+ Hello Jonathan, welcome to Yellowtrace and thank you for taking the time to e-chat with us. Could you please tell us a little bit about your background and, the path that led you to where you are today?

Hi Yellowtrace – Thanks for having me. Following school I guess you’d say I dabbled in various science based uni degrees. Completing none of them, I soon came to the realisation I was happiest when making things (something I’d always done growing up in Orange, in country NSW). This lead me into the joinery path through TAFE. Following this I worked in various design oriented workshops, including the Australian Museum for a number of years before I started my own business in 2013.

下载原图

+ How do you characterise your design sensibility and your aesthetic? Is there something that’s fundamental to your practice – your philosophy and your process?

Honesty and tactility really underpin my design and making process. My favourite pieces are those that invite touch and interaction and I find if a material is strongly expressed through its abilities or constraints this is achieved. An example might be expressing a nice timber joint detail or an interesting junction, this and an element of playfulness are what I try to achieve in my work.

下载原图

+ How do you go about establishing a concept and an overall direction for your furniture pieces? Do you have a certain process that you always follow?

I find that with my furniture, concept and direction is almost always a response to a requirement. That’s very simple in establishing what is being designed and made in the initial stages, but as a design develops it’s also a response to a more complex set of questions such as context of the piece which often informs materials. Are there any restraints of the materials, are there boundaries such as how much attention it should demand or just receive it slowly and subtlety?

I consider myself a maker first, before a designer, so for me, this often helps spark an idea. Discovering a nice detail in the workshop and being able to expand on it and prototype I find helps a lot before I sit down to draw.

下载原图