Five minutes with Renè Linssen of Furnished Forever and Formswell Design
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Renè Linssen has an impressive resume for a designer only four years out of university.
Winner of the 2015 Vogue Living–Alessi Emerging Designer Award, the 2017 Belle–Alessi Design Award, and finalist in the 2018 Mercedes-Benz Design Awards, there is no doubt that Renè is a talented new designer on the scene.
When I meet him to talk about his work with DESIGN Canberra, and his pieces in the upcoming online auction, he is down-to-earth and humble.
“I’m quite happy with where I am right now, designing for Formswell consultancy and working on Furnished Forever. I like working with Formswell because you get to design a variety of new things, and I enjoy that challenge. I started Furnished Forever with my friend Elliot Bastianon to design furniture and lighting to focus on the narrative of the pieces, which I’m passionate about.”
Furnished Forever ‘Low Stance’. Credit: Lightbulb Studio.
Along with consultancy work and co-owning a studio, Renè lectures in industrial design at the University of Canberra, which he graduated from in 2015.
“It’s great staying connected to the university—it’s definitely a reminder to me that I work in such a cool field. They have lots of new things going on in the design space, particularly in research.”
Renè keeps his eye on innovative advances and strives to make his pieces different and intriguing. He focuses on the story behind the design process, catering to a niche market which seeks out pieces designed in Canberra or built with local materials. He caters to people who are looking for something new in their furniture.
Renè won the Belle–Alessi Design Award in 2017 for an oyster shucker, after realising that this was missing from the extensive Alessi catalogue. He had been searching for an item he could use to create a narrative about living in Australia, and the utensil for eating seafood was the perfect match.
Pearla Oyster Knife. Photo: Anisa Sabet.
“Winning the award was amazing. I went to Milan Design Week, which opened my eyes to the design scene in Europe. European style is closely connected, and they draw inspiration from a lot of the same influences. Australia is still working out a design style, but we are more progressive in that way.”
Renè’s pieces in the DESIGN Canberra online auction reflect his passion for the progressive and innovative. His BALANS ottoman blends the boundaries between home and the office, while his Mesa vases incorporate fallen petals into their design using a timber platform.
BALANS Ottoman. Photo: Anisa Sabet.
“I’m a big supporter of the work Design Canberra does to promote our work to the wider community. I was in Melbourne for Design Week, and local designers there were asking me about design in Canberra, mostly talking about things they had seen during the Design Canberra festival. It’s fantastic when even people interstate are noticing the work we do.”
Parliament Bike Rack. Photo: Adam McGrath.
Before Renè heads back to work at Formswell, I ask him what advice he would give to design graduates to help them kickstart their careers.
“My biggest piece of advice is to go beyond your study and look for opportunities to get involved in the scene as much as you can. I entered competitions while I was still studying and it was great exposure. Sign up for Craft ACT and DESIGN Canberra, go along to all the design events and start making some connections.”
Mesa Vase. Photo: Lightbulb Studio.
There are plenty of events coming up in the DESIGN Canberra Festival calendar—visit their website for the schedule.
The Utopia online auction runs from Friday 1 November to Friday 8 November.
Come along and celebrate the opening weekend of the DESIGN Canberra festival, and meet the auction designers like Renè Linssen—get your tickets now to the Utopia: Design Canberra launch party on Friday 8 November.
HerCanberra is a proud media partner of DESIGN Canberra 2019.
Feature image: Lightbulb Studio
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