We’re really obsessed.– Sarah Gibson
“We’re really obsessed with Australian interiors, design and fashion,” says Sarah Gibson, co-founder of Australian furniture and design store Design By Them.
The Canberra-based industrial furniture designer pauses, reflecting. “There’s something oddly patriotic about it, I guess.”
Almost 20 years ago, she and friend Nicholas Karlovasitis translated this obsession into a viable business when they turned their garage in Sydney’s Newtown into what would become Australia’s premiere original commercial furniture manufacturer and distributor.
It’s only fitting that her current, newly-renovated home, which features Vitrocsa Sliding doors, recently became the first Canberra project to be included in World’s Best IV: 80 Interiors from Around the Globe.
Gibson calls their focus “the Australian brand”. Between the increasing attention paid to the creative output of the nation and the international recognition of our laidback national lifestyle, the world is paying attention to Australian design. And, well, paying.
When DBT launched in 2007, a business that promoted Australian design overseas and thereby helped domestic makers and designers establish viable revenue for themselves through royalties was a revolutionary concept. The recognition Australian design now enjoys overseas is in part thanks to Gibson and Karlovasitis, who started DBT with a single design: the fold-inspired stackable Butter Stool, made from 100 per cent post-consumer recycled plastic and available, to this day, in six colours.
We really want Australia to be recognised for its creativity and style.
They’ve since collaborated with 14 Australian designers, including Tom Fereday, Dion Lee and Christina Bricknell. Gibson and Karlovasitis continue to create furniture themselves for the DBT brand under the Gibson Karlo name, including Twill – a dining chair, a bar chair and table range, all expressed with a plasticine-inspired cylindrical double-layered extruded profile – which remains both a staple and ever-growing collection.
“We really want Australia to be recognised for its creativity and style,” Gibson says. “Australian design is subtly different. We have a more casual approach to design: casualness, eclecticness and a sense of fun that is otherwise missing sometimes. Australians have an appreciation for function and aesthetics at the same time.”
Creating in a country where storms tumble through the sky out of nowhere, saltwater lashes at balconies and the beating sun floods indoor-outdoor living spaces, DBT designers focus on crafting pieces that stand up to the harshest conditions and most diverse spaces. The DBT team consider endurance from materiality and aesthetic standpoints. Yes, it should tolerate the elements and require minimal repairs, but it should also be conceived with the intent to last a lifetime, to remain timeless in style, and to have a comprehensive end-of-life recycling solution that minimises environmental impact wherever in the world the pieces end up.
Pieces endure salt spray and physical-load testing, with materials and finishes heavily scrutinised during the 12-18-month design period. The process begins with wide and playful exploration, before focus is whittled down to a succinct, useful and durable product expression. Aesthetically, DBT consciously tread a delicate balance between expressionism and minimalism, underpinned by character and performance, to ensure pieces last in spaces regardless of potential future styles or design movements.
“How do you predict the future?” Gibson says. “We sometimes imagine our products in the past, because that’s all we’ve got, in a room that’s eclectic and ask: ‘Would it still fit in a room full of products from the past?’ That’s the litmus test.
“We have products we’ve been selling for 12-13 years and they’re still going strong. We put the time and effort in at the start and get the balance right, so they don’t date down the track.”
DBT pieces have been spotted in hotels, airports and offices across the globe, as well as establishments including Google’s headquarters in Silicon Valley, Netflix HQ, Nike’s USA office, the Sydney Opera House and Louis Vuitton’s Sydney store.
In June, DBT showcased at 3daysofdesign, Denmark’s annual design festival, among over 550 European and international exhibitors. They launched new collections by Adam Goodrum, Marcel Sigel, Tom Fereday, Trent Jansen and Gibson Karlo, while showcasing a staple collection alongside. The Twill Armchair was one new addition, an extension into soft-bodied seating for the range. People paid attention.
“There were people who wrote to us or dealers who came to us who just wanted the brand. They don’t want it because it’s Australian, they want it because they like the brand, they think it will sell well and will be well received. I think that’s a testament to the brand, when dealers in Singapore or Europe or the US or Dubai want it. You know you’ve struck something.”
It all feeds back to the Australian designers and, in turn, builds the momentum of the Australian design brand.
“The best bills I pay are those royalty bills. That just makes us so happy,” Gibson says. “That’s why we do what we do.”
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Credits
- Riley Wilson – Words
- Tonya Matyu – Photography | Twill Armchair
- Anne Stroud Photography – Photography | Ricotta House
- Paul Tilse Architects + Interiors – Architecture | Ricotta House
- Vitrocsa – Sliding Doors
