Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.
Age: 37
Occupation: Designer.
Instagram: @zacharyfrankel_
Hometown: Melbourne.
Studio location: Melbourne.
Describe what you make: I make furniture, sculpture and lighting that traverses art and design that isn’t limited by a particular material or process.
The most important thing you’ve designed to date: I just designed and produced the first iteration of a range of recycled plastic furniture. I think it’s increasingly important to design with sustainability in mind. It’s the first time I’ve delved into it and am looking forward to utilizing the material more and exploring other socially conscious practices in the future.
Describe the problem your work solves: The oversaturation of functional and disposable furniture. There are a lot of both in the world and I’d like to contribute something more joyful and long lasting.
Describe the project you are working on now: I’m in the process of releasing the range of recycled plastic furniture. It’s a new direction for me and utilizes industrial materials and processes. I hope it resonates with people, creates conversations about consumption and finds its way into people’s homes.
A new or forthcoming project we should know about: I’ve just begun a series of large scale timber pieces from logs of salvaged trees. They will combine my love of furniture and sculpture and utilize what would otherwise be considered waste. Aesthetically, I think they will be somewhere between Art Deco and Medieval Europe, but we’ll see, things often change as they go. I’m hoping to exhibit this work later in the year.
What you absolutely must have in your studio: Things on hand. I’m not incredibly organized so when I can’t find anything I’m looking for things tend to grind to a halt pretty quickly. Music, natural light, and cups of tea are always welcome.
What you do when you’re not working: Eating and drinking with friends, reading, swimming and seeing my family.
Sources of creative envy: Gio Ponti, Henry Moore, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Barbara Hepworth, Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, Charlotte Perriand, and Alvar Aalto to name a few. They’re all visionaries who weren’t constrained to a single practice.
The distraction you want to eliminate: Typically and tragically, social media.
Concrete or marble? Marble.
High-rise or townhouse? Townhouse.
Remember or forget? Remember.
Aliens or ghosts? Aliens.
Dark or light? Dark things in a light place.
