If there’s one brand that’s synonymous with iconic Australian design, look no further than Dinosaur Designs.
It’s no secret that I’m a bit of a Dinosaur Designs fangirl. I’ve coveted their signature sculptural jewellery and homewares ever since I read about these cool art school graduates selling unique resin jewellery at Sydney’s Paddington Markets in the mid-'80s.
I remember standing outside the Oxford Street store on Saturdays in the early '90s, myself a university student at the time, admiring the myriad vases and vessels gleaming in the morning sun.
By the mid-late ‘90s, I was editing magazines and if you look closely at one of my editor’s portraits circa 1999, you can spot three white-translucent Dinosaur Designs wishbone bangles on my arm. They were part of my daily uniform, and I’ve never looked back.
Neither have they. I’ve watched with delight as Dinosaur Designs has continued to grow over the years and expand its fanbase to a global level. This is no small feat, especially when you consider that so many of their original neighbours in Sydney’s Strand Arcade have fallen by the wayside.
I don’t think this is down to luck or chance. Dinosaur Designs, as it stands today with husband/wife duo Louise Olsen and Stephen Ormandy, is the best combination of talent and enterprise. They understand colour and know how to use it - with vividly stunning and often surprising results.
I think the element of surprise is a significant component to their success, as they’ve continued to push themselves and their brand to explore new techniques, materials and products. And there’s been a judicious line-up of collaborators, including global giants Louis Vuitton and Paul Smith as well as Australian brands such as Designer Rugs, Jac + Jack, and most recently, Toni Maticevski.
Like many other of the world’s best design brands, they’ve evolved and worked hard to continually produce collections that look fresh, modern and classic at once. And dare I say, they’re always bang on trend.
Take their latest collection, Seed Pod, which was designed by Louise Olsen. Here their signature organic resin forms make an appearance in a 46-piece collection of stunning homewares and jewellery pieces, but the resin is studded with sparkling cubic zirconias or dipped in 24ct gold. There are mercurial earrings in silver and pendants and bowls in brass.
One of the best buys in the collection is the round brass incense holder, which at $AU30 will give Tom Dixon’s copper candles a run for their money!
I love the soft and whimsical shoot for Seed Pod, featuring Stephen and Louise’s daughter Camille and her friend as models. It’s accompanied by a video filled with dandelion fields, sun-flairs and hyper-femininity, providing a nice little contrast to some of the collection’s ‘tougher’ pieces.
Dinosaur Designs Seed Pod collection. Photography by Tim Georgeson.
UK readers are in for a treat with Dinosaur Designs opening their first London store in Soho next month. With a well-established store in New York, the launch into the European market signifies Dinosaur Designs’ strength as a global (Australian) brand. Now there’s no excuse for Londoners not to own a pair of resin salad servers. I'll be watching!
Chookas for your opening on Great Windmill Street, Louise and Stephen! (Not that you need it.)
Shop the Seed Pod collection in-store and online here.
Are you a Dinosaur Designs fan, too? Tell me about your favourite piece.
Like many other of the world’s best design brands, they’ve evolved and worked hard to continually produce collections that look fresh, modern and classic at once. And dare I say, they’re always bang on trend.
Take their latest collection, Seed Pod, which was designed by Louise Olsen. Here their signature organic resin forms make an appearance in a 46-piece collection of stunning homewares and jewellery pieces, but the resin is studded with sparkling cubic zirconias or dipped in 24ct gold. There are mercurial earrings in silver and pendants and bowls in brass.
One of the best buys in the collection is the round brass incense holder, which at $AU30 will give Tom Dixon’s copper candles a run for their money!
Shop the Seed Pod collection in-store and online here.
Are you a Dinosaur Designs fan, too? Tell me about your favourite piece.
