Working from a studio set up inside the Adelaide office of Norwegian architecture firm Snohetta, Jon Goulderhas crested his latest collection, Broached Goulder, for Broached Commissions, bringing his work full circle to the boy in Bowral who worked in the family furniture factory.
Goulder left school at 16 to join his grandfather, father and uncles in the family furniture factory, reupholstering Victorian antiques. But four years later, he turned away from this practice and its chaise lounges towards a new path, inspired by his mother’s belief in the importance of education.
His aesthetic sensibilities were formed then, studying contemporary furniture design under the guidance of George Ingham at the Canberra School of Art.
Broached Goulder is the result of his decades-long furniture career. Centring on practice-based research and testing, it shows the fruitful results of pushing materials to their limits and embracing the artisanal nature of furniture making.
In many ways, the Broached Goulder Collection is the culmination of this practice that not only sees Goulder at the height of his powers as an internationally-renowned furniture designer and maker, but also reflects on his past.
The Broached Chaise Lounge is a case in point, embracing the traditional chaise lounge from his early years, but adapting it to become a streamlined work of art formed in Tasmanian hardwood with an incredible woven leather upholstery.
The leatherwork is the result of a collaboration with textile artist Liz Williamson who worked in a new way with the material to create this hand-finished result. Leather supplied by Kvadrat Maharam was carefully cut into connected strips in the studio with the help of Williamson’s students and then woven with cotton as the warp, creating a completely new technique developed for this collection.
Every piece refers to a different design style covered by one or another member of the Goulder family, reinterpreted and updated in a contemporary language. The Broached Goulder Credenza features sliding screens that are operated via small tabs that emerge from the top of the furniture. One large drawer to the left is complemented by a stack of tiny timber drawers in the centre of the piece.
The Credenza is made in two styles – one with a dark timber complemented by the same woven leather finish as the Chaise Lounge, and one with a light timber and and woven fabric finish in mustard, green, grown/grey and teal.
Also part of the collection is a Freestanding Mirror, with a timber frame and long mirror backed in cushioned leather that has been pressed with typography by graphic designer John Warwicker. Finally, a Console is made of water-formed leather, with a distinctive curve and wooden top, and a Sewing Box and Sewing Bowl are formed in wood and leather.
Commissioned alongside the Broached Goulder furniture and accessories collection, artist Jesse Draxler has created collages using archival materials supplied by the Goulder family to encapsulate four generations of Goulder furniture making.
Probably the most distinguishing feature of the Broached Commissions series is the level of research that goes into each one. While it began as a group show reflecting in Australia’s history, its most recent solo exhibitions – first by Trent Jansen and now by Jon Goulder – offer just as much opportunity to delve into the why behind furniture design, while presenting exceptional hand-made work.
Furthermore, Jon Goulder’s initiative in collaborating with Liz Williamson on the textiles and Jesse Draxler on the art collages, brings to the project a level of depth and complexity not found in many furniture collections in Australia. Outstanding.
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Great story Penny
Furniture looks amazing and great collaboration