Karen McCartney talked to Helen Kontouris (pictured above with her La La lamp), award-winning designer and the creator of the sculptural Zoie Planters in our Australia Day feature. 

How important is it to you that a product is Australian made?
It's very important to me. So far everything I have produced under my own brand has been Australian-made, and my intention is to try to keep as much of my manufacturing in Australia as possible.  Being able to oversee the quality and ensure the detailing and finishing is exquisite is really important to  me.


Suitable for indoor and outdoor use, the Zoie planters (above) are named from the ancient Greek work meaning life.

I notice that sustainability matters to you as a designer - is it hard to balance the commercial  with doing the right thing by the planet?
I think as a designer it has to be a primary focus. I believe that if you create great designs then they will last as people will keep them for much longer.  Great design lasts for generations because it's handed down from previous generations and is regarded as something of value.  Each of the products I design has been created to look past fashion and trends and hopefully last generations.  I think this is the best way to have sustainable products.  People can purchase very sustainable products yet have no soul or emotional attachment and therefore they are the products that are thrown away after 12 months.


Helen's Panier stool, designed to reflect a harmonious balance of proportions and suitable for inside and outside.

You regularly take your designs to international design fairs - why is this important to you as a designer?
I have spent the last 12 years working with some of the best brands in the world.  Launching a new product at some of these fairs with these brands is the best way to gauge the reaction from the market.  It also means that thousands of people & journalists get to see the product first hand and experience the quality rather than just looking at it in a magazine.


Helen's sketches for the Panier stool, which was shortlisted for the 'Object: Furniture & Lighting" category in the IDEA awards.

Your collaboration with ONE/THIRD has produced a very successful design outcome. Do you enjoy the process of collaborating?
I love the collaborative process with companies.  It's a beautiful thing to get an understanding of a company's strengths and work to create something that works really well for you as a designer as well as for the company you are working with.  One/Third is a small manufacturer in Tasmania and this is the first time they have worked with an Australian designer to create products for their business.  The results of the partnership have been incredible for them.  They are a small family company so it was great to get to know them on a very personal level.


Helen's Penelope stool & table collection (available in a range of materials, sizes & finishes), with its contrasting angular frame and soft curves, is available through one/third. 

You won the IDEA (Interior Designer Excellence Awards) Designer of the Year People's Choice Award for the second time running. What does this degree of recognition do for your business and for your design confidence?
I have to say that winning it twice in 3 years has been incredible.  It's fantastic to have that level of support from the public and from my peers. I am really happy that my product & furniture designs really resonate with people.


An installation of large Zoie planters for Saturday in Design in Melbourne in 2010. The concept was a reversal of the forest floor.

WHAT HELEN SAID...

I can't live without . . . My husband & new baby girl. Mushrooms
Pet hate . . . A wet bench top
Iconic place or person . . . Achille Castiglioni
Star sign . . . Gemini
One thing most people don't know about you . . . I'm a twin

Images courtesy of Helen Kontouris. Portrait by Julian Kingma.