For all you modernist furniture fans out there (me included) who covet various pieces from Eames, Featherston, Parker and others, you are in for a modern day treat. A name you may soon be hearing more of is Matty Smith, who just last month won the 2010 Tasmanian Design Centre Award for Sustainability and Emerging Designer with his quirky take on a cabinet named “shortdivision”.
Matty Smith is an architectural joiner, who last year decided to turn his hand to furniture design, by commencing his first year of study in Environmental Design at the University Of Tasmania. Integrating sustainable practices with good design is of high importance to Matty Smith. His focus is “to design and manufacture objects using the most ethically minded materials and practices available, with a focus on quality” he says. The piece, Shortdivision reflects this philosophy. Not only does it feature an eye catching design with a mid-century flavour, but is made sustainably from FSC plywood, salvaged Tasmanian Blackwood, and finished with low VOC paints and solvent free glues.
Now in his second year of study, Matty Smith already has a few more prototypes in the making for 2011 – such as a multi-purpose tray for use around the home and his individual take on a three drawer/storage cabinet - Can’t wait to see them! Read on to learn more about the very modest, charming and affable (yes all three!) Matty Smith:
1. What inspired you to go down the path of furniture design? Waste. It’s funny, you wouldn’t think waste could be a motivator but it was. I was trained in the field of architectural joinery and was frustrated by the amount of waste that I saw. Knowing that everything I built had a limited life of around 10 years [when it then went into land fill] I thought things could be done better and I turned to design for the answers. For me design is all about problem solving.
2. Who/What influences your designs? A big influence for me is trying to understand how people use furniture and how I can form a connection between them and the object. If I form a connection then people are more likely to hang onto it. I also enjoy designing objects that don’t necessary fit into any category, that are a little quirky. I’m also very aware of my ethical responsibilities as a designer. If I was just designing and making furniture without any consideration for the environment I don’t think I would do it. I would feel like I was contributing to a problem.
3. What do you find most challenging in sustainable furniture design? Companies will always draw attention to the great things they are doing but in the back ground things aren’t always so nice. My goal is to be transparent about how I make my furniture and what goes into it. I’m not convinced when people tell me that their products [glues for example] will last forever. I know that things fail so I try to design my furniture in such a way that they can be repaired and use products that allow for this to happen. Little things like that make a big difference; designing for repair.
4. After you graduate, what can we expect to see from Matthew Smith? I always tell people that I’m only half of the design team, the other half comes from my ‘wife to be’ Joanna. She’s very creative and keeps me focused on what’s important which is being humble and producing furniture that people can enjoy. I’m also looking forward to forming relationships with people and companies who share the same vision. For me being sustainable isn’t an angle, it’s not something I switch back and forth on. Sustainability can be a confusing issue to understand but if you think about what’s ethical then it all starts to make sense.
5. Share with our readers your easy eco living tip! Save up and buy less things that are better quality, not more things. It’s been said before by many people, but I really do believe less is more.
You can keep an eye on Matty Smith’s design inspirations and upcoming pieces at his blog, or go and view his work at the following exhibitions:
+ 10 Days on the Island ‘Furnished’ exhibition, Hobart Tasmania 25 March-3 April
+ Collections: Tasmanian Wood Design Collection, Launceston Tasmania
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Matt,
I came across your website through an old issue of the “Green” magazine that I had. My background is in landscape design and construction but over the last few years I’ve acquired a strong passion for furniture design. In particular, I enjoy finding old pieces of furniture and restoring them or manipulating old planks of old timber into fine furniture.
Congratulations on your award in Tassie last year (thats quite an acheivement)- I too, will probably require some form of formal training/education in furniture making at some stage- would you recommend the course that you’ve completed?