Hunt Furniture and Plant Cultuur by A.nouk

Hunt Furniture. Photo via Council of Objects.

When simple, elegant design has a heart of sustainability, I always get excited. That's what Shift is about after all!


It's even better when two designers with that same ethos come together to complement the other's work - and share a beautiful, light-filled space making it convenient for us to check them out.

This is the story of Max Hunt, founder and designer of Hunt Furniture, and the multi-talented Joslin Koolen, who's 'Plant Cultuur' range forms part of her spatial styling and curation business A.nouk.

I caught up with Max and Joslin in the lead up to the official launch on September 10 of their shared space, Studio Byron at 20 Byron Place, Adelaide.

"Hunt is based on being able to use local manufacture to produce local products," Max says of his focus on sustainability.

"Sustainability is a big part of Hunt's ethos as it is also good business economically. All my products are made from FSC certified timber and I use as little material in my designs as possible.

Plant Cultuur vessels + stands by A.nouk.

It's pretty clear to see how the two brands have become peas in a pod – a focus on supporting local.

"I'm big on keeping things local – in fact very local, as my father currently makes all of my items so you're talking a very intimate, small scale production of items which are designed and hand-touched by both the designer and fabricator," Joslin says.

"My dad and I share a mutual passion and reward for creating by our own terms. All materials sourced for fabrication are Australian made where possible and as eco-friendly as possible. Dad and I despise waste so wherever possible all off-cuts are re-used to ensure a more sustainable process.

"As with all things young and emerging the intention is to become even more environmentally conscious – especially when approaching local, external fabricators to produce small-scale batches, as often this ethos can diminish as things grow," Joslin says.

Plant Cultuur on display recently at Brick + Mortar Creative.

Both Joslin and Max admit it's not always easy growing a business around sustainable design.

"Being local, bespoke, and made in small batches means the costs are higher, which some people either can't or won't understand. For me it's about educating people about the process involved and what a designer truly is," Joslin says.

"Why – with all my passion and love for experimentation – would I have my designs made overseas when I can support local and foster my relationships with other mutually passionate fabricators and designers, artists and stylists.

"These sustainable elements are key and on par with the attention-to-detail and uniqueness of each of my Plant Cultuur vessel and stand designs."

For Max, these choices are the cornerstone of Hunt.

"The sustainable elements are not only important but necessary as they are what created Hunt. At the beginning of Hunt I sat down and said to myself what can I create that I could afford? This formed my design approach. I needed to make items from quality materials but they could not break the bank. I found the answer in using less," Max says.

"Creating design with restriction like material quantity has its challenges but these constraints form the end products."

Hunt Furniture stools via @huntfurniture

So what's next for Hunt and A.nouk?

"So much! It great!" Max. "I have new products launching in October/ November, collaborations coming out of my ears and we're launching our ongoing Open Studio Fridays this week which will add a great dynamic to the space at Studio Byron."

Joslin: "In conjunction with the Studio Byron launch I'm hoping to launch my new website and online shop as well as the first range of products on offer to the Retail and Trade markets. You won't see any of my designs stocked by retailers at this stage aside from the occasional local consignment, but watch this space…"

You can visit this dynamic design duo at Studio Byron each Friday from this week or browse online.

20 Byron Place, Adelaide, South Australia.

www.anoukstyle.com.au

www.huntfurniture.com.au

-  Ash

Studio Byron, shared space for Hunt Furniture and Plant Cultuur by A.nouk. Photo via @anoukstyle_s