally rest and enjoy it, and I
want to refresh my space andit's a new thing that is found
around and delicious, and haveyou seen all the new foods up?
Very sudden, unfortunately.

(47:02):
So for me, I don't have a ahealthy budget, Simone.
Abelas, some of you and I'mputting juice.
Well, and so what am I choosingthen?
Am I choosing something that isrobust and I can put it in once
to know that I've done a greatjob?
That's perfect to the place, orthat I can take with me and
then don't get to repurchasesomething or make it, or do I

(47:25):
make it?

Speaker 5 (47:25):
Or what do I see?
There's not a question.

Speaker 6 (47:29):
The way I usually answer that is you have to
connect to the piece.
I engage with it.
And that is what Smarrie talksabout.
So it's a different answer foreverybody.
I don't think it's the sameanswer for everyone.
I think that when you're going,okay, well, if your aim is
timelessness, you can't choosesomething that you still don't
engage or connect with becauseit's not really timeless to you

(47:52):
at all in the end, is it?
It's just a piece that you putin your house that you spend a
lot of money on and Jesus, nowwe've got to move and I'm gonna
take this thing with me and I'mdone, you're gonna really like
it.
You've got to love it.
You've got to have someconnection, you've got to have a
reason for that piece, not justit looks good against that wall
that's green.
It has to have some othermeaning for it to be for it to
endure, right?
Nation is always the way.

Speaker 3 (48:14):
I think you also want to think about it in terms of
uh a space never being finished.
I thought you so if you never,yeah, that the idea that it's
you've never got to the end,you've never stopped to be able
to, you should never stop andlook around and go, I'm done.
Um, which some of our clientswill say.

Speaker (48:30):
But you can take a thing off and sell it and move a
thing, like that's all part ofthe game anyway.

Speaker 3 (48:35):
I love it when we have a bump in and things come
in and things and yeah, yeah.
Things are like in differentrooms and we'd anticipate and
we're like, oh, that was a happyaccident.
But um, I think the idea thatspace is actually never finished
means that then, you know, whendoes that timelessness kick in
or when does that stopwatchstart?
Yeah, shouldn't it be?

Speaker (48:53):
There's an argument is never it never starts and never
stops.
And we have a a practice whichhas got like more than me in it.
And when we do work, there'sother people involved, like
there's journalists who writeabout it and photographers.
And the other thing is oneproject never ends, but
depending on who's involved, theproject just takes all these
different shapes.
So, like we will do a project,and our projects can take four,

(49:14):
five years, longer, six, sevenyears.
And then a journalist will comeand write about it.
You're like, never in sevenyears did we ever imagine the
project was that, but that'sreally cool.
And then a stylist will comethrough to do a photo shoot, and
you'll be like, never thoughtto do that.
And I guess that the the workkeeps emerging long after your
your intention is done, and evenyou don't have to stop letting

(49:36):
it emerge either.
So like I don't think you Idon't think there's a tension
there.
I think it's just there thereisn't a fixed thing called a
project.
There's just people engaging inthe in the in the game, and it
can keep playing for as long asyou want.
I think the point is each timeyou play, you just don't put on
the sidewalk.

Speaker 7 (49:52):
So the answer is you can keep buying stuff.
And editing.
So, you know, I like all of thethings as well, but it's yeah,
editing down.
So I like new new things andevolving and changing, but it
doesn't mean I have to jump onevery single trend bandwagon.
Like you, if you have yourdesign values and you know what

(50:14):
they are, then you can kind ofedit the trends to what you
love.
Does anybody have any otherthoughts, ramblings, questions?

Speaker 2 (50:23):
I was gonna say, out of what we've all said, I think
the nostalgic idea is what iswhat the timelessness really is,
and especially with what we'vejust spoken about, is that you
can buy, you can sell, you cankeep.
But I think what we stays withyou is the things that you've
chosen well, or you haveconnection, or it come from your
family, was handed down.
And I think that's really whattirelessness, I think what we've

(50:45):
scoped about it, kind of is.
I mean that tie.
Like that.

Speaker 3 (50:49):
Just yeah, thank you.
You starved a thought for methere as well, which actually I
hadn't thought about until justnow, but so thank you.
But um, with this with pieces,like I think about my home and
I'm very lucky to have collectedsome beautiful pieces.
But when I look at the room, Idon't think about the Soriana
sofa because I love the Soriana.
I think about sitting therewith the hubby watching the kids
singing on the stage of thestairs.

(51:09):
So for me, a lot of it's notnecessarily about the furniture
pieces, but it's the engagementthat happens where they just
happen to be like part of the shpart of it.
So I think that's a really niceway to think about spaces is
less about the pieces in them.
But what do those pieces allowyou?
How do they allow you tointeract and in what way and who
with?
And they're the memories youtake away.

(51:29):
Like that's a really ego.
Thank you for triggering thatthought.
Yeah.
Like, well, the coffee tablethat it's not the table itself,
but it's the kids drawing onthem and draw and you know, and
they certainly go off the pagewith the permanent mark and
you're like, oh, kind of cool.
So those kind of things.

Speaker 7 (51:44):
I think there's a lot to be said for that because you
know, you have some beautifulpieces in your home, but it's
not like a museum.
And you live in your home.
And I think that is why I kindof uh bristle a bit when it's
too much of a museum and youfeel like you can't live in it.
And and that does help withthat memory and the nostalgia,
and you know, yeah, it's lovely.

(52:04):
Any other questions?

Speaker 6 (52:07):
Just about like specifically about yourself into
it.
So your practice has adifferent aesthetic to your
home.
Like my home is actually Ifound I found it interesting
when you um see links behind adesigner's profile practice, and
you see kind of see your personmuch more um and what their how

(52:27):
their personal expressiondiffers to their uh practices
expression.
I'd be super interested to knowlike that something you find in
timeless at your house isn'twhat an audience might see in
the practices that you portray.
Would you guys be willing toshare something from which is
your own aesthetics that youmight find timeless from your
own house?

Speaker 5 (52:48):
Great question.

Speaker 4 (52:50):
Or was it a question?
Well, I was just I'm not quitesure if I'm even answering this
properly, but for me, my home isor our home is it's a curation
of objects that I've collectedfar and wide.
So things that have been pickedup on travels, even just little

(53:13):
found objects.
Um, it my grandmother'spaperweight, which is a cast
bronze hand, uh and you know,fizzy bull paperweight, which
actually turned into a fizzybull.
But it's so it is it's layeredand I'm constantly moving it
around and I'm constantly, youknow, changing my books or
moving things here, there andeverywhere because it's a living

(53:36):
space.
And um, and I've got objectsfrom all sorts of different
walks of my life that werecollected when I was young and
now collected also now.
And there are, you know, I'vegot a beautiful Fritz Hands
Hansen chair that I just adore,and it just gets moved with me
wherever I go and wherever I putit, it's always great.

(53:56):
But I know it's a it's like anevolving space of memories and
things that touch and areimportant to me.
So it makes it a personalspace.
Is that the best answer?
I don't know.
I answered you.
My house is like this, it hasgot Venetian plaster walls and
it has got, you know, craftsbricks and all of that.

(54:19):
So I do love a minimal umcontemporary uh architecture
aesthetic, but then within, andit's not too abundant, but
within I have layered pieces offurniture in different
materiality, which for me is,you know, that the walls and the

(54:42):
architecture is the canvas, andthen everything else is
actually um the way that I liveand how it's designed, and
that's the softening, thelayering in the space.

Speaker 5 (54:52):
You know, this is so beautiful, it's minimal, it's
toninal, but it sounds to melike if you have lots of
memorabilia from various stagesof life all around the world,
still things.

Speaker 4 (55:04):
There's a rich.
There's a a vase I bought inFrance, and he was just this, I
don't know, like this uhatelier, like he was a a a glass
blower.
And what he did is he laid whenhe was blowing this really
thick bottle, and the bottleshape wasn't particularly
amazing, but every was lovely,but he actually laid little rods

(55:28):
of steel, or it was probablybrass actually, but obviously it
then changed and blackened withum when you're laying it into
hot glass.
So it was actually cast withinthe glass, and it was so many
years ago.
I was 20 and I'm nearly 60.
So, but they hadn't done that.
I hadn't seen anything like it,and it's such an interesting

(55:50):
piece.
And then there's like thislittle Japanese plate with
Milifiore, which is, you know,this plate is ceramic, but it's
white Milifiore glass, so it'srods of glass that they cut like
this, it's like tiny littlesort of flowers, but it was done
only in white on white.
So then when that was actuallythen uh warmed and embedded into

(56:14):
that uh porcelain, I mean it'sjust so expressive and artisanal
and atelia, and nowhere else doyou find something like that.
So I like those sort of objectsthat are just speak because
they're unique.

Speaker 7 (56:32):
And it's interesting, they're both glass and pink.

Speaker 6 (56:39):
How interesting to hear you speak about those
items, which is not not thateveryone hasn't spoken with
complete passion abouteverything to do with this talk,
but when you speak about thepersonal, your voice comes
really alive very differently towhen you speak on Hample about
a topic.
I design a really beautiful toyou of outbreak personal.

Speaker (56:59):
Oh, um I'm I'm thinking because we I like I have a
house and an office and anoffice, and we they're they're
very different, like the spacesare very different.
I don't know about you guys,but we spec furniture wrong all
the time, and it ends up at backat my We're trying to avoid it.

Speaker 3 (57:12):
Occupational hazards.

Speaker (57:13):
So there's always there's always like a flow of
shit between the houses and umleft shades, right shaves,
looking at it, right sittinghundred or nine hundred?
Yeah, should have been sixhundred.
Um But one of the things thatthat I have a very domestic
life, I just kind of have kidsand a family and dog and well,

(57:34):
but one of the things I do liketo do is to hang out in hotel
foyas when I go traveling.
And there's something about theexperience of feeling very
undomestic and very foreign in ahotel foyer.
So I always search out, searchout these hotel foyas which are
active.
And so there's this thing in myhead.
Um, I think in uh Buddhism theycalled it a samsara, but

(57:54):
there's this thing in my headwhere I'm like, I really go
searching for the lack offamiliarity.
I really like to be a strangerin a space because it reminds me
of traveling.
So actually, my house now,because the furniture flows in,
flows out.
I have a very unfurnishedhouse.
I have four kids, and so wehave practical stuff, but
basically unfurnished.
We have entire rooms with nofurniture, like a a mat on the

(58:15):
ground.
Padded walls, a carp, like acarpet, and that's in a fish
tank.
But I but one of the things Ireally like is when I go to
work, which is um the theoffices are next door to my
house, and they're reallydifferent, is I like the
foreignness, I like theunfamiliarity, and I like the
fact that nothing in there feelslike it belongs to me.
So I would take it, but just togive a counterpoint, for me,

(58:38):
um, like I got an old ArtemedesPtolemae light that's held
together with like tape that Ibrought back when I was 18,
traveling, and I'm 45.
And I have no affection for itat all.
But it is a piece of nostalgiccollectible.
But the thing that I love isthe foreignness.
Like I my favorite work is thework I didn't do.
So I love the foreignness ofsitting in someone else's space
and going, This is really cool.

(58:59):
I never would have thought ofthis.
It reminds me of it, thatexperience of being very
undomestic.

Speaker 3 (59:04):
The favorite thing in my house is probably it's just
a simple Santa and coal lamp.
You know, the one it's like aglass blown orb with a little
timber, the timber same thing,and you can move it around and
part of me put it on tables oron the floor.
And it's we've only ever hadthree houses with my husband or
one better apartment, um, ourfirst family home, and then and

(59:24):
now our forever home where wewe'll be into wedd until we die.
Um and but I love that lampbecause I love the glow that it
creates and then the mood thatthen as a result of that it
creates.
So it's not necessarily thepiece, it's what the piece does,
and it has a dimmer and it goesfrom bright as fuck to as dim
as you like.
And you kind of can think aboutwhen you've gone through not

(59:46):
you, breeding babies,breastfeeding babies, or when
you've gone to like where youlook, you know, it's just
there's one lamp that it has allthis like it's there the whole
time.
Yeah.
So I've got lots of beautifulpieces, but it's that that makes
me very happy.

Speaker 6 (59:58):
I hope struggle to.
Picked out one thing, onlybecause I probably only just
started to invest in piecesrecently.
So I have a couple that I thinkwill be with me for a long
time.
But I have a very domestichousehold as well.
Uh, three boys and a dog meansa lot of mess and a lot of
chaos.
But I'm a bit of a collector,so I had lots of just random op

(01:00:20):
shop pieces, vintage pieces thatmean more to me because I
remember where I found them.
Even I've got two fantasticItalian chairs that I found
around the corner from my housewhen I was walking the dog.
And they're on wheels, so Ijust wouldn't I love that.

Speaker 4 (01:00:36):
Exactly.

Speaker 6 (01:00:37):
I know those will probably always be with me, or
they'll be given to like one ofmy kids or something
reupholstered because they'rejust one of those things where
you're like, that just doesn'thappen.
Um, and artwork for me probablyas well.
That's something that Igenerally don't get sick of
unless I bought it on a whim.
Um and I do have a lot of alsodrops and things from sheets

(01:00:58):
like the f or the furniture orsomething that got scratched or
with the gravitator back.
I mean, not lots for likeenough that there's a few random
things that maybe I will notpurchase.
Um artwork then probably is abig thing for me, timelessness
in terms of if I connected withit and I've purchased it and
I've I've done that with onlymaybe a handful of pieces where
I've seen it, and even if Icouldn't afford it, I found a

(01:01:20):
way to buy it.

Speaker 5 (01:01:21):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:01:22):
Heart money.
I'd never about it.
The piece in your house thatyou love the most is the piece
that you didn't buy and youwished you had.
Oh, that story and if I heardit, one of my upholsterers um
was telling me a story.
Um, I can't think of what's thename of you know the De Certe
sofa that's like the islandwhere it's like got all the

(01:01:43):
little, it's like it's like umquite quite topographic
topographical, you know, that Ican't think of the the actual
piece.
Um and there was a house thatwas having an auction somewhere
in Caulfield North and it wasgetting wheeled, like getting um
taken out of the house into thetruck for the auction, and
someone sort of like caught itthere and said, Hey, I'll pay
you X for it now before it wentto auction.

(01:02:04):
And and so I hear stories likethat, and it just makes me like,
you know, I get it almost getthe shakes of thinking, why
wasn't I in Caulfield North onthat day when that drama passed?
Um, or I did an LA triprecently, and there was a lot of
us that were in this market,and I actually was almost
hyperventilating because I'vegot to find the best pieces

(01:02:25):
here.
And I walked around a cornerand both a girl that I was
traveling with and I spottedsomething at the same time, and
she was like two steps closer.
And I was like, and I stillthink about it.
So I think for me it's thepieces that I didn't get, but
actually that I think about morethan the pieces that I did.
So personality type.

Speaker 7 (01:02:41):
Okay, guys, thank you so much.
I think I'll wrap it up.
Um, thank you so much forcoming and speaking on this
panel.
It's been such a fundiscussion.

Speaker 3 (01:02:51):
I'm not sure.

Speaker 7 (01:02:52):
No, it's great.
Um, so could we just giveeverybody a nice round of
applause?
We've got the utmost respectfor the Wurundjeri people of the
Kulin Nation.
They're the OG custodians ofthis unceded land and its
waters, where we set up shop,create, and call home and come

(01:03:16):
to you from this podcast today.
A big shout out to all of theamazing elders who have walked
before us, those leading the wayin the present, and the
emerging leaders who will carrythe torch into the future.
We're just lucky to be on thisjourney together.