Arc Stools. Photography by Charlie Hawks
Arc Coffee Tables. Photography by Charlie Hawks
Ripple Mirror. Photography by Tasha Tylee
DESIGNER OF THE DAY

Designer of the Day: Zachary Frankel

Disillusioned with the current oversaturation of disposable and cheaply made furniture, Melbourne’s Zachary Frankel harnesses his professional training as a jeweler and background as a furniture maker to explore new materials and forms. The results of his experiments—throne-like chairs, sculptural tabletop accessories in Australian wood, and a new collection using exclusively postindustrial waste recycled plastic—are decidedly long-lasting and glimmer with joy and intrigue.

Disillusioned with the current oversaturation of disposable and cheaply made furniture, Melbourne’s Zachary Frankel harnesses his professional training as a jeweler and background as a furniture maker to explore new materials and forms. The results of his experiments—throne-like chairs, sculptural tabletop accessories in Australian wood, and a new collection using exclusively postindustrial waste recycled plastic—are decidedly long-lasting and glimmer with joy and intrigue.

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.

Ripple Mirror. Photography by Lilli Waters
Arc Stools. Photography by Charlie Hawks

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.

Cloud Armchair. Photography by Peter Ryle
Arc Coffee Tables. Photography by Charlie Hawks

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.

Arc Stool in process. Photography by Anni Kakafcaloudis
Ripple Mirror. Photography by Tasha Tylee

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.

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