Ash Allen, the eighth nominee in our Emerging Designer Award with Inside Out magazine, talks design inspiration with Verity Magdalino. You can also read Lee Tran Lam's interview with Ash on the Homelife blog. 

Who? Melbourne-based industrial designer Ash Allen is pushing the envelope of sustainable, innovative design in Australia with products like his Sticks & Stone stool.

Why we love him: His low-impact designs inspired by nature are clean, simple, sustainable and cleverly constructed. The elegant yet functional Franklin table, for example, uses minimal materials – only a third of a sheet of pine – and requires no glue or tools to put together.



How would you describe your design philosophy and aesthetic?
My aesthetic is organic simplicity. I like to use a natural point of inspiration, such as a worn skipping stone, and then explore it. I like investigating new processes. I use sustainable and recycled materials where possible, designing pieces with maximum visual impact and a minimal environmental footprint.

Where did your love for design come from?
Since childhood I've always tinkered with objects and been fascinated how things go together and interact. I grew up playing with Meccano and creativity was always encouraged on the home front with drawing and painting.

I did engineering at university fifteen years ago and then worked with industrial designers in a small company in Fitzroy. I didn't know industrial design existed before this and was blown away by the concepts, renderings and processes. I then got stuck into the family business, producing rubber components, which pays the bills but it's not a creative environment. I wanted to go back to my creative side so enrolled at RMIT in industrial design.



What inspired you to create your most recent designs, the Sticks and Stone outdoor stool (top) and Lionheart seat (above)?
Sticks & Stone combines elements from a Japanese rock garden, a naturally worn skipping stone and the spiky stems of bamboo.

The Lionheart mesh seat is a result of exploring curved folds in paper. It's a dynamic shape, which I can make myself simply and cost-effectively. I wanted to make it simple enough that I could produce it myself so I could have control over the quality. It looks like chainmail, hence the name Lionheart.



Do you have a favourite design from your portfolio?
My Franklin desk (above), which is made with computerized milling using a third of a sheet of FSC hoop pine and needs no glue or tools to assemble. I wanted to play around with the flex of the wood and create something elegant but functional. It's a simple concept but could be veneered in different colours or made into a bigger table. It has a lot of potential. I took it to the London Design Festival and it got a good reception.

What are you looking at now for inspiration?
Everyday objects and phenomenon. I keep my eyes on things around me and look for interesting patterns or behaviour, which I think I could explore further. I take photos and keep a notebook handy when I see something or have an idea. The most recent thing was a braided belt my five year-old daughter had. I thought the braid could be great as a covering on an outdoor lounge. I like the idea of strength created through texture.



What are you currently working on?
A perfectly balanced, asymmetric pendant lamp (above) made from ceramic, earthenware slip casting and lit by a low-wattage LED. Most pendant lamps I've seen are symmetric and I want to create something asymmetric, which still has balance. I was inspired by a dollop of cream coming off a ladle. Low wattage LEDS have a very directional light and I wanted to use a curvaceous lampshade to bounce the light so you can't directly see the light source.

What's your proudest career achievement so far?
Winning the Green Award at Vivid 2012 with Sticks & Stone, which opened the door for me to exhibit at Suzanne Trocme's Platform show in London in September as part of the London Design Festival.

What would be your dream project?
To design and build a beach house. I'm a homebody so it would be down at Lorne, on the south-west coast of Victoria.

Images courtesy of Ash Allen. 

We're profiling local up-and-coming talent all summer, along with Inside Out magazine's blog, Homelife. After you've met each of the designers and seen their work, you'll have a chance to vote for your favourite. Your votes will narrow the choice down to three finalists, then our expert panel, including Temple & Webster Editorial Director Karen McCartney, Inside Out Editor Claire Bradley and Louise Olsen, co-founder and designer at Dinosaur Designs, will choose the winner of our Emerging Designer Award just in time for Australia Day. The winner will receive $5000 from Temple & Webster, and will also be featured in Inside Out magazine and across the home & interiors media. So far we've featured Tamara Maynes, Kate Stokes, Tate Anson, Chris Hardy, Surya Graf, Daniel Emma and Matt Prince.