1 minute read
T HE DESIGN STUDIO
Hardware by Sibella Court
crafting
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When developing a product, an idea begins with a story, a particular sensibility, process or material that I am inspired by. I like to give leave to the story and histories, both real and imagined, to take flight and shape the form. I keep this philosophy at the heart of all that we do at The Society inc, drawing on a knowledge of & curiosity for materials & craftsmanship and weaving them together with storytelling & experiences until they emerge in a physical form. It could be a scientific vessel discovered at a flea market that sparks the inspiration for a ceramic product or a texture pulled from my collection of artists’ linens that then becomes a key component of my next mirror design.
When it comes to The Society inc hardware, much of my inspiration dates back to the 1800’s. One of my favourite things would have to be poking about in an old blacksmith’s workshop and I am lucky to have a modern-day blacksmith who feels the same passion & is on standby to sample all our beautiful designs (& his own) to be perfected in all the nuances that come with smithing, tinkering & hand crafting iron, copper, brass and zinc.
At the end of the day, it’s all in the attention to detail and the value of making sure that every small element is aligned with my design process. The smallest of elements have a profound effect on how someone interacts with a space or connects with an object, right down to the packaging it is housed in. It is often thought that we engage with design using our sight first, but I think it takes all the smaller layers, senses & considerations for nostalgia, storytelling & materials to really dictate how a space or object makes us feel. And a pinch of magic and make-believe for good measure!
designed in australia, made in india
Many arcane trades like blacksmithing are alive & well in India and this is one of the reasons we manufacture most of our goods & wares there. By using these old trades, I believe the objects that are created by them have weight, texture & a strong connection to craftsmanship & honouring the raw materials they were made from. So much so that I (and I hope many other people too!) find it difficult to ever discard of them. These are objects that are acquired for a lifetime with their users.
