Curated by David Clark, the exhibition aims to counter notions of careless consumption, material disposability, overly complicated supply chains, and the prevalence of waste in contemporary culture.
“Historically, and in other places, it is more commonplace for architects to design furniture, for their own projects or for companies by commission. In the nascent Australian furniture industry, it is less so. I thought it would be interesting to see what prominent and successful architects might design outside their usual focus, and perhaps, in the process and conversation, what they might bring to the texture and layers of the Australian design ecosystem.” says Clark.
The resulting pieces are diverse in form and function, yet united by a shared commitment to longevity, craftsmanship and material honesty.
Kennedy Nolan
‘David’ Console – American cherry
Approaching the brief for this project, Rachel and Patrick discussed what they sometimes like to do in their architecture. As a way of making an object or a building that people have a connection to and a human interaction with, they will anthropomorphise or zoomorphise the thing, making the form or memory of a creature. This console has a distinctly animal quality about it, with a head, tail, and flank, all rendered in different finishes to the timber – scraped, gouged, laminated or coated. The interior is stained in reds and pinks, like insides. The piece will ultimately serve its purpose in the studio’s conference room, holding glassware and ceramics.
Virginia Kerridge
‘Pax’ Table – American cherry
Virginia Kerridge’s table is an interpretation of a traditional woodworking technique that uses butterfly joints to connect two pieces of split timber. In this case, brass joints span across a recessed groove that follows the natural line of the grain in a central section of timber. Cuts at either end are ‘held’ by butterflies on the vertical edge, in this case finished in timber. Butterfly, or bow tie joints date back to ancient times. In contemporary furniture making, they were a feature of the Japanese American master, George Nakashima. This table is designed to be removed from its slotted base, which also comes apart to be flat packed and more easily transported. The feet of the angular legs are stained a deep red, with brass strips at the very base occasionally capturing glimmers of light. Pax is the name of Virginia’s dog, and refers to the ‘X’ table base, and peace, for a place where people come together.
Lineburg Wang
‘Pedal’ Lamp – American cherry
Lynn and Michael were interested in making something that looked, at first, like a block of timber, but that upon closer inspection revealed itself in more detail. They were interested in a moveable piece – in balance and counterbalance and operability. In the end, the idea came from the daily use of the foot pedal mechanism of a pedestal bin. Pressing the pedal opens a ‘block’ of timber at the top and turns on a hidden light source. The mechanisms of movement and opening are all hidden and embedded internally. The hinges are beautifully constructed out of timber. A subtle curve to the face of the light is only noticeable up close and revealed in shadows when the lid is open. The interior face of the lid has a high gloss finish to be as reflective as possible, enhancing the glow of light from the top of the timber monolith.
Richards Stanisich (with Meg Ashforth)
‘Lamella’ Chair – American maple
A Lamella is a small, thin, plate-like structure usually referenced in biology. It can also be used as a reference to armour. Kirsten and Jonathan’s inspiration for this chair cited Japanese medieval armour, and it was conceived as a covering over an existing found or discarded chair, in this case a non-descript 1980’s metal-framed chair with curvilinear arms. Hundreds of timber tiles were painstakingly hand-sewn together, taken apart and reapplied in a time-consuming and complicated exploration of the best way to drape them. A chance encounter with Meg Ashforth, a prominent costume designer on films such as Mad Max: Fury Road, who also has an interest in Japanese historical armour, led to a collaboration, a further six weeks of hand sewing and making, and a piece of furniture that encompasses design, craft, and art.
Edition Office
‘Twin’ Bench – American red oak
The Edition Office studio had designed some furniture pieces for a renovation project to a house in rural Victoria by Melbourne modernist architect, Paul Couch. The house was oriented around four water tanks, and the pieces were to sit within these re-purposed spaces. This bench is an extension of that series, designed as a seat for two that allows plenty of space for each. Aaron and Kim also admired a set of late 20th century photographs by German duo Bernd and Hilla Becher, who were highly influential photographers of industrial architecture. Interested in the structural language of timber water tanks, the pair moved away from creating form out of plastic materials, and investigated the process of assembly, in particular the aesthetic ex- pression that comes from holding a curve against a straight piece of structure, and how joints might ‘slip past each other’. The back of this bench expresses that most clearly.
Neil Durbach
‘Small Slide’ Table – American red oak
‘Einstein’s Hat’ Vase – American red oak and cherry
The side table is a developmental prototype of a side table Neil has worked on before. It is a diminutive, and curious interpretation of a more conventional sliding table. In this case, the slide is just a few centimetres, enough to reveal a metallic finish in the separation, and cast “shadows that seem to be like smiles”. The plan shape is conceived as being a more geometric version of a cross-section of a tree.
For the vase, Neil referred to the classic Aalto Vase which he collects obsessively. The 13-sided outline for this vase is a shape provided by geometry that was discovered by a group of mathematicians in 2022/23. It is an ’aperiodic tiling’, a shape that can be put together without ever repeating the overall pattern. The internal line of the vase is looser. This is a prototypical experiment in timber, a material that is not conducive to holding water. The interior, still developing, is ultimately to be a highly reflective metallic.
The Materials
At the heart of KEEP is the use of three American hardwoods:
•American red oak (Quercus rubra): Abundant and versatile, with strength and distinctive grain.
•American hard maple (Acer saccharum): Creamy white, exceptionally durable, and capable of a refined finish.
•American cherry (Prunus serotina): Warm-toned, easy to work, and deepens in colour with age.
All three are sustainably grown in the vast hardwood forests of the United States, where growth outpaces harvest. Independent life-cycle assessment confirms that American hardwoods store more carbon than is released during their processing and transport from the hardwood forests in the USA to the shores of Australia.
“KEEP is a reminder that the things we choose to live with can carry meaning and memory. These works are made to endure, not just in use, but in the stories they can hold. We are thrilled to have been able to introduce the architects to 3 of the most beautiful species of American hardwood to realise their designs. These three species represent a significant percentage of the available hardwood growing stock and it is important that the Australian design community is able to learn about them and experiment with them.” says Rod Wiles, Regional Director, The American Hardwood Export Council.
Note:
•AHEC commissions six leading Australian architects to create enduring objects in American hardwoods
•Curated by David Clark, KEEP explores longevity, craftsmanship and material integrity as an antidote to disposable culture
•The designs are crafted from American red oak, cherry and maple; timbers chosen for their beauty, resilience, and environmental integrity
Image credit: Tim Robinson
Exhibition Details
18 September – 4 October 2025 Cult Sydney Showroom
21–23 Levey Street, Chippendale, Sydney
Presented by the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC)
Curated by David Clark
Architect Profiles:
Kennedy Nolan – Led by principals Patrick Kennedy and Rachel Nolan, Kennedy Nolan was established in Melbourne in 1999. Theirs is a multi-award-winning, medium-sized practice and both are active speakers, lecturers, and jury members for their profession. They are interested in the evocative nature of form, materiality, colour and the craft and beauty of historical architecture. Fascinated by both the material and the immaterial, they are both conceptually driven and pragmatic, focused on creating enduring settings for life.
Virginia Kerridge – Virginia Kerridge graduated in architecture at the University of NSW with first class honours and soon after established her own studio in 1995.
Her Taylor Square Warehouse, completed early in her practice, was awarded by the Australian Institute of Architects. Since then, her significant folio of finely crafted houses has gathered a long list of industry awards and been widely published. Virginia’s practice carefully considers the relationships between architecture, interiors and landscapes, and her deep interest in art practice has led to an almost painterly approach to material, texture, colour and light.
Lineburg Wang – Lineburg Wang is a small Brisbane-based architecture studio established by Michael Lineburg and Lynn Wang in 2018. Both are graduates of the University of Queensland and worked independently in other prominent Brisbane firms before setting up practice together. Their work has quickly gathered attention with national architectural awards, most notably the AIA Queensland Architecture Medallion in 2023, and The Eleanor Cullis-Hill Award for alterations and additions at the AIA National Awards in 2024.
Richards Stanisich – Richards Stanisich is a design practice based in Sydney. It was founded in 2019 by Kirsten Stanisich and Jonathan Richards, who had prior worked together for decades, most notably at SJB in Sydney. Qualified in interior design and architecture, the studio has a focus on interior architecture and has a wealth of experience across residential and hospitality projects. In 2019, Kirsten was inducted into the Design Institute of Australia’s Hall of Fame. Both are recipients of the IDEA Gold Medal. Their work is widely published in Australian and international media.
Edition Office – Edition Office is a Melbourne-based practice established on 2016 by Kim Bridgland and Aaron Roberts who befriended each other while completing Master’s degrees at RMIT University. Edition Office refers to the iterative nature of architecture practice, where each new project is calibrated and informed by what has gone before. Their projects are distinguished by their bold forms, a respect for the powerful nature of the Australian landscape (both rural and urban), and for materials that ‘speak for themselves’.
Neil Durbach – Graduating from the University of Cape Town, South Africa in 1978, Neil Durbach set up practice in Sydney after winning the National competition for the new Royal Australian Institute of Architects headquarters building at Tusculum, Sydney in 1983. In 2005 Durbach was made an Adjunct Professor at University of NSW. He has taught, lectured, exhibited, judged awards and been published both nationally and internationally. In 2008, he co-curated the Australian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Durbach Block Jaggers, established with partners Camilla Block and David Jaggers, has won the Australian Institute of Architect’s Robin Boyd Award (National) and the Leslie Wilkinson Award (NSW) for residential architecture three times.
David Clark - Curator
David Clark’s 35-year career in the interior design industry has helped shape the way we view Australian design. As Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Living Australia (2003– 2012) he elevated Australian designers and the publication globally. In 2012, he was appointed International Editorial Consultant to Condé Nast for the launch of AD China. In 2016, he was inducted into the Design Institute of Australia Hall of Fame and later appointed to the DIA’s board of directors. He is also an honouree of the Australian Design Centre and an ambassador for Good Design Australia.
Clark continues to speak at industry events, contribute to design publications, curate exhibitions, consult, and design interiors. Recent work has included judging awards, presenting at major institutions, moderating design conversations, and curating international projects.
American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC)
For more than three decades, the American Hardwood Export Council has been the global face of the U.S. timber industry, championing the performance, sustainability and aesthetic potential of American hardwoods worldwide. As the leading international hardwood trade association for North America, AHEC operates a non- profit programme representing thousands of businesses engaged in the production and export of timber ranging from small family-run sawmills to major flooring manufacturers. Established to unite this wide-ranging spectrum of companies with a single global voice, AHEC has successfully built an internationally recognised brand, marketing more than 20 commercially available hardwood species and increasing demand around the world.
americanhardwood.org
@ahec_anz
