Splinter workshop - designer/makers

SPLINTER WORKSHOP

Splinter Workshop is a unique collaborative workshop of designer/makers in St Peters Sydney. The group has established itself successfully as makers of contemporary furniture, objects and installations. Multi disciplinary projects are typical and makers often collaborate with artists, metalworkers, painters, glass workers and upholsterers to complete a design.

Ethos
Splinter is a collaborative workshop, and each person at Splinter works independently but enjoys the benefits of energetic interchange around concept design and construction discussion. Practical advantages extend to physical assistance, shared overheads and machinery.

Niche
Our client base is comprised of private individuals, architects and interior designers. The challenge of meeting each set of design needs requires an individual response. Splinter has generated an impressive body of work. Projects vary in scale and may be residential, commercial, corporate or cultural with each project delivering a specific design response.

Design Approach
Our design approach is clean and contemporary. Minimalism and simplicity characterise many of our designs. Our projects are typically functional and sometimes multifunctional to suit the changing needs of contemporary life.

Environmental Responsibility
Our projects are designed with longevity in mind. An awareness that comes from working with finite natural materials means environmental responsibility underpins every project. High quality materials and manufacturing are fundamental characteristics of our work. We make it our business to know the source of the materials we use. Where possible we use FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) Certified timber, plantation timber or reclaimed timber.

Origins
The workshop was established in 1996 by three graduates from the Sturt School for Wood, Phil Boddington, Julia Charles and Georgina Ligertwood. Splinter Workshop is in the old Taubman’s paint factory building in St Peters overlooking Sydney’s industrial heartland. Natural light, timber floors, white brick walls make an ideal work environment.

As Splinter has grown there has been a natural progression of Sturt graduates to Splinter. However, this is by no means a prerequisite to joining the workshop.

Profile
The group’s reputation and profile as Designer/Makers of high quality contemporary furniture and objects has grown in many ways since 1996. We have a strong profile through participation in exhibitions, and media exposure such as articles in magazines, and interviews on television and radio. Participation in local, national and international exhibitions enables us to explore ideas and to prototype new designs.

Contact with future clients often occurs through these processes but we never underestimate the organic process of word of mouth from satisfied clients. Our community involvement is broad and includes communicating with arts organisations about the role of Designer/ Makers and the future of contemporary craft and design, teaching design at various tertiary institutions and taking in work experience students. External acknowledgement of our work includes grants from the National Association for the Visual Arts and the NSW Ministry for the Arts.

The Future
With an injection of new people Splinter is planning another group exhibition and open days where the workshop will open its doors to enable people to meet the makers, experience a unique workshop environment, view work, see projects in progress and to discuss future projects.