At Melbourne Design Week, Artedomus teamed up with Nau to present an exhibition of new Tom Fereday furnishings and lamps, set against a canvas of spectacular natural stones.
Materiality and craftsmanship came to the fore in the Nau x Artedomus exhibition at Melbourne Design Week. The two Australian design houses joined forces to stage a pop-up exhibition in a surprise warehouse location in Flemington. The warehouse was spacious and pared-back, putting the focus on Tom Fereday’s furniture and lighting pieces, showcased against a series of spectacular natural stone slabs.
The natural stone, set upon sturdy metal frames, revealed a geological dreamscape of colours, patterning and raw, elemental formations. Some viewers described visions of constellations and galaxies as they contemplated the natural stone slabs, each formed over many millions of years.
Tom, whose background is in industrial design, is a great believer of honest design and celebrating materials through manufacturing process, form, finish and detailing. Each of his pieces on show revealed a particular material focus, from all-timber tables (the Ayva Tables), to hand-cast crystal glass lamps (the Nola Lamps).
Juxtaposed against slabs of Artedomus natural stone, Tom’s pieces appeared almost like artwork within an artwork. Scroll the highlights to discover the natural stones we selected for the exhibition, and the designs they were paired with. Explore more furniture.
Like this article? Follow our Expert Series | Italy as we visit our Italian stone, terracotta, porcelain and bathware partners and share first-hand experiences through video episodes.
Words by Alice Blackwood
Photography by Joanne Ly, unless otherwise credited