Hot List 2019 - Inside Out Magazine (Copy)

It’s our 19th birthday! To celebrate, we bring you the most interesting people in Australian design and the reasons why we love them…

HELEENA TRAHANAS The side-hustler

Heleena Trahanas sets a damn good table. When the Dinosaur Designs marketing manager isn’t up to her shoulders in a rainbow of the label’s iconic resin bangles, she’s scouring Italy for vases, sculptural centrepieces, plates and bowls for her side-hustle, the lifestyle brand Alex And Trahanas, which she started with fellow travel obsessive Alexandra Heard. Her top table-setting tip? “Add unique pieces. Our hand-painted Apulian face plates and vases (below) or a Dinosaur Designs piece, paired with linen napkins, balances fun and sophistication.” alexandtrahanas.com

TAMSIN JOHNSON The treasure hunter

If a piece isn’t custom designed or a one-off, interior designer Tamsin Johnson doesn’t want to know about it. Her design philosophy is all about originality, which is why her new showroom in Sydney’s Paddington (left) stocks unique treasures from Europe. Does she ever hate to part with something? “Both my parents were antique and art dealers, and I got home from school one day and the desk in my bedroom had been sold,” Tamsin says. “I’m used to things coming and going.” tamsinjohnson.com

RICHARD UNSWORTH The green thinker

As creative director of Garden Life, Richard Unsworth has created an oasis of calm along the Princes Highway in Sydney’s St Peters. Keen gardeners wander among huge plant specimens and architectural objects sourced from across the globe. There are handmade terracotta pots from Morocco, antique planters from Turkey and India, and pots from Africa and Asia. The other half of Garden Life’s business is Richard’s landscape-design arm, where he dreams up and realises some of the country’s most imaginative gardens. gardenlife.com.au

LEILA JEFFREYS The bird whisperer

Leila Jeffreys has the patience of a saint. She’s photographed wild and rare birds (some of which have come through rescue shelters), but capturing them in her signature style (at once stunning and unnervingly human-like poses) takes hours. A series can take years to complete while she waits for the right bird. Her large-format works, such as Rose Crowned Dove (above), are in high demand internationally but, luckily for us, Leila will have her first Australian exhibition in five years this October, at Sydney’s Olsen Gallery, and her work will be explored in an ABC documentary. leilajeffreys.com

ALYCE TRAN The multi-tasking creative

When Alyce Tran says, “I’m a commercial creative and able to make creative things commercially viable,” it’s an understatement. The co-founder of accessories label The Daily Edited regularly pumps out It bags, such as personalised leather vertical clutch (left) and accessories that appeal to the masses but keep their cool. She’s also just launched a homewares company, In The Round House, retailing mildly priced, high-design pieces online. Alyce sits at the helm of a multimillion-dollar business but is still hands-on. Visual output, product design, marketing strategy, admin, store concept, customer service... the only thing she doesn’t seem to do is sleep. thedailyedited.com; intheroundhouse.com.au

HENRY WILSON The imaginator

Anyone familiar with the work of designer Henry Wilson knows that the harmony he creates between material and object, form and function is a thing of beauty. Australian-born Henry formed Studio Henry Wilson soon after finishing his Master’s degree in the Netherlands. Since then, he has used bronze, aluminium and stone to create unique furniture pieces, lighting (his Block travertine sconce is pictured left) and accessories, such as door handles and bookends, in ways that enhance the materials’ natural qualities. He’s also designed the interiors of two Aesop stores. henrywilson.com.au

BRUCE SLORACH & SOPHIE TATLOW, UTOPIA GOODS The botanical specialists

Artist Bruce Slorach’s illustrations may be permanently housed in Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum and the National Gallery of Victoria, but his luxury homewares range, Utopia Goods, lets you keep pieces of his art in your own home. Along with his partner, Sophie Tatlow, Bruce oversees each stage of the design process, making covetable prints and fabrics and ensuring each is an homage to Australian botanicals. Pictured are his Native Meadow salon chair and Imperial Waratah wallpaper. utopiagoods.com

HEIDI MIDDLETON The fashion maverick

Former Sass & Bide designer Heidi Middleton has reached a point in her career where she is focusing only on what she loves. Heidi’s new venture, Artclub, is an online atelier of sustainable fashion, curated vintage pieces and the art she has created (think Cubist-style paintings). Firmly among the vanguard of new retail, Artclub is about “treasuring pieces and passing them on”, she says. “It’s the slow-fashion philosophy, making a positive impact on people and the planet.” Look out for an Artclub pop-up this year when Heidi takes pieces such as Art III (opposite, top centre) on tour. thisisartclub.com

DANA TOMIC HUGHES The design documenter

Dana Tomić Hughes really loves Milan. As the author of Yellowtrace, an online compendium of everything design-related, she has visited Milan Design Week for the past 10 years and reported on what she’s seen. The result is Milantrace, an immersive audio-visual experience of everything you need to know about the most important week in the design calendar. This year is set to be massive, with the launch of a new website and, for Dana and husband Nick, a second child in October. yellowtrace.com.au

ANSON SMART The photographer of life

Everyone wants their house shot by Anson Smart. He has a way. A long time ago, the canny photographer realised that if he shot all his favourite things in life – including but not limited to “amazing places, homes that have a soul and a personal touch, tasty food and people with their own style” – he could have his dream life. Since then, Anson has risen to the top of interiors and food photography and still found time to snap elephants in Thailand, palaces in Morocco and local landmarks here, such as Sydney’s Hotel Palisade (above). This year, he’s working on a personal project that “could fail miserably... or I’ll be pleasantly surprised”. Our money’s on the latter. ansonsmart.com

STEVE CORDONY The go-to stylist

Steve Cordony is synonymous with high style. The prolific interiors and event stylist travels the world producing shoots and videos showing his innate talent for creating domestic bliss. Steve says that once you have the key pieces in place, it’s all about the small details, such as the power of a vase with the right owner. With more than 70,000 followers, he’s one of Australia’s top 10 interiors Instagrammers, meaning Cordony #inspo is all access, all the time. stevecordony.com

KAREN MCCARTNEY The design leader

Karen McCartney’s deserved place on the list goes beyond the fact that she was the launch editor of this magazine. Since handing over the reins in 2010, she has remained an authority in the world of design and architecture. Karen also has several books under her belt, the most recent being The Alchemy Of Things, a stunning tome she describes as featuring “highly creative people working on the edges of design rather than in the mainstream”. Karen has found that her skills as an editor translate perfectly into other ventures, among them content company Edit’d, where she creates strategy and material for some of Australia’s premium brands. editd.com.au

LYON HOUSEMUSEUM The arty oversharers

Perhaps the easiest way to describe Lyon Housemuseum is like Hansel and Gretel’s house of edible treats, but for creatives. While that fairytale house was made of confectionery, Melbourne’s LH is made of experimental art. Privately owned by architect Corbett Lyon and his wife, computer scientist Yueji, it challenges conventional ideas about public versus private space. With 350+ works by more than 50 artists – including Emily Floyd’s Workshop (detail) above, the exhibit now extends beyond the original building into Housemuseum Galleries, a public space for “engagement with creative life”. lyonhousemuseum.com.au

MARY LOU RYAN & DEBORAH SAMS, BASSIKE The ethics committee

Since establishing Bassike in 2006, designers Mary Lou Ryan (above left) and Deborah Sams have stayed true to their ethos of sustainability. Each collection is a considered edit of luxurious yet wearable pieces made locally from organic cotton, making it one of the most comfortable brands for both body and conscience. Mary Lou and Deborah’s devotion to eco-friendly design extends to their beautifully constructed flagship stores in Sydney (above) and LA, designed in collaboration with similarly minded architect Kelvin Ho and his Akin Creative. Expect calming white, natural textures, recycled timber and feel-great clothes. bassike.com

JOOST BAKER The stickler for sustainability

From humble beginnings on his family’s flower farm in Holland, Joost Bakker has become a major player in the sustainable hospitality game. From Greenhouse by Joost, a pop-up made from recycled and recyclable materials, to Silo, Australia’s first zero-waste restaurant, Joost’s passion has taken many forms. For a time he worked on a sustainable housing project, and he’s also created oral installations out of upcycled materials for hot Melbourne restaurants. Then there’s the awe-inspiring TED talk... @joostbakker

CAROL CRAWFORD The natural stone shaper

To say Carol Crawford’s sculptures are sentimental is an understatement. Each one has a name and she misses it when it’s gone (although she’s happy to see them go to good homes and will often try to visit first). In addition, many of her pieces are connected to emotional and very personal moments. Carol might and a stone while walking her dog or cast the net much wider and buy one from overseas. She’ll then spend months cutting, ling and gently shaping it into one of her signature abstract, bulbous shapes, letting it decide what it wants to become. carolcrawfordsculpture.net

RICHARD PARKER, RATIONALE The skin illuminator

We have Richard Parker’s parents to thank for the Rationale skincare range. Richard was obsessed with having perfect skin after inheriting his parents’ conditions (one had acne and the other a propensity for sun damage). Instead of relying on someone else to tell him how to deal with it, he studied up on dermatology and pharmacology before studying formulation science at university. Three decades later, we get to reap the rewards of Richard’s hard work with a science-backed range that marries beauty and medicine, sold online and at Rationale stores and medical clinics nationally. rationale.com

LOTTIE CONSALVO The modern artist

Remember the name. Lottie Consalvo uses painting, video, sculpture and performance to explore ideas that are beyond words – and sometimes comprehension. “I explore longing, desire, the manifestation of thoughts, and how we shift through experiences,” she says of pieces such as If It Never Ends (left). “Painting allows me to move more subtly and slowly [while] there’s a potency with performance and video that can be overwhelming.” Those who like their art to be aesthetically pleasing with a side order of existential crisis would do well to see her next exhibition at Sydney’s Dominik Mersch Gallery, from August 15. dominikmerschgallery.com

EMMA ELIZABETH The Australian campaigner

Designer and stylist Emma Elizabeth could be our most passionate design advocate. Her curated hub, Local Design, proudly elevates local designers to the global stage by giving them a network and a voice. “We are a rapidly growing industry with world-class talent,” she says. “Australian designers aren’t afraid to take risks.” When Emma Elizabeth isn’t exhibiting her own work at Milan Design Week, she takes select clients on edited tours of the event, to see the people and pieces she deems the most important. Sign us up! emmaelizabethdesigns.com

This story originally appeared in the June 2019 issue of Inside Out magazine. Image: Emilia by Carol Crawford; courtesy of Instagram/@_carolcrawford_