ABOUT
Our studio is a team of Architects and Designers that are passionate about design as a enabler to connect us and our spaces to the ground we live on. We also love that design is an opportunity to collaborate, to work with master craftspeople and understand the opportunities inherent in the tools and techniques of each trade. We have a deep respect for the deeply personal role of design. Since our arrival on this planet, we have adorned the places we occupy with culturally meaningful, exquisitely made, design artefacts. What we collect and decide to have around us in our intimate spaces says a lot about who are and our values. We are committed to sustainability at every level of the design process. From reducing material waste and working with local craftspeople, to a longer-term vision for designing inheritable, collectible pieces. Then there is the broadest aspiration, using our design skills to connect us to earth science, and making caring about our continent contagious.
THE DESIGN PROCESS
Our rugs and fabric were designed by drawing and redrawing thousands of geological maps and then assigning colours reveal these geological stories. Choosing consistent colours that revealed the diversity of rock ages in Australia and took over 18 months. It was a trial-and-error process of testing contrasting and complimentary colours, so the right geometry shone through.
There was also a steep learning curve in geology, gained from hours of studying maps, books, academic geological papers, and conversations with willing geologists!
THE CRAFT AND THE UNEXPECTED
Converting the idea into the tangible product is a very exciting part of the process. Usually, I can accurately visualise the outcome when designing, but there are always unexpected outcomes. Sometimes these slow down the process, like navigating the difference between colour on an LED screen and wool or silk yarn. But they can also contribute to the design process, like discovering the different weave structures in the jacquard loom that can add beguiling textural features.
The crafting process is also an opportunity to collaborate with master craftspeople to understand deeply the tools and techniques of each trade. We have a deep respect for their skill and perfectionism, and it is rewarding process whereby both parties are working at the edges of their skill sets to deliver exciting new outcomes.
SUSTAINABLITY
At Emma Jackson we are committed to sustainability at every level of the design process, from reducing material waste and working with local craftspeople where possible, to a longer-term vision for designing collectible, meaningful pieces.
Our broadest aspiration, however, is to use our design skills to reveal this unique planets geological stories and make caring about it contagious.
