Dezeen Magazine

Matilda 2011 at Design Junction

Matilda 2011 at designjunction

London Design Festival 2011: Australian label Matilda presented products and furniture by 30 designers including a timber and aluminium pendant light by Kate Stokes (above) at designjunction last week.

Matilda 2011 at Designjunction

Stephanie Armchair by Khai Liew

Matilda presents work by designers based in Australia or living in London to an international audience.

Matilda 2011 at Designjunction

Tolix armchair slipcover by Henry Wilson

New products launched at the show included a new chair in white oak and cow hide by South Australian craftsman Khai Liew.

Matilda 2011 at Designjunction

Dove Stools by Brian Steendyk

Matilda also designed a pop up café for the space featuring furniture by Helen Kountouris.

Matilda 2011 at Designjunction

Filament Table by David Pidcock

See more Designjunction coverage here and all of our London Design Festival stories here.

Matilda 2011 at Designjunction

Bronze Table by Barbera Design

Here is some more information from Matilda:


Matilda unveils 30 new Australian designers at London Design Festival 2011.

Matilda 2011 at Designjunction

Salad Servers by John Quan for Jam Factory

Australian design and the country’s enviable lifestyle form the hub of the inaugural designjunction at London Design Festival this year, with Matilda 2011 launching works by 30 of Australia’s best established and emerging designers, as well as its first pop-up Matilda Café. This expansive country’s infinite space, sky and sea give rise to simple, fresh and sophisticated design as yet unseen in Europe.

Matilda 2011 at Designjunction

Autumn Stools by Takeshi Lue

Matilda will re-locate after the Festival with a residency at SCIN Gallery – the new materials and architecture showroom in Old Street which is launching during the Festival.

Matilda 2011 at Designjunction

Genie Teapot by Workshopped

Works transferring to the gallery include a unique carbon and wood bicycle from Gary Galego, a bronze table by Barbera Design and a clever, leather armchair cover for the classic Tolix chair by Henry Wilson. The 23-year-old Sydneysider, fresh from the Design Academy Eindhoven and Rhode Island School of Design, reinterprets design classics such as the iconic Angelpoise lamp that Wilson has transformed into a low energy version. He will also be building benches for the Café with his innovative brackets that transform standard store-bought timber into tables, seating and shelving.

Matilda 2011 at Designjunction

Clasp Chair by Surya Graf

For the first time, Matilda will also be bringing the best of Australia’s lifestyle to the Festival with Matilda Café, the centre piece of which is a re-purposed bar from Soho House and with clever cardboard tables and stools by Paper Tiger Products – which are perfect for pop-up spaces. Design audiences can re-energise with formidable flat whites, lamingtons (the ubiquitous national fete-stall cake), Coopers beer and boutique Australian wine.

Matilda 2011 at Designjunction

Carousel Table by Adam Goodrum

Three expats living in London lead the exhibition - internationally renowned Tasmanian Brodie Neill (represented by the Apartment Gallery); Marcel Sigel, former Senior Designer at Tom Dixon and Charles Trevelyan, with a new, accessible version of his sold-out, limited edition Titanic Lamp.

Matilda 2011 at Designjunction

Spun Lights by Justin and Glenn Lamont for LifeSpaceJourney

Other products from Matilda include the Coco Pendant by Kate Stokes, a 28-year-old who launched the brand Coco Flip less than a year ago. The pendant, which is highly successful in Australia, is her first ever product and one of several designs Matilda is manufacturing locally, forming part of Matilda’s mission to bring the best of Australia’s lifestyle to Europe, whilst being firmly committed to ‘made in Britain’.

Matilda 2011 at Designjunction

E Turn Bench by Brodie Neill

Another first for Matilda is an international launch of a brand new work by South Australian master craftsman, Khai Liew. Liew, who was named in Wallpaper* magazine’s global top 200 and has work on display at the Design Museum, will unveil Stephanie, an exquisite armchair made from American white oak and cow hide.

Matilda 2011 at Designjunction

Lace light by Bernabeifreeman

Khai Liew’s protégé Takeshi Iue presents the Autumn stool – a simplified wooden stacking stool – and Stefan Lie reinterprets a quintessentially English tradition with his Genie teapot for Workshopped. Young design duo Daniel Emma – winner of the Promising Talent Award at last year’s 100% Design – launch four new items in their Desk Objects range.

Matilda 2011 at Designjunction

Titanic by Charles Trevelyan

Matilda will also show work by Perth maven Jon Goulder, who produces hand crafted works of a quality that no machine could come near, such as his exceptional Amore Mio chair.

Matilda 2011 at Designjunction

Illumini by Karen Cuningham & Mandi King for Jam Factory

Other outstanding products include Carousel table by Adam Goodrum (famed for his Stitch chair for Cappellini) from Galerie Gosserez in Paris, and Adelaide’s Jam Factory will be showing, among others, works by illumini – the brainchild of Karen Cunningham and Amanda King – winners of the 2010 Bombay Sapphire People’s Choice Award.

Matilda 2011 at Designjunction

Wall Brooch by Marcel Sigel

Other designers in the showcase are: LifeSpaceJourney – Spun Series of table, stools and lights by opthamologist and designer Justin Lamont. Surya Graf – Clasp Series, Stylish and functional café furniture. Toby Horrocks – Flatform, angular shelving cleverly created from cardboard. bernabeifreeman – High profile lighting design duo showcasing Lace and Leaf lighting. Yellow Diva – British-Australian upholstery experts with their W and M series sofas and chairs.

Matilda 2011 at Designjunction

WS1 by Yellow Diva

Designers returning from the 2010 Matilda LDF showcase include cloth, Luxxbox and Brian Steendyk.

Matilda 2011 at Designjunction

Paper Tiger Stool by Antony Dann

Festival goers and the general public alike will be able to see Brian Steendyk’s modular Coral seating in action outside the Southbank Centre Shop opposite the entrance to Royal Festival Hall and Brodie Neill’s seductive E-turn bench is in the window of Wieden + Kennedy, in Hanbury Street, between Spitalfields Market and Brick Lane.

Matilda 2011 at Designjunction

MC1 by David Walley for Yellow Diva

Matilda is made possible by Australian State Governments – Arts New South Wales, South Australia’s Integrated Design Commission and Arts Queensland. With additional support from the Australian High Commission in London.

Matilda 2011 at Designjunction

Cushions by Julie Paterson for Cloth Fabric

Matilda Café is sponsored by Verdigris (pewter bar) and Coopers Beer and signage is provided by Doublet.

Matilda 2011 at Designjunction

Carbon Wood bicycle by Gary Galego

Jenni Carbins – Matilda Founder

Matilda 2011 at Designjunction

Sake Cups by Peter Biddulph for Ceramic Design

An Australian living in London for the past six years, Jenni Carbins is the former Director of Marketing at Southbank Centre. In Australia, she ran a marketing communications consultancy with clients including Sydney Opera House, Sydney Festival, Sydney Film Festival, Sydney Biennale and Sydney Olympic Park.

Matilda 2011 at Designjunction

Flatform Shelf by Toby Horrocks

Jenni Carbins founded Matilda with the aim tapping into Australia’s design talent and bringing the best of the nation’s lifestyle to the world. Matilda aims to have as many products as possible manufactured locally – either in the UK or Europe - while maintaining the freshness of Australian design. The company launched with a pilot showcase as part of London Design Festival 2010.

Matilda 2011 at Designjunction

1984 Fish Bowl by Workshopped