Designing the world we want
Melbourne Design Week. It’s where the leading designers, educators, thinkers and businesses come together to show and tell.
The theme this year is ‘Design the world you want’. Everyone is united with a focus on experimentation, innovation and ideas that could transform the world as we know it.
The exciting program showcases a range of design work across industries including cutting-edge architecture, interior design, urban design and functional art.
And being a unique sustainably sourced product with a myriad of design possibilities, Hydrowood is featured in two highlight exhibitions.
Into the deep
Tasmanian-born furniture designer, Brodie Neill, wanted to create and share a piece of Tasmanian history through his careful choice of material. Using three kilometres of Hydrowood veneer offcuts, Brodie hand coiled them into an exceptional table – ReCoil.
It was always our dream when we started Hydrowood to see the timber being used by woodworkers to create unique pieces. And Brodie made our dream a reality in his elliptical centrepiece table which was exhibited at London Craft Week in 2021. You can see this incredible piece of art at the Design Fair.
In his talk at Living Edge, Brodie discusses why he uses Hydrowood in his designs and shares the fascinating story behind our sustainable reclaimed timber.
DATE: March 17
TIME: 6.30-9.30pm
VENUE: Living Edge Showroom
Relatively Useful
Hydrowood features in almost half of the 25 objects made from timber, steel and ceramic in Relatively Useful – an exhibition by John Wardle and Simon Lloyd at Heide Museum of Modern Art. John and Simon describe the works as ‘gradients of collaboration’, designed both individually and together through many conversations and a platform of shared drawings.
Don’t miss this fascinating exposition that reveals the talent and skills of a range of makers from Melbourne and Hobart.
DATE: March 17-27
TIME: 10am-5pm
VENUE: Heide Museum of Modern Art
John Wardle: A showpiece sustainable house
Our relationship with John Wardle from John Wardle Architecture extends further than Melbourne Design Week. John is passionate about all things Tasmanian and uses Hydrowood in his award-winning architectural designs at every opportunity.
A stand-out is Limestone House in Toorak, Melbourne. The aim with the design and build was to create one of the most sustainable houses in Australia. To achieve this, two certificates were chosen to drive the environmental agenda of the project – Passivhaus and Living Building Challenge. The house would be off-grid and consist of low-embodied carbon materials.
Being a sustainably sourced reclaimed material with a positive carbon reduction, Hydrowood was a natural choice for this design.
Innovative furniture design
All the internal timber used in the Limestone House – the ceilings, flooring and joinery – is Hydrowood. Not only does it flow beautifully as a theme throughout, some key pieces of furniture are exceptional.
The heart of the home, the dining room table, is a striking centrepiece made from Hydrowood. The long table is designed with a ‘linear Lazy Susan’. There is a slot in the middle of the table that allows for several trays to slide back and forth along the table for food to be shared. This clever design is perfect for entertaining.
Another significant Hydrowood piece is the dividing unit between the living and dining room. In the living room the unit opens up to reveal a brass-lined bar and the middle has a television that pops up. On the kitchen side there is an in situ concrete bench and drawers lined in fabric to store all the good cutlery and act as a servery.
What’s ahead
Furniture makers, woodworkers and artists are creating distinguished works of art with Hydrowood.
Architects and interior designers are using our sustainably sourced timber in high-end residential and commercial construction.
This is what we envisioned when we first saw the unclaimed timber in Lake Pieman. And together with ingenious environmentally focused thinkers and creators we are designing the world we want.
Stay tuned for more stories of clever collaborations and ingenious designs using Hydrowood in our blog, eDM and Socials. In the meantime, head to Melbourne Design Week.