Dean Toepfer's "Vase Versa" in red and taupe. Photography courtesy Dean Toepfer. Melbourne-based industrial designer Adam Cornish has an impressive portfolio – including a line for iconic Italian brand Alessi, and pieces exhibited at Salone del Mobile in Milan, ICFF in New York, and NeoCon in Chicago. His studio is at the forefront of the Australian industry, collaborating with names like Tait and NAU; so when it comes to scoping out emerging and enduring talent, Cornish is a reliable source.
Luke Mills
New Zealand-born industrial designer Luke Mills worked for two years in museum and exhibition design in Hong Kong before settling in Melbourne to pursue the realms of lighting and furniture. His brand South Drawn (formerly Lumil) is characterised by natural materials and simple functionality, with pieces rigorously worked through from paper sketching to prototyping to the finished product.
Darren Fry
South Australian designer Darren Fry has a career spanning twenty years, with a focus on furniture, lighting and objects made from the highest quality materials from Australia and around the world. Fry’s elegant yet organic pieces – such as his award-winning spherical cordless lamp, The Southern Light – slot seamlessly into contemporary Australian living.
Dean Toepfer
The works of Adelaide-based designer Dean Toepfer, who recently interned in Amsterdam under The New York Times-featured Lex Pott, are explorations in material, shape and form. While best known for his formal practice in furniture and lighting, Toepfer’s forays into smaller objects – like his series of split-body, two-tone resin vases called “Vase Versa” – are just as worthy of attention.
