Matilda - Australian design survey

Australian design and the country’s enviable lifestyle will form the hub of the inaugural designjunction at London Design Festival this year with Matilda 2011 launching as yet unseen works by Australia’s best established and emerging designers as well as its first pop-up Matilda Café. This expansive country’s infinite space, sky and sea gives rise to simple, fresh and sophisticated design as yet unseen in Europe.

Building on the successful launch of 13 designers under the Matilda banner at last year’s Festival, this year’s event includes more than 25 designers living in Australia as well as expat London residents, internationally renowned Tasmanian Brodie Neill and Marcel Sigel, former Senior Designer at Tom Dixon.

For the first time, Matilda will exclusively host the international launch of a brand new work by South Australian master craftsman, Khai Liew. Liew, who was named in Wallpaper* magazine’s global top 200 and has work on display at the Design Museum - will unveil Stephanie, an exquisite armchair made from American white oak and cow hide.

Other products from Matilda include the Coco Pendant by Kate Stokes, a 29-year-old designer who launched the brand Coco Flip less than a year ago. The pendant, which is highly successful in Australia, is her first ever product and one of several designs Matilda is manufacturing locally, forming part of Matilda’s mission to bring the best of Australia’s lifestyle to the world, whilst being firmly committed to ‘made in Britain’.

Matilda will also show work by Perth maven Jon Goulder, who produces hand crafted works of a quality that no machine could come near; such as his exceptional Amore Mio chair. Other outstanding products include Carousel table by Adam Goodrum (famed for his Stitch chair for Capellini) and a unique carbon and wood bicycle from Gary Galego.

They’re joined by newcomer 23-year-old Sydneysider Henry Wilson, fresh from the Design Academy Eind- hoven and Rhode Island School of Design. Henry reinterprets design classics such as transforming the iconic Angelpoise lamp into a low energy version.

Khai Liew’s protégé Takeshi Ieu will present a simplified, wooden stacking stool – the Autumn stool and Sydney designer Stefan Lie reinterprets a quintessentially English tradition with his Genie teapot. Young design duo Daniel Emma winner of the Promising Talent award at last year’s 100% Design – launch four new items in their Desk Objects range.
Adelaide’s Jam Factory will be showing, among others, works by illumini – the brainchild of Karen Cunning- ham and Amanda King – winners of the 2010 Bombay Sapphire People’s Choice Award.

Other designers included in the showcase are: LifeSpaceJourney - Spun stools by opthamologist and designer Justin Lamont Surya Graf – Stylish and functional café and residential Clasp table, chair and stool Ben McCarthy - Of the Michael Young studio in Hong Kong, with his Launch stool and table for Go Home Toby Horrocks – with Flatform, angular shelving cleverly created from cardboard Daniel Barbera - A potential modern classic, Bronze table bernabeifreeman - High profile lighting design duo showcasing Lace and Leaf lighting Yellow Diva - British-Australian upholstery experts with their W and M series sofas and chairs
Designers returning from the 2010 Matilda LDF showcase include Trent Jansen, famed for his award-winning Kissing Pendants, Luxxbox and Brian Steendyk.

Matilda Café
For the first time, Matilda will also bring the best of Australia’s lifestyle to the Festival with its Matilda Café – a 90sqm, pop-up café – with formidable flat whites, lamingtons (the ubiquitous national fete-stall cake), McLaren Vale craft beer and boutique South Australian wine. The café will be using the best of Australian furniture by award winning Helen Kountouris, Austraila’s Designer of the Year 2010. The products create a backdrop for the relaxed atmosphere and fresh, easygoing food the country has become renowned for.