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Considered simplicity | Daniel Boddam

Considered simplicity | Daniel Boddam

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Daniel Boddam is shortlisted in Zenith’s Emerging Designer category at the 2017 IDEA Awards. The winners will be announced at the exclusive Gala Party on 24 November at Meat Market, Melbourne.

Daniel Boddam was shortlisted for this year’s award on the strength of two projects; the Monument: M-Coffee Table and his interior design work on ‘the Victorian’ in Mosman.

We spoke to Daniel about his career in design.

Australian Design Review: Can you discuss the processes that inform the designs that you’ve entered into this year’s award?

Daniel Boddam: My designs are often inspired by travel, landscape and culture. Every project imbues a sense of considered simplicity. I’m fascinated with all aspects of a home and the little day to day things that contribute to our lifestyle and sense of wellbeing. My goal is to create timeless and elegant homes that enrich people’s lives.

My object entry, the Monument Coffee Table is created with an architectural quality. It needed to be functional, well-proportioned and playful. I was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome with its masculine proportions and interplay of light and shadow. The table incorporates steps on one side reinforcing the idea of a podium. There is an oculus recess on the opposite end, which acts as a light well and doubles as book storage. I used Le Corbusier’s proportioning system to establish the position of these design accents.

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The M-Coffee Table

For my interior design submission; The Victorian Residence, Mosman, I was interested in exploring the dialogue between the historic home and the new modern extensions. I opted to preserve and enhance the details of the existing Victorian house, whilst the rear and first floor additions are more contemporary light filled spaces. The new interiors are lighter with graphic accents of black, which adds a peaceful ambience to the new living zones. Shots of colour have been interwoven into the older spaces, renewing and adding to a refreshed feel in its atmosphere.

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Interior of the Victorian

ADR: What has been your proudest achievement in your career to date?

DB: Launching my first furniture range ‘Monument’ last year is high on my list. It had been a dream of mine since I was ten and one of the reasons I studied architecture. Growing up, both my parents were architects and my childhood was surrounded by great pieces by Le Corbusier, Joseph Hoffman and Charles Rennie Mackintosh. These multidisciplinary icons imprinted on my design approach and still inform my studio’s holistic ethos today.

ADR: What excites or frustrates you about the current state of Australian design?

DB: I’m excited to be part of the Australian design community which has a strong pool of talent responding to our landscape. Traditionally we have borrowed a lot of ideas from overseas and so it’s fantastic to see an emergence of our own identity.

Kitchen in the Victorian

Kitchen in the Victorian

ADR: Where do you turn for inspiration, and who in your industry inspires you?

DB: When I look for industry inspiration I like to shortlist a few designers that have relevance to the direction I would like to take a project in, (which can vary a lot). The designers who inspire me recently are Vincent Van Duysen, Christian Liaigre, Joseph Dirand and Bedmar & Shi. They all carry the same all-encompassing design approach and passion for sophisticated detailing. When I look at their work, I also look at what has inspired them, so I can understand what the larger conversation is.

ADR: Can you offer us an insight into some of the challenges and highlights of establishing a practice?

DB: The greatest challenge has been finding the right business model and team structure. I don’t have a traditional practice, but I’ve found what works for me. I keep a very small team, this enables me to personally design and detail each project. The greatest reward is when all the design elements come together, the architecture, interior design and furniture design create one new environment, and the relationships you forge along the way.

Architecture/Design: Daniel Boddam

Photography: Kelly Geddes

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