DESIGN Canberra 2019: DesignByThem stands for Australian designers

Posted on 28 October, 2019

DesignByThem has a simple goal: produce great work and inspire customers with accessible world-class design.

Sarah Gibson and Nicholas Karlovasitis started DesignByThem in 2007, driven by a shared passion for Australian design.

“We saw a lot of local designers chasing companies overseas to make their product and we thought, why isn’t there an Australian brand supporting our designers?” says Sarah.

“Nick and I are both industrial designers, so we designed a collection ourselves. Then we started working with other designers and the business kept on growing.”

DesignByThem, based in Canberra and Sydney, has a carefully curated collection of furniture, accessories and lighting, characterised by a unique Australian perspective and timeless aesthetic.

“I think architecture and fashion are areas that everyone knows about but industrial design isn’t as widely known in Australia. I’m really passionate about anything that educates the public more about the talent we have here and about supporting that design community,” says Sarah.

“There are actually a lot of brands now doing more to support Australian designers, which is great. I think that’s become a strong movement for the whole industry that’s helped a lot of Australian designers make a living from their craft,” says Sarah.

These days, Sarah and Nicholas continue to design, as well as running their business and collaborating with other designers. Recently, this has included fashion designer, Dion Lee.

The result of the Dion Lee collaboration is the DL range of furniture, merging fashion and industrial design principles. The DL Lounge Chair is one of the limited-edition pieces with a Canberra connection available at the DESIGN Canberra 2019 auction in early November.

“Dion is incredibly talented and he understands the industrial process. We’ve worked on the DL range with him for about three years. It was a mission project for me because Dion is based in New York and I work remotely in Canberra, which made it a bit tricky but you can work from anywhere now.”

The product was first exhibited at the Milan International Furniture Fair in April this year.

Credit: Anisa Sabet.

“The Fair is a yearly exhibition for the furniture industry, probably the biggest of its kind in the world. It’s also a great place to launch because there’s a lot of fashion coming out of Milan as well.

“I travelled there with Dion three years ago to check it out, and it was kind of fitting that we should release our product there three years later,” she says.

The DL Lounge Chair references the iconic Bauhaus slung leather furniture design and takes inspiration from Dion Lee’s signature weaving techniques.

“Dion’s clothing features woven elements, including leather, so it was interesting to introduce woven Italian saddle leather tensioned over the chair’s steel frame. There’s a nice kind of familiarity to the piece that goes with our shared aesthetic.”

Sarah is particularly pleased that this piece is included in the DESIGN Canberra 2019 festival auction.

“Since moving back to Canberra about two years ago, I’ve always wanted to be involved in DESIGN Canberra. I worked hard on this collaboration because I really wanted to be part of the Festival as a designer.

“I’m impressed with how DESIGN Canberra engages the whole community. I feel that design shouldn’t be elitist, and it should be fun for everyone,” says Sarah.

The online auction opens on 1 November at 6 pm. The DESIGN Canberra 2019 festival auction party kicks off a week later on Friday 8 November at 8 pm—celebrating the best of Canberra design and officially launching the festival.

The Fitters Workshop in Kingston will come alive for the party with music, experimental lighting design, food and local wines, local brews and spirits. Bids for the limited edition and one-off pieces will close around 9:30 pm.

Tickets are available at: Design Auction Party. Online auction items are available to view at: 32auctions.com/designcanberra2019 and there are also instructions on how to bid.

HerCanberra is a proud media partner of DESIGN Canberra 2019

Feature image: Fiona Susanto via facebook.com/pg/DesignByThem