Interview: Australian Industrial Designer Tom Skeehan.

It’s a bit strange that two Aussies should first meet in Milan, but this is precisely where Tom and I first met, during one of the previous editions of Milan Design Week, of course. The very first thing that struck me about Tom was his warm, friendly gaze and his gentle smile. This guy is so ridiculously genuine; his candour is completely disarming. And while being a good designer and/ or scoring yourself a profile on Yellowtrace isn’t necessarily a personality contest, it sure does help when you’re a helluva good bloke too. I mean, let’s face it – life’s too short to support and promote those who are just purely talented but underneath it all, they’re a bit of a shit person. You get my drift?

Now that we have that bit out of the way let’s talk a bit more about the talented Mr Skeehan. Based in our nation’s capital, Tom has been pouring blood, sweat and tears into building his eponymous design brand SKEEHAN since 2011, which recently grew up a little with a major rebrand we shared with you a few weeks ago. This rebrand was all about – to use one of Tom’s terms – “levelling up the studio”, and I think they’ve achieved their goal – the new look is polished yet approachable, sophisticated yet authentic and relatable, much like Sheehan’s work.

These days the studio has grown beyond just Tom himself, who has set out to create a collaborative design model to support the growth. The core team hooks up with various experts well versed in specific design problems, projects, or a new industry altogether, which allows for a sustainable way to build teams around multiple briefs. This approach allows the studio to delve deep into “each project, and to consider the materials, story and purpose at every design stage”, says Tom.

I also want to point out that next to every great man, there is a great woman. In this case, Tom’s amazing partner in life and crime, Rachael Byron, has not only responsible for the direction and the imagery behind SKEEHAN’s new brand style, she’s also the mother of their beautiful young son, and therefore the true custodian of the Skeehan legacy.

But that’s enough from me – let’s hear it from The Man himself who, tragically, only ever wears black – so typical, right? – as he shares with us many design insights. From his commitment to material research, business challenges in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, why spraypainting your shoes in gold is never a good idea, and a design process that involves “extensive model making, heaps of sketching, weird experiments and connecting with manufactures and other designers”.

Related: Australian Design Studio SKEEHAN Reveals Major Rebrand & New Products.

SKEEHAN recently revealed a major rebrand, which saw the studio create a series of new imagery along with a new website and graphic assets. Shown here is the snapshot of some of the major pieces in the main collection. Styled by Rachel Byron and photographed by Adam McGrath.

+Hey there Tom, welcome to Yellowtrace! Could you please briefly tell about yourself, how did you develop your love for design and the path that led you to establish SKEEHAN?

I was always heading towards ART and DESIGN growing up. I grew up in a creative family, some of my earliest memories are working with my dad at his drafting table. I was very fortunate from a young age to be supported to pursue a career I enjoyed.

It took a few years before I formally studied industrial design. I worked for a Furniture maker for a few years and also a Contract furniture company. I was surrounded by the industry I wanted to be part of but didn’t have the formal skills to bring it all together. I enrolled in Industrial Design and fell in love with the process and deep material research.

After graduating I turned down a job offer at Breville to start my own studio. After countless failed products, spending everything on shitty trade fair booths ‘sleeping in the car each night’, entering competitions, pitching to brands etc, I finally landed a product with Stylecraft. This commercial pathway to distribute my product opened up new doors and cash flow opportunities to grow the company to what it is today.

SKEEHAN materiality and design process expressed in a series of concept images.

+ How do you characterise your design sensibility and your aesthetic? And is there something that’s fundamental to your practice, your philosophy and your process?

A lot of the aesthetic in my work comes from the material or process of manufacturing. Exploring materials and methods of production often form the finer details and overall vision of the project.

I have always admired the work of Naoto Fukasawa and Tadao Ando. From the start of my career, I would look to their methods and mantra’s and try and incorporate it into each design brief. Celebrating the process of creating work that is paired back over and over again until you have a form or language that feels honest and free from the unnecessary – this combined with a deep desire for everything to be as functional as intended. Naoto’s involvement with MUJI is a testament to this.

Nave lounge and single seaters by SKEEHAN.

+ How do you go about establishing a concept and an overall direction for your collections? Do you have a certain process that you always follow?

These days we have a more formal process for each project. The overall project goals and brief is at the core of every project. Over the past few years, we have built-in larger overall research and material investigations into the brief. This early developmental stage of the project allows us to learn collectively about process and materials. We do extensive model making, heaps of sketching, weird experiments and connect with manufactures and other designers. For me, this is a very free and exciting part of the process – the sharing of ideas in a safe creative space and pushing the team to take some risk.

We then move through a more rigid developmental/product stages. It is built into every product we design, having an analysis of the materials and the lifecycle of the product helps define its longevity and purpose. It’s very important to consider why you are doing this project and hopefully adding value to peoples lives and telling an honest story.

Bacchus marble table for New Volumes.

+ I think we all know how critical to the success of any business is the ability to balance the creative aspects with the admin/ HR/ PR/ marketing/ finance etc? How much time do you spend on each side of your business – how do you find the balance and the motivation to do the shit bits you may not like doing as much?

It has evolved a lot – you wear so many hats running a studio. It has been the hardest thing to balance. I try to apply the same process and structure across the company as we do to design – I’m a very curious person and do enjoy refining the business and understanding the subtleties to its growth. Also reflecting on the failures and the huge amounts of money I have lost when projects go south. To be honest, over the past few years I have been fortunate to work with some amazing people that have mentored and taught me to a lot. This sharing of knowledge and failures are a testament to the amazing design community we have in Australia.

Also – Reading books, Podcasts + study. They don’t teach you Excel at design school!

I try to split my week up to be fairly structured. It’s become easier to understand my role in the company and how much time I need to spend doing all the other tasks. As I learn more and the company has grown, I’ve found that I’m enjoying the process and investing more and more time into behind the scenes. My partner Rach – she is an amazing creative who’s involved in so many parts of the studio, especially the new re-brand and all product styling etc. It’s still a 7 day work week tho…

New lifestyle images of SKEEHAN collections, styled by Rachel Byron and photographed by Mrs Fray.

+ How has the COVID-19 global pandemic affected your business? And how would you ideally like to emerge on the other side of the shitshow we find ourselves in right now?

It’s a very uncertain time for so many people. It has been difficult to adjust and I really feel for all individuals and business that have been impacted. We are staying positive and trying to be flexible. We work very closely with Australian manufactures and overall they are business as usual and continuing to do great work and meet deadlines.

It has definitely made me look at how we do business and what projects we want to be apart of – I hope we can come out the other side stronger and more resilient.

It is a good time to reflect on your values and the projects you want to be doing. We have some really exciting projects in the pipeline and it gives me the confidence that we can find a way through the madness and still do meaningful work.

+ What do you feel is the most challenging part of being a designer today (outside of COVID-19)? And if you could change one thing about our industry, what would it be?

Managing risk is the hardest part. We self-fund so many projects, research projects and exhibitions with a lot of uncertainty as to what the return and impact will be. Forming strong partnerships with other companies and individuals that can share this risk and your vision is challenging. I would like to see the IP laws in Australia directly overhauled – there is little legal protection for Australian designers, I know I’m not alone in feeling this stress and threat throughout my design career and would like to see greater steps taken to help protect and grow Australian design.

Hoshi armchair inside Mercedes Me in Melbourne, designed by Jackson Clements Burrows Photo by Peter Clark.

Nave armchairs in pink inside Charter Hall Brisbane HQ by Cox Architecture. Photo by Christopher Frederick Jones.

Aviso armchair seen at the 4th Edition of Local Milan, during Milan Design Week 2019.

Hoshi armchair inside King penthouse project in Perth by David Barr Architects. Photo by Dion Robeson.

+ What advice would you give to emerging designers who want to follow your path? What was one of your biggest lessons learned since starting your practice?

Value the process and embrace failure. You have to be patient and very open to sharing your skills and knowledge. I have been very fortunate to receive some amazing advice for other leaders in our industry – this selfless sharing has allowed me to grow as a designer. Be part of the community and engage on every level – if you invest and give back you will grow. Reach out – Ask questions, work your ass off and show everyone what you’re all about.

+ Looking back at your achievements so far, what is one thing you are immensely proud of? Go on, don’t be shy!

I’m very proud of our HUP HUP folding chair. This project was a huge money pit and still isn’t finished. However, it showed me the value in setting a challenging brief and taking a risk. It’s always a balance in business to maintain cash flow and meet tight deadlines and budgets. Sometimes you need a project that allows you to let go and express yourself – take some risk and try to design something meaningful.

HUP HUP folding chair. Personally, I don’t know what I love more – the chair or Tom’s sketches. Long live the art of hand drawing!

+ What’s next – can you share with us your vision, some of your goals and some of your current projects?

The studio is now at a point where we are exhibiting and selling work internationally and have some amazing ongoing partnerships here in Australia. The next few years are about growing those relationships and refining what we are good at. We are now working on projects across multiple disciplines and in new materials and sectors. It’s a goal to establish SKEEHAN as a leading creative studio that works on meaningful projects that solve real problems. This takes a lot of investment and energy from the entire team – I’m very grateful for the individuals that I work with and believe we can get there.

LET’S GET REAL!

+ What’s the best mistake you have ever made?

Spraypainting my shoes gold when I was 15, noone thought it was cool at the skatepark. Noone.

+ Best piece of advice you’ve been given?

“Create a brief and learn Microsoft excel.” – Ross Gardam, 2015.

+ Your most treasured belonging?

Rober Foster fink jug – a gift before he died in 2016.

+ What’s one thing other people may not know about you?

Harry Potter – Stephen Fry audiobooks are the soundtrack to my life.

+ It’s not very cool but I really like…

Harry Potter – Stephen Fry audiobooks.

Oh, look – it’s Mr Skeehan himself. Thank you for your time boss!

This Yellowtrace Promotion is proudly supported by SKEEHAN. Like everything we do, our partner content is carefully curated to maintain utmost relevance to our readers. Thank you for supporting the brands and people who support Yellowtrace.

[Images courtesy of SKEEHAN. Styling by Rachel Byron. Studio photos by Adam McGrath. Lifestyle photos by Mrs Fray.]