The studio of Nikolai Kotlarczyk extends across interior and product design, from decorative pieces to industrially focused work. Within his work dwells a geometric sensibility based around design elements of symmetry and balance, and references to historical and geographical elements such as architecture. 

Presenting these references in a contemporary way, Nikolai’s work often contains a sense of nostalgia captured within his signature refined decorative style. 

Sustainability is put into practice through quality craftsmanship, durable natural materials, and a design language that eschews the throw-away culture to leave a lasting legacy.

Sebastian Herkner established his studio in Offenbach, Germany in 2006. Since then, he has designed furniture, lighting and products for brands all around the world. Sebastian’s design ethos is driven by quality and function as well as tradition and innovation. His designs are personal, developed using intuition and instinct, working with brands who share his vision and responsibility for products.

Named Elle Deco International Design Award (EDIDA) Designer of the Year 2021 and Maison & Objet Designer of the Year 2019, Sebastian’s works have won numerous accolades internationally.

Rakumba is the first Australian brand collaboration for Sebastian. Despite operating on opposite sides of the globe, the collaboration with Rakumba’s product development team has been close and intense, continuing Rakumba’s international design legacy and yielding results that speak for themselves.

For more than 50 years Rakumba has been designing and manufacturing decorative and bespoke lighting. We are proud to be Australia’s longest established international lighting brand, bringing heritage, authenticity and technological innovation to the collections we produce.

Together with Rakumba’s many collaborators, the Rakumba Design Team harnesses contemporary design, artisan craft, complex manufacturing and leading-edge technology to execute beautiful lighting with effortless complexity.

Archier creates design experiences that contribute to a better quality of life. Their work encompasses residential, commercial and government architecture; public and private landscape projects; as well as the design and manufacture of furniture, lighting and construction products.

The studio’s directors have over 25 years of combined experience, drawn together to create an inclusive practice that is outcome orientated. 

Rakumba is proud to have worked with Archier’s youthful team whose clear vision and focus on an inclusive design has resulted in a collaborative process and innovative outcome.

Tom Fereday develops products based on the principle of honest design – celebrating the manufacturing processes behind furniture and products, and designing from the inside out. He strives to create enduring designs that are meaningful to people and their environment.

Born in Australia, Tom grew up in England studying at the Wimbledon School of Art before moving to Sydney to complete an Honours in Industrial Design at the University of Technology Sydney. He founded his studio in 2012 and currently works with leading design brands across Europe and Australia.  As a multi-award-winning designer, Tom exhibits internationally on a regular basis.

Truly Truly is a Netherlands-based design studio. It was founded by Australian husband and wife team Joel Booy and Kate Booy, and operates on the interface between industry and art. The duo runs a versatile practice, creating textiles, lighting, furniture and spatial installations.

Studio Truly Truly focuses on designing high quality products that combine technical ingenuity with new aesthetics. This results from an urge to dive deep into the production process, to push materials and techniques to their limits. Industrial processes are frequently combined with abstract organic details or forces of nature.

“We are constantly trying to appeal to our own desire to be surprised, captivated or moved. Our work is often sculptural or poetic, with tactility, sensuality and functionality playing an important role.” – Truly Truly

Adam Goodrum founded his design studio in 2006. As one of Australia’s most recognised contemporary object artists, his practice is characterised by invention and curiosity, while his approach is one of rigour and integrity.

Focusing on furniture, product and collectible design, Adam’s work is inherently elegant, often underpinned by a poetic union of art and mathematics. It has been showcased throughout the world and collected by museums both Australian and international.

Adam is the recipient of every major Australian design accolade, and has worked with the likes of Alessi, Cappellini, Kvadrat and Louis Vuitton, and in Australia with Tait, Nau and Rakumba.

Jon Goulder is a fourth generation furniture maker, who studied furniture design and fine woodworking at Canberra School of Art under the direction of the late George Ingham. Following study, he established his design consultancy, Jon Goulder Designer Maker. Jon’s practice as a master craftsperson and skilled designer sees him develop one-off and limited edition collections for representation in Australia, America and Europe.

Jon’s work is held in permanent collections by most state and national museums, and art galleries including the National Gallery of Australia.

He currently works as a Senior Designer with Snøhetta Architects Australasia.

Anchor Ceramics is a design studio that operates in an applied research, prototyping and product development capacity. The studio produces handmade ceramic lighting, tile, outdoor and furniture product ranges. It is built on a model that places well designed, high quality products at the heart of its endeavour.

Anchor’s design process is collaborative, experimental, iterative and rigorous, employing both contemporary and traditional technologies and tools.

Initially trained as an architect, founder Bruce Rowe began making ceramics as a side project in 2009. Bruce maintains his studio practice through a process of continual visual inquiry, exhibition and publication.

Melbourne based designer Alex O'Connell’s studio exercises holistic and sustainable principles in the development of seamlessly balanced forms. 

AO Innovations utilises numerous modern manufacturing technologies and craftsmanship to prototype and bring the designer's imagination to life. Various forms include furniture, lighting and an extended range of products. 

“What really triggered my passion for industrial design, or product design in particular, was my obsession for making. I enjoyed working with my hands so much that I decided to study ‘making’.” – Alex O’Connell

Simone LeAmon is one of Australia’s foremost design creatives. For more than two decades she has elevated the importance of design and creativity in many roles, working as a visual artist, industrial designer, industry consultant, curator, writer and university lecturer.

Simone’s appointment as the Hugh Williamson Curator of Contemporary Design and Architecture at the National Gallery of Victoria allows her to amplify the message of designers in the public domain. 

Simone’s broad experience and strong interest in makers and handcrafting drew her to Rakumba in the early days of Rakumba’s emergence as an Australian design brand. Simone’s desire was to design products showcasing Rakumba’s history, culture and craftspeople.

> WATCH SIMONE'S INTERVIEW

Founded as an architecture studio in 2010 by Monique and Scott Woodward, WOWOWA have made an impact with their colourful, contextual and socially sustainable approach to architecture and design. WOWOWA proudly describe themselves as spatial problem solvers and industry innovators committed to contributing to the legacy of the beautiful design city of Melbourne. 

Scott’s sculpture background and the team’s passion for colour and playfulness give rise to WOWOWA designing beautiful geometrically challenging forms that excite the eye and tell stories. Lecturing at Monash University and RMIT University enables Monique and Scott to inspire others to see that architecture and design should have a sense of humour, be deeply cultural and shape cities.

As Rakumba’s Head of Design, Dan Treacy leads Rakumba's in-house product design and development team. Dan is driven by an insatiable interest in how things are made, and the storytelling behind their design. An award winning designer himself, Dan’s industry reputation for design and engineering excellence speaks for itself. He is responsible for the meticulous detailing and complex technical problem solving underpinning Rakumba’s design ethos 'effortless complexity'.

Luca Nichetto founded his eponymous multidisciplinary design practice in Venice, Italy in 2006, specialising in industrial design, product design and design consultancy. From the very beginning, Nichetto Studio worked with a number of different brands and organisations; these collaborations were to become a cornerstone of his work and his influence had soon expanded far beyond Venice and Italy’s borders.

Fellow Treviso-born designer Francesco Dompieri joined the studio as a partner in 2007, and four years later, Nichetto opened a second studio in Stockholm, Sweden, catering to an ever-growing number of requests for collaboration from international companies. Soon, the studio’s work was broadening out from its initial focus on designed objects.

Today, the studio works with a variety of brands and clients from around the world and its expertise is sought out across all design disciplines. A deep passion for, and knowledge of, industrial and craft manufacturing processes runs through every aspect of the studio’s work. Its projects abound in carefully selected cultural references and a keen attention to detail.

The practice’s unique position within both Scandinavian and Italian design culture has given Nichetto Studio worldwide acclaim that extends far beyond the confines of the design industry.

Skeehan Studio is an Australian-based creative company with a passion for problem-solving and collaboration. Established in 2011 by award-winning industrial designer Tom Skeehan, his team of research and design experts is dedicated to creating thoughtful products, spaces, and experiences tailored to the people and environments they are intended for.

Masters of material experimentation and innovation, Skeehan Studio takes traditional creative practices and applies them with the end-user front of mind. Through close and honest partnerships with local researchers, designers, and manufacturers, they are committed to delivering unique and effective solutions.

Tom brings over 10 years of experience leading creative design projects across multiple industry sectors. He is a professional problem solver who is passionate about collaboration and inspiring others to design great products. His ultimate goal is to build a global team that shares the value of collaboration, lifelong learning, and improving the ways we live, work, and play.

Skeehan believes the design process is a powerful tool to solve problems strategically using multiple perspectives. He and his team facilitate end-to-end processes to produce products, services, events, and experiences grounded in research, design thinking, ideation, and failing fast to achieve measurable results.

Led by designers Lisa and Luke Henderson, AFTR focusses on the intersection of art, design and lifestyle. Conceived in the US and launched in Australia, AFTR represents the global perspective and experienced architectural eye of its founders. 

Embodying a long familial tradition of gifting handmade creations to friends and relatives, Luke and Lisa imagined AFTR to recreate the time when furniture and lifestyle objects were valued and passed down from generation to generation as heirlooms.

Each piece is meticulously designed and executed at the highest quality to ensure it stands the test of time.

Scott Fitzsimons Studio designs and develops functional and engaging products for everyday use, driven by deep passion for sustainability and innovation, with an underlying philosophy of simplicity and permanence.

Driven by an innate curiousity for materials and processes, Scott’s work is characterised by an astutely distilled design language and meticulous attention to detail. Scott focuses on the design of products across a variety of areas including lighting, furniture, surfaces and the built environment.

Nahtrang Studio, founded in 2004 by Ester Pujol and Daniel Vila in Barcelona, embodies the city's industrial and cultural essence. Their work showcases a minimalist approach characterized by simplified forms and iconic visual balance.

Specializing in lighting design, the studio continuously explores the potential of illumination and diverse material applications. Their innovative creations have garnered recognition from prestigious awards including the IF Awards, NYC x Design, BOYAwards (NY), and Premis Delta, among others.

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Berlin based designer Simon Schmitz is drawn to the freedom of expression in the field of lighting. His work seamlessly champions both function and artistry within cohesive pieces of innate personality.

This emphasis on functional principles is a carefully orchestrated balancing act - crafting objects that gracefully reveal their underlying concepts and compositions to the beholder. Treating each design more like sculpture than an industrial object, Simon instils a sense of drama into his luminaires - telling their own stories without words.

Ilja Huber is a Berlin-based product designer whose multidisciplinary work focuses on furniture and lighting. His pieces have been recognised by a multitude of awards including first place in IMM Cologne Pure Talents, and Best of Design Plus at Frankfurt Light + Building.

He is driven by his passion for experimenting with industrial and artisanal processes. His approach is to create pure and honest design with a careful attention to both functionality and quality.

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