Hospitality Design - August 2015 - 71

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design by them
By Alissa Ponchione
Photography by Pete Daly and Rachel Kara

1. Australian designers
Gibson and Karlovasitis
launched DesignByThem
in 2006.
2. Designed by Stefan
Lie, the Ribs bench is
made from steam-bent
hardwood.
3. The Gibson and
Karlovasitis-designed
Tuck stool is made from
zinc-plated steel with a
powdercoated finish.

2

1

DESIGN DOWN
UNDER
Collaboration is the centerpiece for an
Australian firm making its stateside debut

After Sarah Gibson and Nicholas
Karlovasitis graduated with degrees in
industrial design from the University of
Technology, Sydney in the early aughts,
they set their sights on starting their own
design collective. The native Australians had
enjoyed collaborating during class projects,
and wanted to see if that camaraderie
would translate into a successful business.
Their hope was to bring some muchneeded attention to the talented and
oft-underrepresented pool of Australian
designers.
Each gave up full-time jobs-Karlovasitis
at design consultancy 4 Design, Gibson at
commercial furniture company Thinking
Ergonomix-to pursue their dream,
officially launching DesignByThem in
2006. For the first three years, they focused
on consultancy, but soon that side of the
business ebbed, and product development
flourished. Pieces were designed by Gibson

3

and Karlovasitis almost exclusively in the
beginning but recently have been crafted
(with the duo's input) by a roster of six other
designers: Tommy Cehak, Stefan Lie, Seaton
Mckeon, Trent Jansen, Tom Fereday, and
Jon Goulder.
Their collections-from lighting and
wood furniture to seats and tables made
of recycled plastic-are "highly curated,"
Gibson explains, and the products must have
personality with restraint. "We don't like
when the character or details overbear the
design," she says. "It's those two things that
constantly play with each other." Living in
Australia is also an influence. A massive
café culture and the indoor-outdoor "open
and free" lifestyle require pieces to have
longevity even if used only for the interiors,
she adds, such as in Melbourne's Kettle
Black Café or Thai Kheen Khoon restaurant
in Sydney.
Yet part of what makes DesignByThem
a provocative group is a true emphasis on
sustainability. "We use a lifecycle strategy
in all of our products," explains Gibson,
meaning the materials dictate "the amount
of energy and resources in the product. It
determines the way you can process and
finish and dispose of material." They source
FSC timber and use water-based finishes for

4
4. The duo's Butter chair
features 80 percent
recycled content, mostly
post-consumer milk
containers.

safer factory operations. As far as looks are
concerned, "our goal has always been for you
not to know that it's a sustainable product,"
says Karlovasitis. "There's no reason that
it shouldn't look as nice or nicer than a
conventional product."
With the launch of a furniture collection
with John Goulder (refined in style and
made of timber), the debut of their Wire
furniture (which will be more playful than
utilitarian, explains Karlovasitis), and a
partnership with a well-known Australian
fashion designer in the works (yet to be
announced), DesignByThem recently took
their wares across the world, launching
to the North American market this May
at ICFF with hopes that the U.S. design
community will embrace their thoughtful
and versatile offerings. "That's a big part of
our strategy," says Karlovasitis, "so much so
that we're getting more and more product
manufactured in the U.S." hd
d esi gnby them.com

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Hospitality Design - August 2015

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