Designed in Melbourne - Australia Day 2015

Don't forget the ice…. it's Australia Day.

Celebrating Australia Day with a refreshing glass of wine at the beach.

Celebrating Melbourne designers Max Beck (Wynn's Coonawarra wine label - 1954), Ed Kayser (Regis glass and carafe - 1969) and Richard Carlson (Decor BYO wine cooler 1978)

This Australia Day when you grab the esky, a stubbie of VB or lob the well worn Kookaburra cricket ball over the fence you would probably know these products are as Australian as a meat pie.

No matter how you choose to celebrate January 26th this year, more than a few of the products you will use were designed in Melbourne and have endured in our globally competitive market.

My research is particularly concerned with products that have endured and the research questions the common view that products are designed for obsolescence. The Decor BYO wine cooler designed in 1979 by Richard Carlson is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and also available today for $22.00 at a store near you.

Designed in Melbourne - Decor BYO Wine cooler designed by Richard Carlson 1979

Australian design icon the Regis glassware range designed by industrial designer Edward Kayser for Crown ACI. The Regis carafe is still in production.

This year it is fifty years since Stuart Devlin AO designed our decimal coins and more than 15,200,000,000 coins have been minted. That is just our coins. Stuart who grew up in Geelong and studied in Melbourne has designed coins for over 30 countries.

Designed in Melbourne - Decimal Coins - Stuart Devlin 1964

If you have a cup of tea with your lamington it is likely the cordless kettle has a round base. In 1994 Gerry Mussett and Paul Taylor working with the Centre for Design team and Kambrook staff created the Axis Eco Kettle with the now universal round base. 'We wanted to bring the kettle to the table and out of the kitchen…..like you would a teapot or water jug.' said Paul Taylor.

Designed in Melbourne - Kambrook Axis Eco Kettle designed by Paul Taylor and Gerry Mussett 1994

Design registration for Axis Eco kettle innovative base design adopted worldwide.

Products designed in Melbourne that you might use on Australia Day.

Kookaburra cricket ball - Kookaburra - Moorabbin 1890
Chanell 9 logo  - Brian Sadgrove - Albert Park 1970
Decimal coins - 5c,10c,20c,50c,$1 - Stuart Devlin - Geelong/London 1964
Polymer bank notes - $10 Max Robinson, $20 Garry Emery, $50 Brian Sadgrove.
Lamington tin - Willow - North Melbourne 1928
Nylex kitchen swing top bin - Lionel Suttie - Richmond (Icon Plastics) 1966
Wiltshire Barb B Mate - Wiltshire - South Melbourne 1980s
Wiltshire Bar B Tongs - Outerspace Design Group - Richmond 1986
Redheads matches  - Brian Sadgrove - Albert Park
Willow Alpine cooler - David Flynn - Tullamarine
Decor BYO Wine Cooler - Decor - Richard Carlson - Hawthorn 1978
Regis Carafe - Edward Kayser - 1968
Esky - Willow/Nylex/Esky
Knog bike locks and lights - Catalyst Design - Richmond
Knog - Go Pro and iPhone flash units - Catalyst Design - Richmond
Crumpler Bags - Crumpler Design - Melbourne
Globe shoes - Derek Yuen - Port Melbourne
Tomato sauce bottle - Jim Samartgis - Decor
Victoria Bitter stubby  - ACI Glass - Footscray 1967
Crown lager bottle  - ACI Glass - Footscray 1970
Cascade beer bottle - Julian Ditchburn - Hawthorn
Ronstan yacht fittings - Ron and Stan from Black Rock
E-Series tram - CobaltNiche/Bombardier Design - North Melbourne/Dandenong
Quest EFPOS card payment terminals - Outerspace Design Group - Richmond
Channel 7 logo - Cato Brand Partners - Collingwood
Holden Commodore and Caprice - Holden Design - Port Melbourne
Ford Territory, Falcon, and Ranger - Ford Australia - Broadmeadows
Any power board  - Frank Bannigan, Robert Pataki Design, Peter Talbot - Caulfield
Cordless kettle with a round base designed by Gerry Mussett and Paul Taylor - Kambrook
KeepCup  - CobaltNiche - North Melbourne 2009
Robert Timms coffee  - Cato Brand Partners - Collingwood 1970s
Baby capsule - Robert Pataki and Phillip Slattery - Caulfield - 1984
Visit the Zoo and use the Art Processors digital app on an iPhone - Art Processors - Collingwood
Orbitkey - Charles Ng - South Yarra
Drink lots of water….321 water bottle  - Charlwood Design - 2009
Clean up with the Oates Tilt a Matic mop - Charlwood Design - 2005
…..and finally remember don't party too hard!
Booze Bus  - CobaltNiche - North Melbourne

Designed in Melbourne - Willow cooler designed by David Flynn 2013

Early Willow cooler designed and manufactured in North Melbourne. Circa 1960

Designed in Melbourne - Australia Day 2015. 

Max Beck (Wynn's Coonawarra wine label - 1954), Ed Kayser (Regis glass and carafe - 1969) and Richard Carlson (Decor BYO wine cooler 1978)

Designed in Melbourne - the VB stubby beer bottle 1967

This Australia Day raise a glass, like I did to our designers and those who commission them.

Melbourne NOW Show & Tell - Melbourne Collectors

Melbourne NOW featured Show & Tell - Melbourne Collectors on Sunday 24th as part of the opening weekend events.

Four Melbourne collectors displayed their collections at the National Gallery of Victoria St Kilda Road Community Hall designed by McBride, Charles, Ryan architects for Melbourne NOW. Victoria Gridley’s amazing collection of over 400 PEZ dispensers, Ian Wong’s collection of orange products designed in Melbourne, David Beaumont’s wacky collection of prosthetic limbs, religious status and mannequins; and Simon Matthews shared part of his Christopher Dresser collection.

Ian Wong's vivid collection of 'orange' products designed and manufactured in Australia featured the work of industrial designers and manufacturers: Richard Carlson, Tony Wolfenden, Barrie Hudson, Lionel Suttie, Peter Bayly, Celina Clarke, Simon Christopher, Edward Kayser, Grant Featherston, Robbie Napper, Willow, Nylex, ISM Objects, Rosebank, Caroma, Bessemer, Capri, Decor, Wiltshire, Planet Lamps, Ventura, and Kambrook.

Melbourne NOW - Show & Tell Melbourne Collectors at the National Gallery of Victoria.

Melbourne NOW - Show & Tell Melbourne Collectors at the National Gallery of Victoria.

David Beaumont shares his collection of prosthetic limbs, religious status and mannequins.

Simon Matthews shares his Christopher Dresser collection.

Victoria Gridley shares her amazing collection of PEZ dispensers

Melbourne NOW - Show & Tell Melbourne Collectors at the National Gallery of Victoria.

Melbourne NOW - Show & Tell Melbourne Collectors at the National Gallery of Victoria.

Collector Ian Wong discusses an early product from Moulded Products. This Melbourne company started in North Melbourne, moved to Richmond and finally located to Mentone and Seaford changing the company name to the iconic brand Nylex. 

Ian Wong setting up his collection of orange Victorian designed products at the waterwall of the National Gallery of Victoria for Melbourne NOW Show & Tell Melbourne Collectors Sunday November 24th 2013.

Melbourne NOW - Show & Tell Melbourne Collectors at the National Gallery of Victoria.

Melbourne NOW - Show & Tell Melbourne Collectors at the National Gallery of Victoria.

Melbourne NOW - Show & Tell Melbourne Collectors at the National Gallery of Victoria.

Ian Wong with some of his collection of products designed in Victoria on display at the National Gallery of Victoria.

Australian Design Icon - Regis Glassware

A world first with production and export totalling more than 170 million units the Regis glassware range truly is an Australian industrial design icon.

Regis glassware range logo - Australian design icon.

Australian design icon the Regis glassware range designed by industrial designer Edward Kayser for Crown ACI.

Tony Wolfenden - Decor stacking cups

Brian Davis commissioned Tony Wolfenden to design products after working initially with Tony on architectural and interior design projects. These stacking cups are one of the first products Tony designed for Decor.

Decor stacking cups designed by Tony Wolfenden.

Lionel Suttie - Quartic canisters

My collection of products designed in Victoria continues to grow and this week it is the Quartic canisters designed by Lionel Suttie. The addition of a polypropelene lid extend the Quartic range and this is the first example I have seen of the canister range. It is also the first example of the use of the classic letraset font eurostyle Q as a tampo printed graphic.

Australian Capri Quartic canisters designed by industrial designer Lionel Suttie.

Classic 1970s Quartic cup and saucer designed by industrial designer Lionel Suttie.

Classic 1970s cups designed by industrial designer Lionel Suttie.

see previous posts on the Quartic range here

Irwell Taps - Design classic

The Design Award winning taps by Paul Schremmer for Irwell are well documented as icons of pioneering Australian industrial design. They feature in the 1967 Australian industrial design promotional video I have referred to previously.

Today I was proudly able to post to my facebook page ispyid an image of the taps still in use taken at the Victorian College of the Arts.

Iconic Australian industrial design by Paul Schremmer for Irwell.

Paul Schremmer original sketches for the iconic australian designed Irwell taps.

Clement Meadmore - Stool

RMIT University industrial design alumnus Clement Meadmore designed this simple stool in the 1950s in Melbourne. Sold under the brand MEADMORE ORIGINALS other products designed by Meadmore included; bar stools, tables, telephone tables a range of chairs. Product can be identified by the simple manufacturers stamp as shown.

Clement Meadmore stool.

Meadmore Originals stamp on the base of a Clement Meadmore designed stool.

Grant Featherston - Mitzi chair

The Mitzi chair designed for Aristoc Industries by Grant Featherston in 1957 featured in the Exhibition 175 years of Design in Victoria. This burnt orange example was one of a set of four recently added to my collection.

Aristoc Industries Mitzi chair designed by Grant Featherston 1957.

Duperite - Dad's Day 1953

The local Church Fete provided a jewel for my collection of Victorian designed products in the form of a set of carpet bias bowls. Piled amongst a huge array of discard toys from our consumer generation were these once treasured and still perfectly functional Duperite bowls.  Dad's Day 1953 is written in biro on the box so these are almost sixty years old. Many of the imported toys sharing the stall were less than one year old. Note (Australiasia) in company name suggests how export orientated manufacturers were post war. Moulded Products (Australasia) Limited were plastics pioneers and these bowls were some of the earliest products manufactured by the company that would become Nylex.

Duperite brand Carpet Bias Bowls manufactured by Moulded Products (Australasia) Limited. 

Grant Featherston - Contour two seater

The Boyd House II at 290 Walsh Street South Yarra is home to this classic Grant Featherston contour two seater.

Iconic Grant Featherston contour two seater

Habana - Decor number one

The Habana beaker set is the first product designed and manufactured by Australian plastics industry pioneer Brian Davis. Designed in the late 1950's when the plastics industry was only emerging in Victoria to compete against anodised Aluminium beaker sets. Brian's company is one of Australia's most successful with Decor one of Australia's most awarded and recognisable brands.

Brian Davis and Company Habana beaker stacking cup set.

Decor product catalogue from 1967 featuring the Habana beaket set.

Nylex Clock - History

The Nylex Clock is a Melbourne icon. Why is it there?

Beginning as Moulded Products in North Melbourne the business established by John Derham was a pioneer in the manufacture of plastics in Australia. The business relocated to Cremorne Street, Richmond, manufacturing with brand names Duperite and Nylex. The top of the Richmond barley silos was visible from John Derham's corner office window and it occured to him that it would be an ideal spot to promote his emerging business empire. Nylex would go on to be one of the largest manufacturers of plastics in Victoria and employ as staff or consultants many Victorian designers including; Lionel Suttie, Geoff Fitzpatrick, Edward Kayser, Ross Whitehead, Michael Simcoe, and consultants Catalyst, Cobalt Niche and Design + Industry.

 

Melbourne Icon the Nylex Clock.

The "clock on the silo shows eleven degrees" are the lyrics from the Paul Kelly classic Leaps and Bounds. The film clip features the band under the clock on top of the Richmond silos, and is great for it's panorama of Melbourne circa 1987. During 1986 I would regularly pass under the clock on my way to Vermont South to work with my first employer John Westwood at John Westwood Design Associates.

image: copyright Paul Kelly 1987

Paul Kelly song featuring the "clock on the silo" - "Leaps and bounds" you tube video here.

The Nylex Clock is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register (File No. H2049) and the National Trust cites it as being of "state significance" (File No. B7130).  

Find out more history about the Nylex Clock here.

Clement Meadmore - Telephone Table

Clement Meadmore was one of the first individuals to study industrial design in Victoria. Early work in furniture branded "Meadmore Originals" is highly collectable and I very was pleased when I was able to add his cord chair and telephone table to my private collection.

Meadmore Originals television table designed by industrial designer Clement Meadmore.