The Designers: Part 2
In part two of our series, meet more of South Australia’s most outstanding designers, who chat about inspiration and designs they admire.
Graham Charbonneau
Interior design/commercial
co-director, Studio Gram
Highly respected in the industry, Studio Gram has received numerous awards, including the South Australian Architecture Medal from the Australian Institute of Architects for Monarto Safari Park’s Visitor Centre. Other highlights have been World’s Best Restaurant at the World Interior News Awards for Osteria Oggi and the South Australian Emerging Architect Prize for co-directors Graham Charbonneau (right) and Dave Bickmore.
Where do you find inspiration for your work?
For me, inspiration really comes from people – their stories, their histories, and their visions for the future. Every project starts with getting to know our clients and understanding what makes them tick. Whether it’s the personal narratives they share, the dreams they have, or the little details about their lives, these insights are what spark our work. It’s about creating spaces that reflect who they are and how they want to express themselves. Of course, the natural landscape and the textures we encounter day-to-day are forever influential, but it’s really the human element that brings everything together.
What does good design mean to you?
Good design is about creating spaces that resonate on an emotional level while serving a functional purpose. It’s about crafting environments that feel both innovative and familiar, where people can connect with the space and each other. Good design should stand the test of time, both in terms of aesthetics and functionality. Paramount to all of that, good design should positively impact people and the way they live their lives.
What is a piece of South Australian design you admire?
I have a real soft spot for the Walkley residence in North Adelaide (by architect Robyn Boyd). When it first went up, it was like the rebel in the neighbourhood—a bold, modernist structure surrounded by heritage homes. What’s amazing is how well it has aged. It hasn’t just stood the test of time; it’s proven that modern design can be just as enduring and meaningful as the classics. It’s a perfect reminder that sometimes shaking things up can lead to something timeless.
Pick one of your designs that encapsulates your aesthetic and describe it to us?
I don’t subscribe to a singular aesthetic. Instead, our projects are a reflection of our clients’ personalities, stories, and aspirations. Each space we create is unique because it is born from a deep collaboration with our clients. Rather than imposing a signature style, we allow the project’s narrative to guide the design, ensuring that the result is authentic to the client and the context.
Photograph Timothy Kaye
Julia Ritorto & Kathryn Forth
Fashion design
co-founders, Acler
This year South Australian-founded fashion brand Acler celebrates 10 years. In that time, they’ve grown from two staff members – founders Julia Ritorto and Kathryn Forth – to more than 50 across the country, still with their HQ in Adelaide. Acler designs can be found in more than 100 stockists worldwide, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom and David Jones.
Where do you find inspiration for your work?
Kathryn: Our designs start with the fabrics. We pick a colour palette, prints and textures first, then over a few weeks, lock ourselves away draping and sketching. Certain fabrics will dictate how they are manipulated and into what shapes, we really let fabrics and an open mind lead us.
What does good design mean to you?
Kathryn: Acler remains steadfast in a design approach that heroes the tactile. Four collections are released each year and every garment is draped in three-dimensional form, taking shape over a 12-month period. This is ultimately what sets Acler apart: a rebellion away from digital design to bring movement, couture techniques and hand-draping back to the forefront of garment creation.
What is a piece of South Australian design you admire?
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Julia: I admire the work of James Howe, a local furniture designer. His approach is both thoughtful and simplistic, with a focus on craftsmanship. I’m particularly drawn to his Rushcutters Bench, which is handwoven right here in Adelaide using Danish paper cord. The bench, inspired by the ceiling trusses of Woolloomooloo’s old Finger Wharf building, beautifully merges functional design with artistic expression.
Pick one of your designs that encapsulates your aesthetic and describe it to us?
Julia: One of my current favourites is the Clements Top in black. This piece truly embodies versatility. It can make a bold statement when paired with a floor-length skirt for a black-tie event, yet it can also be dressed down with jeans for a night out. I love the contrast between the soft, translucent organza and the structured, form-fitting underbodice. It’s pure perfection.
Anja Jagsch
Jewellery design
Anja Jagsch creates pieces of botanical jewellery that are deeply steeped in nature and handcrafted in Adelaide. Anja was a finalist in the 2023 Contemporary Wearables Biennial Jewellery Award. You can find Anja’s designs at Bowerbird on November 22 to 24.
What are some of your top awards/achievements?
I was runner-up in the Contemporary Wearables Award Toowoomba in 2017 and a finalist in this biennial show in 2023.
Where do you find inspiration for your work?
Nature is my greatest inspiration. I’m looking for the things that deeply connect us and find it in the natural world around me, the landscape, the plants and the quietness I feel when I can immerse myself in it. My botanicals are designed by nature – the actual piece of plant is cast in silver. So one of my parts in the jewellery making process is the selection. Each plant asks for a different aspect, I think. Sometimes it’s the symmetry, sometimes texture or the catching of the light in the piece. Sometimes I just enjoy the quirkiness a piece might have.
What is a piece of South Australian design you admire?
I love Julie Blyfield’s work. She is one of SA’s most distinguished artists. Her work is divine, handmade with a love of the natural world.
Pick one of your designs that encapsulates your aesthetic and describe it to us?
Apart from my botanicals I also work with vitreous enamel. Here I form copper mesh that is then enamelled in my homemade kiln. I feel drawn to the grid pattern which is based on the cross shape. Although it’s geometric it is also organic and speaks to us on a level that is hard to describe.
What is your design philosophy?
Natural forms always have a flow to them, are pleasing to look at. Accidental disruptions of those make my heart jump – that’s when it gets really exciting.
Emma Sadie Thomson
Landscape design
Where do you find inspiration for your work?
The natural Australian landscape is my main source of inspiration, from the sandy soils of my childhood in the Mallee, to the wet forests of my current home in the Adelaide Hills. I started out focusing on indoor plants and emulating a stylised version of the natural environment that didn’t reflect my outdoor environment. I am now focused on highlighting the beauty of the plants indigenous to the Adelaide Plains, which are often overlooked.
What is a piece of South Australian design you admire?
The Hills Hoist is the most iconic South Australian design for me, a beautiful and functional piece of design that makes the mundane task of hanging out laundry a little more pleasurable.
Pick one of your designs that encapsulates your aesthetic and describe it to us?
Marino House. The site presented numerous challenges, with a steep slope limiting access and suitable plantings. However, as the front dressing to the house, it was important to create a real showpiece. I took inspiration for the planting list from the adjacent national park and created dense plantings of indigenous plants to create a dramatic garden that was sympathetic to the architecture of the house. The design also considered the ongoing maintenance, with limited intervention required to keep the garden looking its best.
What is your design philosophy?
To create beautiful and functional spaces that have a low impact on the natural environment. I am always mindful of the existing environment, and the people and plants that have gone before me. I want to leave a legacy that can be enjoyed by generations.
Sonya Rankine
Weaving
Lakun Mara
Named the Don Dunstan Foundation’s Our Mob emerging artist award in 2019, Sonya Rankine was also named the SA NAIDOC Artist of the Year in 2021 and Tarnanthi Exhibition artist by the Art Gallery of South Australia in 2021 and 2023.
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Where do you find inspiration for your work?
My inspiration comes from the materials I choose and the shape and form that can be created using a wide variety of plants through to recycled resources. It is strongly connected to my culture through the representation of traditional Ngarrindjeri weaving and honouring the learning from master Ngarrindjeri weaver, Aunty Ellen Trevorrow more than 30 years ago. It gave me a connection to family, culture and ancestors that continues to ground me in life and my art praxis. Nat Harkin, Narungga/Kaurna poet/academic beautifully summed me up in the Tarnanthi 2021 catalogue: “This is a lived praxis. Sonya was removed from her Aboriginal family and placed into foster care as a baby, and this return to culture has been integral to healing. This blood memory is testimony to the perseverance, beauty and pride in the Ngarrindjeri and Ngadjuri weaving traditions that have been passed on.”
Pick one of your designs that encapsulates your aesthetic and describe it to us?
A piece from the Spaces Between collection commissioned by JamFactory for the 2023 Tarnanthi exhibited at the Adelaide Railway Station phone booths. All five pieces were 50 to 60 centimetres tall, woven on or around a copper wire frame and each using different materials and weaving techniques. Nganawi Pulgi was made using the traditional Ngarrindjeri weaving technique and material, the Spiny Flat Sedge plant woven on and attached to the copper wire frame.
What is your design philosophy?
My design philosophy is to explore, challenge, innovate and connect culture. Creating using a variety of materials and combining traditional and contemporary art and weaving techniques. The use of language is important when designing and telling the story for me, an integral part of cultural maintenance and revival that is the foundation of my design philosophy and praxis.
Matt Turley
Sculpture
Artist Matt Turley combines his background in commercial fabrication with a flair for the artistic to create sculptures that interact with the spaces in which they sit. You’ll find Matt’s work at Ex Animo Art on King William Road, Hyde Park.
Where do you find inspiration for your work?
My inspiration (at the moment) comes from everyday life. I aim to capture the effortless notion of simple things, such as taking a walk or sitting and enjoying where you are.
What does good design mean to you?
Function and form are seamless.
Pick one of your designs that encapsulates your aesthetic and describe it to us.
Transient. The two figures walking are based on free-flowing forms depicting the human figure. Constructed from stainless steel, the brushed finish surfaces and the flowing shapes create contrasts whilst the higher polished middle sections reflect the space around and the viewer. I like the idea of interpreting an organic shape using the rigidity of a metallic material.
Which piece of SA design do you admire?
I enjoy architecture and the effort and planning that goes with it. For me I think Adelaide Oval is still a standout. The journey through the city to get there, the structure, finishes and details of the stadium, the sculptures and their stories and the sheer scale all make for a great experience every time I visit.
What is your design philosophy?
To create work that can add value to the space it inhabits. Quality of design and fabrication so the viewer questions what the piece is rather than how it’s made.
Derek Butler
Graphic design
managing and creative director, Black Squid Design
Black Squid Design was selected as one of 20 design studios for global initiative Make a Mark 2022, in which they designed packaging for a gin bottle inspired by the iconic South Australian pie floater. You’ll find Black Squid’s designs on the branding and packaging of Luma Restaurant & Bar, Laucke Flour and Olga’s Fine Foods.
Where do you find inspiration for your work?
Each day in our studio at 10.05am, one of our designers presents their ‘inspiration of the day’. Each person searches to find something that has captivated them. These five-minute sessions reveal an array of diverse, quirky, and extraordinary finds.
What does good design mean to you?
In a world of clutter, good design must stand out – bold, minimal, functional, and to the point. No tricks, no over-the-top imagery, no high production values – just pure design fundamentals, strong typographic hierarchy, and brand essence. To capture attention, be memorable, and transform the expected into the unexpected.
What is a piece of South Australian design you admire?
I have a deep admiration for the logo of The Australia Council for the Arts. Designed in 1983 by Lyndon Whaite, one of my former lecturers, this logo has always fascinated me with its effortlessly elegant design. The seemingly random ink marks form a kangaroo that is refreshingly naive with sophisticated timelessness. Lyndon’s fearlessness to split the text with the kangaroo’s legs while maintaining readability is a brilliant example of how simplicity can be elevated through thoughtful design. The result is a perfect harmony of intricate yet minimalist linework that defines a truly iconic logo.
Pick one of your designs that encapsulates your aesthetic and describe it to us?
A limited release gin of 40 bottles was created using 40 different botanicals over a 12-month “Gin Discovery” period to perfect the recipe. For this exclusive release, we designed a lure to be laser-cut from stainless steel and etched on both faces. The lure is suspended inside the bottle by stainless steel wire and swages, hanging from the underside of the cork in the crystal-clear gin. The cork is double-dipped in white and red wax, to reflect a “float” to complete the surreal fishing scene. The lure has been recognized to be included in the Museum of Avant-Garde’s Permanent Contemporary Collection in Switzerland.
This article first appeared in the October 2024 issue of SALIFE magazine.
