Interview: Australian Industrial Designer Ross Gardam.

Ross Gardam first came to my attention a few years ago with his glorious Ora Desk Lamp. I spotted it at a local design show and instantly thought to myself – “Holy schnitz**, this guy is good. This light is set to become an Australian future classic.” (If you know me well enough, you’d know to replace the ** word with one more in keeping with my potty mouth). I still stand by that statement, now more than ever, having had the pleasure of meeting the talented Mr Gardam in person, and witnessing his studio and his collections developing and growing over the last few years.

Ross is a Melbourne-based industrial designer who can lay claims to being talented, hard-working, and all-round champ. Case in point – this one time, at band camp, I mean at a night club (in Milan, at Armani Privé if you must know, hahaha!) I got overly enthusiastic on the dancefloor around 3 am. Ross, who was carving up the floor next to me, fell prey to my waving hands and I knocked his glasses off his head. I know, what a mole, but Ross couldn’t have been more of a gentleman about it – cool, calm and collected, ever so gracious, even laughing at his own expense. This completely sums up RG to a T. But we are here to speak of his design prowess, not just his super chill nature.

Creating work under the slogan “Experiential Objects that Elicit Joy & Defy Convention”, Ross leads a collaborative team of designers, engineers and makers, who produce contemporary hand-crafted lighting, furniture and objects with an unrivalled level of finish and expertise.

Whether for public or private spaces, every Ross Gardam product is informed by a deep fascination that exists in the layered experiences between object and self. The team continually investigate the intersection of the latest technology and traditional craft, resulting in collections imbued with subtle historical and ritualistic references.

You may recall us recently sharing Gardam’s latest lighting collection launch, their most significant to date. In parallel, the studio also launched an extensive modular seating collection through Stylecraft, as well as unveiling a major rebrand. Wowzer, they’ve been busy, huh?

With so much of this year up in the air for many, Ross continues to keep his positive outlook and today he shares with us many pearls of wisdom around his values and his approach to projects, how he works with his team, advice for budding designers, the importance of focus, and his plans for the future. We also unveil, for the first time, the editioned Breeze table, a monolithic piece inspired by architectural form – another personal favourite that’s slated for a commercial release later this year.

Take it away, Ross!

See more from Ross Gardam on Yellowtrace here.

Recently launched Place seating collection by Ross Gardam. The lounge features a unique ability to connect modules by dropping and zipping them together. Made in Melbourne, and available nationally from Stylecraft.

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

Design was around me from an early age however, perhaps not named as such. My father is an engineer and mother a school teacher, and my childhood was spent tinkering. I studied Industrial Design at Monash University, where design thinking and process were drilled into me. I worked in Melbourne and London in both interior and environmental design roles and started my own practice in 2007. I can’t really point to any moment in time which developed a love of design however it is intrinsically intertwined with my life.

The new Breeze Table Edition by Ross Gardam – arrayed monolithic table inspired by architectural forms in linished raw aluminium. You’ve seen it here first peeps! p.s. It’s love. 

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

The design aesthetic I might leave others to critique, however, I will say that it is something that formed naturally. It is not something I labour over, and although each of the products is distinctly different, I do believe they share an overarching design sensibility. I am interested in how people interact with objects, the emotional connection and rituals people develop with products. How the design of both functional and non-functional elements within an object can shape people’s everyday lives, even if that is just a small moment in time.

Ross Gardam’s sexy new rebrand by SouthSouthWest.

+ Can you tell us a bit about your recent rebrand – what brought it on, what were your motivations with it, and were there any specific goals you had for the rebrand? 

I had been developing the brand myself over the years, and to be honest, I wanted something fresh, something that represented me, the studio, the products, but was not curated by me. Another key driver for the brand refresh was the studio’s development internationally, I wanted to make sure our brand was world-class and true to the work.

The team at SouthSouthWest brought some magic to the process and was the perfect fit for our studio. As well as being graphic design ninjas, SSW were also already working in the US so they had some fantastic insights in this market. Together with SSW we spent a lot of time distilling exactly who we are and what we do that is unique to us.  The outcome of the branding process is far deeper than purely visual, it’s provided us with a platform to explore new directions in our work and define what is most important to us.

Our new website was recently launched along with a number of new products, so I look forward to seeing how people respond to the newness.

Ora Desk Lamp at Warehouse Greenhouse project by Breathe Architecture. Photo by Tom Ross.

Ross Gardam’s Ora Desk Lamp. 

The 24k gold pimped-up limited edition Ora Desk Lamp. Dead keen.

+ How is your studio structured – how many people work with you and how many projects do you usually handle at any one time? And what percentage of your time is spent on product development of new collections versus dealing with ongoing orders and projects?

There is a team of 8 in the studio, including myself, and typically we will be developing between 5-10 new projects at any given time. There are fewer projects than you may think, as they take 12-15 months to create and are typically collections rather than a singular object.

Everyone is managing 1 or 2 product development projects, and I will be working one on one with team members on each product. As well as product development, each designer also has secondary roles. Lachy and Hugo look after production, Elle is the primary contact for our local partner Stylecraft, Dan looks after international distribution partners and our digital brand while Liz heads up our marketing and sales. Within the same studio, we also have our lighting production with two experienced makers, Rowan and Jordan. Each light is meticulously assembled, wired and packaged in our Brunswick space.

My time personally is spent all over the shop, however, the initial design development is the only process I do in isolation. I will always be responding to an internal brief, and typically it involves a lot of sketch development. This time is something I enjoy and is not usually done in the studio but in cafes, on public transport, or the occasional dining room table take over.

The recently launched Ceto lighting collection, reminiscent of the variation and rippling of the ocean surface. See more here.

+ I think we all know how critical to the success of any business is the ability to wear many hats and 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?

Funny… I am just trying to think of what the ‘shit bits’ are for me. I suppose I am pretty easy going and don’t mind working on the different aspects of the business. Maybe spending days setting up trade shows is something I could live without, and perhaps that might on the horizon as people adapt to new ways of showing product.

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

As a business, we adapted pretty quickly, the team are working from home and we have been able to complete isolated production shifts in the workshop to ensure our ability to deliver product has not been affected. We make everything locally and we have been fortunate that our manufacturing partners have found ways to continue to operate, and local suppliers have been able to supply materials.

On a personal level, it has been challenging balancing business, home life and homeschooling. Like everyone, I am unsure what will be the long-term outcomes of this, although if I was to choose from the list above, I suppose I am feeling positive for the future. Hopefully, we emerge with some new perspectives.

Team Ross Gardam at their Brunswick studio.

Hand assembly of Marble Desk Lamp.

Ross Gardam’s Marble Desk Lamp for New Volumes.

II Bosco marble desk lamp for New Volumes, on display at Artedomus Brisbane Showroom designed by The Stella Collective. Photo by Derek Swalwell. See more of this project here.

+ 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?

Find your own design voice and design products that you can live with for the rest of your life, if you don’t think you will be proud of it in 10 years, don’t do it. Other than that, I think if you are interested in starting a business rather than working on a royalty basis, then you need business skills, so find ways to develop these.

There are so many lessons I have learnt and am still learning. I realized recently perhaps I have no end game with this thing, no grand plan, don’t want to sell my business or build an empire or win whatever award. I am happy just doing the work and spending time with the people around me, I think that’s enough.

+ Looking back at your achievements so far, what is one thing you are immensely proud of?

I am proud of the studio team and I am also proud of the products that have been made.

Nebulae lighting collection launched at ICFF in 2018. See more here.

Nebulae suspended light at Artedomus Brisbane Showroom designed by The Stella Collective. Photo by Derek Swalwell. See more of this project here.

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

It feels like we are on the right path at the moment so we will continue on with business as usual (as soon as it returns to usual). We are sharing with you our editioned Breeze table for the first time today (see top of the article for images). The product is an arrayed monolithic table which is inspired by architectural form. The legs are sculptural, allowing the product to take on many personalities. The raw aluminum faces were linished over several days, then finished with a wax coating. Later this year we will be releasing a commercial versions of the product.

Our other recent products are the Place lounging collection and the Ceto lighting collection. Both important ranges to the studio, and are both the largest projects we have worked on in their respective product categories.

Polar Desk Lamp at Kingsville House by Olaver Architecture. Photo by Josh Robenstone.

Ora Desk Lamp at ‘Alexander at Barangaroo’ Residence by Smart Design Studio. Photo by Ross Honeysett.

Silhouette pendant light inside the Cornerstone House by Splinter Society Architecture. Photo by Sharyn Cairns.

Noon lounge inside the Cornerstone House by Splinter Society Architecture. Photo by Sharyn Cairns.

LET’S GET REAL!

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

Probably trying to be everything to everyone. When I started my business, I had grand aspirations to be multidisciplinary, I think this was a mistake for me and I am glad I turned this around.

+ Best piece of advice you’ve been given?

Stick to your knitting and good things will happen.

+ Your most treasured belonging?

Travelling, I know it’s not a belonging, especially in today’s climate, but it’s something I truly treasure.

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

I am a tragic NBA fan.

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

Mini Mokes. It was my first car and somehow my parents managed to hold onto it. I recently got my hands back on my Moke and spent some time with my father doing a complete nut and bolt restoration. The Moke now lives at the rear of the studio for deliveries within a 1km radius.

Mr Gardam himself, looking very pensive. Thanks for hanging out with us, Ross!

This Yellowtrace Promotion is proudly supported by Ross Gardam. 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 Ross Gardam. Photography by Haydn Cattach, Tatjana Plitt & Mr P Studios, unless otherwise noted.]