Australian design brand SP01 has launched a new range in collaboration with London-based designer Tim Rundle. The collection includes a series of armchairs, occasional tables and mirrors.

The collaboration marks the third collection to be released by the young design brand. Established in 2016, SP01 is born in Australia, while designed throughout the world and manufactured in Italy. Part of the approach has been to disseminate an aesthetic with global appeal while being suitable for Australia.

The latest collection with industrial designer Tim Rundle combines a fresh Australian design approach with the brand’s signature Italian-made quality.

“As a New Zealander working in London for an Australian brand that’s made in Italy, I am free from the burden of a long design history that many European designers would be working under the shadow of. We can frame our work with a very international perspective, in a similar way to antipodean cuisine that borrows the best from around the world and develops its own unique take on it,” says Rundle.

The 10 pieces in the new collection bring together industrial materials such as tubular steel, fluted glass, brass and pewter. All of the new pieces are designed around the frame element, which is a key device that expresses form.

In addition to being comfortable and useful, the pieces have a visual lightness in the way they occupy an interior. Detailed upholstery in rich fabrics and textures further defines each piece and inner surfaces are soft and relaxed while the exterior has a crisp and bold surface.

The pieces
Two distinct armchairs make up the range, the Shu-Ying and Caristo chairs.

The range of Michelle mirrors comprises sleek floor, wall and table mirrors, all embellished with marble trays and available in brass, pewter or blackened steel frames.

The Mohana series of occasional tables come in three complementary sizes, all supported by a fine gauge steel frame. Each modern table has two levels, designed with contrasting surface materials of marble and glass and can be used as a side, coffee or bedside table.

“With upholstered pieces, the outside is harder and the human part is softer – the part that touches architecture should relate to that and the parts that touch people should relate to them. We tried to really accentuate that by pushing the softness of the inner surfaces with looser upholstery to create a softer finish counterbalanced by a harder, crisper outside surface,” explains Rundle.

Historic references
“Taking cues from Art Deco and Modernism, two of the most evident architectural styles in SP01’s home city, Sydney, the new collection subtly references these design eras while interpreting them as something altogether new,” says Matt Lorain, head of design at SP01.

In the same way that Australian architecture has a combination of influences driven by history and context, yet with a distinct style, each chair, table and mirror in the collection is subtly touched by another era, resulting in a series that is both contemporary and timeless.

Designer Tim Rundle in his London studio.

SP01 is available from Space Furniture.

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We interviewed Matt Lorrain of SP01, read it over here.