We sat down with one of Outset’s designers, Ryan Hunt, to explore exactly where he finds inspiration when designing, how he continues to produce exciting new ideas and what he enjoys most about design.

How do you see your role as a designer?

Ryan: The fundamental principles of design have been around 100’s of years, so I see the role of a modern designer as being able to incorporate the best aspects of these existing styles into something new. With all the design that has come before us we should be in the best placed position to manipulate and create amazing designs.

There is no need to be repetitive in modern design. Part of the buzz of being a designer in this era is that the doors are open for you to create in a very original way. This along with history and changes in technology and clients’ needs and wants have led to where we are today.

As a designer you’re often responsible for idea generation and bringing a client’s ideas to life – where do you draw your inspiration from when designing?

Ryan: For me it’s about always taking notice – seeing new builds that go up in areas around Adelaide, observing new architecture in places like Sydney and Melbourne and actually taking note of the style, emerging trends and creative uses of space.

I’ll either take a photo, save a link, or make a mental image of an inspiring piece of design, which then I can refer back to at a later date. That’s why it’s so important to always be observing trends that emerge around you as a designer. Even if you don’t necessarily love what you see – there will always be an opportunity to take away some small feature of element that either works really well or maybe doesn’t work at all.

What do you enjoy most about being a designer?

Ryan: There is something fantastic about seeing something that started as an idea, be transformed onto paper and then into structure. In some ways it’s a representation of you in structural form.

The entire process is great. To begin with a simple concept from a client, be able to work through the ideas until they become a floor plan and ultimately a beautiful and functional build is a great process. To be specific, I particularly love working on external elevations – when you get this part of the design right it really makes the home amazing.

I love being able to take something very conceptual and deliver it back to the client as an end product that they are happy with and that you are also very proud of.

Thanks for taking the time to chat with us.

Read more about Ryan here. 

Seeking inspiration and food, Outset Design Principal Kevin Nicolle and Project Manager Jed set off for DENFAIR 2016 in Melbourne.

Here are Jed’s musings on the weekend that was… 

Where do I start?

The tagline for DENFAIR 2016 was-

”created for the design forward thinkers to connect, work and inspire…”

Well Kev and I were certainly inspired by what we saw and made some fantastic connections- I’m not sure if that classifies us as ‘forward thinkers’ but regardless we walked away from Melbourne DENFAIR 2016 motivated and in awe of the brilliant pieces of design that are on offer here in Australia, many produced right in our backyard by some of Australia’s best designers!  

DENFAIR is a fantastic three-day event that showcases the best of the best in contemporary furniture, lighting, soft furnishings and homewares- featuring both local emerging brands and established brands. DENFAIR also incorporates international original designers to spice things up. The showcase is pieced together by a specialist team of design industry stars and enthusiasts, led by Claudio Oyarce, Thibaud Cau-Cecile, Ariana Callejas, Damian Gentle and Alexi Robinson.

Key influencers that we were totally inspired by were Zuster, Cult, MIMDesign, Tait, Mama Green, Ducks Nest and Great Dane.

What we took away from it-

To say we were inspired would be an understatement. The way that DENFAIR is set-up is such that you can truly take practical elements away from the weekend and be confident that these ideas can be incorporated into your own designs.

Danish and Scandinavian mid-century trends continue to be highly influential but they have now been expanded and refined to offer a much more modern aesthetic. The simplicity and clean lines of mid-century design is always beautiful and is firmly entrenched as a design trend for the years to come (which certainly suits us, as we love this style!).

Some recent developments in lighting styles are reinvigorating the lighting industry and providing for some very unique opportunities to make lighting a feature of the home. Using light fittings has always been central in our work at Outset, but DENFAIR opened our eyes to even more new and intuitive ways that light fittings can truly be pieces of art that define a home.

Increasing our awareness of brilliant Australian designers is essential to our work and building connections with these manufacturers enables us to deliver even greater variety when working on new projects.

At Outset originality is part of what we do – no two projects are the same, because no two clients are the same. One key aspect that we always try to include in our projects is key design elements that makes heads turn and will be a talking point for years to come. Working out exactly what this will be requires consistent discussions between designers and clients so that the client is proud and inspired every time they enter the room.

No matter what the budget, incorporating elements of originality provides the bespoke finish that is inherent in our designs at Outset. Taking stock of the outstanding products available at DENFAIR enables us to have a greater bank of options for our designs and ensures that our clients have the opportunity to incorporate something truly unique into their home.

DENFAIR- WE WILL BE BACK!

On a side note- One of our other great passions at Outset Design is food, so Kev and I made the most of Melbourne and shared some delicious cocktails at Go Go Bar and a great dinner at Movida.