Within the rich tapestry of Australian design history, the name Sir Roy Grounds stands as a beacon of modernist excellence. From the iconic sweep of the National Gallery of Victoria to the cultural hub that is the Arts Centre Melbourne, Grounds’ visionary approach shaped some of Australia’s most captivating architectural landmarks. Yet, his legacy extends beyond these dynamic volumes, reaching into the intimate sphere of residential design. And now, marking an unprecedented moment of immense significance in Australian architecture, his furniture creations enter production for the very first time.
Collaboration between K5 Furniture and Tony Lee with support from Victoria Grounds, The Grounds Collection revisits the architect’s timeless yet practical aesthetic. This formative design language, developed between 1930 and 1950, highlights Grounds’ bilateral legacy, both as a master architect and a pioneer of compact living in Australia – a concept widely embraced in Europe but nascent Down Under.
The renowned Ramsay House, a compact dwelling perched atop the cliffs of Mt Eliza, exemplifies the ingenuity Grounds’ spatial exploration brought to Australian design. Designed in 1937 as an honest retreat with spectacular views, the home cleverly incorporates access on multiple levels and prioritises both light and connection to the landscape. The house became a precursor to many of Grounds’ renowned residential projects in Melbourne. In fact, his clean, affordable studio and one-bedroom apartment designs revolutionised post-war Australia, providing a much-needed living solution for the changing fabric of a society affected by the housing boom, changing family structures and urbanisation.
It is this imaginative ingenuity of Grounds’ response to apartment living, that The Grounds Collection respectfully revisits. Comprising a dining table, a coffee table and side tables, as well as a stool, and a selection of benches and ottomans – one with a backrest and one without – the collection maintains focus on clean lines and honesty of materials, embodying the very essence of refined Australian modernism.
The warmth of timber is the dominant motif augmenting the collection’s inviting, residential character, while the practical, unpretentious silhouettes evoke Ground’s affinity for geometry. This harmonious articulation of rudimentary volumes and natural materiality establishes a design language that’s reassuring, yet not unimaginative, with each piece elevated by captivating details that emphasise the intersectional character of the range.
The side edges of both benches amplify the rectangular geometry of the design through a neat and structured inversion of timber textures that yields a rhythmical square formation. Similarly, the detailing of the stool accentuates the gentle, organic ease of the design, while creating undeniable visual interest. The round contour of the coffee table, on the other hand, embraces simplicity of form and function by converging the dynamic, repetitive curvature of frame with the elemental aesthetic of timber.
The stunning balance between the fundamental and the natural, and the geometrical and the unexpected is punctuated by the essential role of functionality shining through the duality of designs. Reflecting Ground’s design ethos, the collection recognises the realities of small-space living as opportunities rather than constraints. As such, these clever designs can be easily repurposed – the ottomans have been designed to double up as sofas, while the versatile benches and stools provide flexible, additional seating, or an extra surface as and when required.
This masterful cross section of simplicity, beauty and resourcefulness reveals these stunning objects as utterly timeless – and reminiscent of Grounds’ own Toorak residence. Designed in 1953, the Roy Grounds House and Flats is an avant-garde experimentation in the spatial potential of geometry that showcases the designer’s unique ability to translate grand design principles into intimate, livable spaces. The Grounds Collection reads as a continuation of this mindset.
However, this range isn’t merely a reproduction – it’s a mindfully curated re-edition. Locally crafted in Melbourne using rich timbers, the collection maintains the pared-back silhouettes that were hallmarks of Grounds’ work, while imparting a uniquely contemporary twist – a limited-edition offering of pieces dressed in vivid hues created for Melbourne Design Week. While this design choice firmly places the objects in the realm of contemporary relevance, it’s also a very conscious, albeit playful, nod to the spirit of innovation and curiosity that propelled Grounds’ design philosophy.
This unique collaboration between K5 Furniture and the Grounds family doesn’t just honour the enduring power of modernist ideals. It presents an intricate showcase of Grounds’ complex spatial vocabulary that enabled him to translate the quintessential magnitude of his large-scale designs into the familiar privacy of compact dwellings. It’s also a timely echo of his belief that good design should be accessible to all.
In a fitting tribute to Grounds’ outstanding legacy, the Grounds Collection will be launched at K5’s Melbourne showroom during the upcoming Melbourne Design Week. The collection’s debut at such a landmark event will offer designers an opportunity to explore it as a masterful meeting of the past and the present, and as a reminder that amidst the ever-evolving currents of design, a dedication to well-crafted, functional, and thoughtfully considered pieces remains timeless.
The showcase of the Grounds Collection as part of the Melbourne Design Week will be marked with a lunch event on the 29th of May. It will take place at K5’s Fitzroy showroom and kick off at 6pm with a panel discussion involving some of the most prominent design experts.
Secure your ticket to the exhibition today, here: designweek.melbourne/events/launch-of-sir-roy-grounds-collection
K5 Furniture
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