Welcoming Lou from Lette in our latest interview.

hello + welcome! can you tell us where you are based and what it is you create?

Hi! Our studio is based in Torquay on the Surf Coast in Victoria. I design furniture which is made in Melbourne, with a focus on considered design & small batch production. Our aim is to create furniture that will outlast us, pieces that can be handed down for generations.

share with us how your journey to design began.

Originally I wanted to study Architecture but after realising it could be a long time before I’d ever get to design anything I instead studied Industrial Design. I loved the course but didn’t really know what direction I wanted to head in. I ended up taking an elective in furniture design and was lucky to have a great lecturer who encouraged me to continue pursuing furniture design. My furniture project was selected to exhibit in Milan and shortly after I landed my first design job at Jardan, and I’ve been designing furniture and homewares ever since.

how would you describe the style of your work?

It can vary between quite playful and more refined. I’m often drawn to playing with scale and exploring intersecting forms. I’ve always been inspired by the detail and quality of Japanese furniture and try to reference this same ethos in my own designs. When designing for Lette I focus on creating pieces that I would want to have, so they reflect my own home.

can you share a glimpse into your creative process, from conceptualising ideas to bringing them to life?

I usually like to design in collections. I have a huge bank of inspiration images which I’ll often refer to, it could be something like a detail in a fence I’ve seen or a full interior from a blog, but I’ll collate those into a board to set the mood. Then it's into the sketch book, ideas usually come at strange times and I rarely sit down to just design. An idea will usually pop into my head on a walk or at dinner so I just do very quick rough sketches which I'll refine later on. Once I've got the sketch I use 3d modelling programs (Inventor & 3ds Max) and renders to refine the design and do the technical drawings. I then work closely with the maker to prototype and iron out any issues, this is always my favourite part as you really get to see the piece come to life. Its also a great time for problem solving and collaboration. Depending on the product I usually do 1-3 prototypes before it's ready to go. I think an important step when designing for long term manufacture is to do ongoing reviews of the pieces and continually improve them even after launch.

tell us about a piece you've created which you are most proud of - why?

I would say recently it would be the Rice Paper Lamp which I designed for a McMullin x Assembly Label collab. This was a real labour of love as it was technically quite challenging, its often the case that things that look simple are the hardest to make. So there was a lot of sampling and back and forth with the maker to figure out the construction, how it could flat pack and perfect the packaging. Despite the challenges we ended up with a great product.

what’s one of your favourite moments in your creative career so far?

Besides launching Lette, which definitely takes the cake, it would be the launch of the Living forms collection which I was the lead designer for at Jardan. It was a big step in my career as a designer, a lot of work and a collection I’m really proud of. I still get excited when I see the pieces pop up in different spaces.

who are the designers or creatives inspiring you right now?

Ceramist Claire Ellis @claireellisceramics. Her work constantly amazes me. Its always really cool to see people pushing the boundaries of what's possible with materials and how we can utilise material often seen as waste. Very inspiring!

describe to us your perfect day

It would be waking up in the van, parked at a nice spot on the coast. Having an early morning swim & then spending the day exploring a new place with my partner Ben and our dog. Squeezed in would be finding some time to sit and eat some delicious food! I’m lucky enough to have travelled a lot in our van and have lived this perfect day time and time again, it never gets old!

what’s next for Lette - are there any projects or directions you’re excited to explore?

As a new brand there are a million new directions that I’m excited to explore and not enough time! I’m currently working on a new lamp which I’ll be exhibiting at the Friends & Associates 100 lamps exhibition. I’m excited for this as I’m exploring a new material and getting my hands dirty (literally) making it. In the longer term I’m looking into how we can incorporate waste diversion & recycled materials into our new products, so stay tuned on that!

thank you so much for joining us. how can our viewers find you?

You can follow us @lette.furniture or head to www.studiolette.com.au

Lette

Grace Elizabeth