LAY IT DOWN
Australian admirers of Dutch design icon Hella Jongerius can now inspect her work in the high-end Danskina range before deciding whether to commission a handmade and made-to-order rug.
These beautiful pieces are wishlist staples due to their distinctive texture, innovative structure and unusual use of colour that almost qualifies them as works of art. Jongerius' three new designs - named Bold, Duotone and Multitone - are all-wool and made by skilled weavers from India and New Zealand.
Thick, warm and lovely to feel, each features an irregularity due to handmade imperfections.
Danskina Lucky Rug designed by Hella Jongerius;180x240cm; RRP from $7776;from Kvadrat Maharam kvadratmaharam.com; Hub Furniture hubfurniture.com.au
TRACKING TALENT
The National Gallery of Victoria's initiative commissioning local makers who take inspiration from its collection has unearthed some terrific talent. Grace Brown, a Melbourne-based ceramicist with a background in fashion design, has drawn on a range of antiquities and postmodern furniture.
The result is fresh, glossy white raku clay utensils and ornaments with highlights in pastel blues, pinks and a pop of navy blue.
The range deserves applause for its bold and energetic vibe that pays homage to the Bauhaus and Memphis design movements through strong geometry and contrasting curved and rigid lines, as well as an emphasis on wild pattern and texture.
At the NGV store at 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne; $54.95 - $254.95; ngv.vic.gov.au; ohheygrace.com.au
REMEMBER SUMMER?
Port Melbourne artist Sonja Robar produces digitally printed contemporary pieces that stand out for their colour combinations and point of difference.
She combines photography, collage and digital technology that stems from an "inner yearning" to find and capture photographic compositions of the mundane and insignificant and turn their representation into a thing of beauty.
Robar's works are non-reflective (unlike images behind glass), don't hold dust (like painted canvases) and are moisture-resistant. The invigorating yet dreamy artwork pictured was created by Robar on January 3 to celebrate the New Year and to capture the colours of our summer - particularly the late-afternoon summer skies.
From $990 for a 100cm x 100cm artwork; sonjarobar.com.au
THE SHOE FITS
Another collaboration that was always going to be lots of fun involves Annie Abbott of Melbourne shoe store habbot and Perth-based artist Emma Lipscombe.
Both women produce bold, colourful products - Lipscombe's signature is geometric-patterned art while Abbott's footwear catches the eye due to its spotty patterns and sparkles (among habbot's customers is Oscar winner Hilary Swank.)
The six-month creative process resulted in vibrant new artwork (they are painted wooden blocks carefully assembled for a 3D eff ect) matched with four shoe styles and a leather clutch.
Hand-crafted in Italy, the shoes are made from soft Italian leather; they are then locally printed to feature the artwork along with matching solid panels for that unmistakable habbot look.
habbot x Emma Lipscombe collection from $365; emmalipscombe.com; habbotstudios.com
