Object Density has topped out an ambitious year with a win in the Object, Furniture and Lighting – Rising category at the 2024 Interior Design Excellence Awards (IDEA).

This category showcases the brightest rising stars of Australian furniture and lighting design, a description that fits Object Density well. Nicola Charlesworth and Kim Stanek, the duo behind the product design studio now based in Illawarra, New South Wales, have been diligently refining their craft across continents since establishing Object Density at the end of 2019. 

After expanding their design philosophies during a three-year stint in Eindhoven in the Netherlands, the pair returned to Australia ready to connect with local designers and landed a spot in Australian Design Review (ADR)’s inaugural 30UNDER30 program for product and interior designers in 2022/2023.

Fast forward two years and the accolades and recognition continue to stream in steadily. The studio won the Object, Furniture and Lighting – Rising category at IDEA for Proportions of Space, a collection of ceramic tables that explore the pair’s relationship to different landscapes within the Netherlands. IDEA 2024 sustainability judge Michael Alvisse described the project as “an artful homage to the landscape, skilfully juxtaposing solid and void, light and shadow”. 

“Object Density’s transformation of non-recyclable glass fines into glaze is laudable. A gorgeous, tactile piece that transcends fashion,” he said.

ADR caught up with Charlesworth to learn about the collaborative process behind Proportions of Space and what’s next for a studio going from strength to strength.

ADR: What did it mean for you to win your category?  

NC: It’s a huge honour to have won the Object, Furniture and Lighting – Rising category. IDEA really feels like an industry-focused award, created for and within the Australian design community, valuing the creative process and uniquely forward-thinking projects. With industry heavyweights on the judging panel, the award carries both authenticity and integrity. IDEA is a rare moment to receive recognition from professionals you respect, based on the quality of the work.  

It’s particularly special for us to have won this year, having participated in the ADR’s 30UNDER30 program in 2023. 30UNDER30 broadened our network in the Australian design community, particularly within the interior design and architecture fields. We learned so many valuable and tangible workflows, especially with respect to how we communicate our process and position ourselves within the Australian design community. Receiving mentorship from industry icons and applying these lessons to our process changed how we presented our work.  

Tell us about your winning project, what was its inspiration and how did you achieve the outcome that you did? 

NC: This collection was initiated during the final stages of our time spent living and working in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. During a Dutch Design Week event, we connected with ceramic glaze artist Daria Biryukova, who develops glaze recipes using recycled paper, incinerator furnace ash and recycled glass. This process fascinated us and sparked an exploration into ceramics purely so that we could collaborate!  

We were heavily inspired by the modular segmentation of space in the Netherlands, particularly between the built and natural environments which felt so distinctly different to our experience here in Australia. We took a lot of cues from the cityscapes, referencing the offset planar brickwork and curved façade features of the Amsterdamse School architecture movement featured in buildings around the country. From the outset, we wanted to honour the modularity of space within the object, which lent itself perfectly to a slip-cast ceramic process.  

With the concept and making process defined, we moved through a more traditional industrial design process of sketching, foam modelling, prototyping and CAD development to resolve the form. Concurrently, we worked with Daria to develop a glaze pallet to capture the essence of the natural spaces we were inspired by.  

Now back in Australia, we wanted to take this collection beyond a prototype and work with local makers and waste streams to continue developing, and properly release the collection.  

Did you set out to design something ambitious and award-winning from the beginning?  

NC: Honestly, our work is so driven by process and narrative that I think we would trip ourselves over or wouldn’t know where to start if we set out to design something to win an award! 

The most exciting thing about receiving the award at IDEA is that it validates the process we have developed, which defines our work, and that it is recognised within the industry for creating meaningful outcomes. It can be a long process of design development. We are involved in every stage, from the first sketch to the final assembly, holding ourselves to (sometimes brutally) high standards in each phase. The stacking of this deep desire to create work, which is highly resolved in both concept and execution, really does come through to the finished piece.  

What did you learn from this project that you hope to bring to future designs?  

NC: On reflection, the takeaway from this project is that it is worth persisting and continuing to develop a process until we are satisfied with the outcome. Somewhat an exercise in perseverance, this project has moved through an elongated process. We prototyped the first iteration ourselves, making moulds, slip casting, mixing glazes and firing each piece. In an effort to streamline this process, without a fully equipped ceramic studio, we engaged local makers for the production of the collection shown. We worked with a ceramicist based in Sydney to produce the forms and a glaze artist in the Illawarra to fine-tune the colour palette and glaze recipe development. 

Our studio manifesto from the outset has been to recognise the value of all the expertise that goes into a designed object, making it dense with the tacit knowledge of the makers and suppliers we engage with. This became visible in this collection and we are excited to have a process developed that we are confident is repeatable and sustainable.  

How would you describe 2024 for you and your studio? 

NC: 2024 was intense. We bit off more than we should have – juggling this collection, ongoing research and development for our contribution to the MATTERS exhibition, curated by Marlo Lyda as part of Melbourne Design Week, as well as moving from Sydney to the Illawarra to establish our studio and lives with a little more space and balance. 

Looking back, we’re incredibly proud of what we were able to achieve, and receiving the IDEA award is an amazing way to round out what has been a really meaningful year for both work and personal lives – for us, these are inextricably linked.  

What’s next for you? Can you share any upcoming or current projects you are working on?  

NC: With such a busy year in 2024, we took a little space from developing new work to catch our breath and recalibrate for the next steps. This has been such a good decision and one that we really needed. 

Looking forward, we are energised and excited for 2025, especially with the announcement that Melbourne Design Week will be going ahead! We are set to enter the final edition of the three-year-long MATTERS exhibition, where we will distil two years of slow-burn research and development into a final design, centred on anodised aluminium and Australian native flora.  

There’s another opportunity on the horizon that we are very excited about, though it’s still under wraps, so we will be sure to update you as soon as it is confirmed! 

IDEA 2024 is proudly brought to you by our sponsors Miele, Cult, Crafted Hardwoods, Neolith, Halliday + Baillie, Krost, MillerKnoll, Laufen, ForestOne,Zenith, Designer Rugs, and supported by our event partners Axolotl,Four Pillars Gin, Moo Brew Beer and Artfull.

A special thank you to our jury chair Clare Cousins, and our jury members Brooke Lloyd, Davina Bester, Graham Charbonneau, Melissa Bright, Michael Alvisse and Manuela Millan.

View all the winners of IDEA 2024.