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Issue 63 - Kitchen & Bathroom Issue

Issue 63

Kitchen & Bathroom Issue

Habitus 63 is arguably the most aspirational issue of the year with Kitchens & Bathrooms to dream about. Whether a family hub, an entertainer’s paradise or somewhere to grad a quick meal, how we live in and spend time in the kitchen is a very personal question that requires thought and an abundance of resources. Always the aspirational eye candy of design, we have some truly lovely kitchens from Greg Natale, YSG, Splinter Society, Sally Caroline and Studio Johnston. Bathrooms are just as important with Greg Natale, Studio Tate, YSG and Those Architects sharing some fabulous insights

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Will and Caro
PeopleHabitusliving Editor

Will and Caro

Ola Bednarczuk meets a Melbourne duo setting the art world aflutter with its paper creations.


It took a chance birthday gift to inspire William Du and Carolyn Wong to abandon careers in product design and science respectively and pursue their own creative endeavours.

“We both knew that there was something more that we needed to do,” William says.

Their first basic idea was to create a scrapbook frame, which they marketed to kindergartens and received a lukewarm response.

In 2009, a friend bought Carolyn a box of chiyogami, the delicate silkscreened Japanese paper. She began folding butterflies, a cherished pastime from her childhood.

 

“I was thinking, why don’t you put them in a frame?” William recalls. “That’s how it started – it was a huge long trail and it came to that.”

The pair entered Art Melbourne 2010 at the very last minute on a whim – and the response, as William describes it, was “surreal.”

“We couldn’t believe it. We had two pieces commissioned, and were picked up by several galleries, including Rebecca Hossack Gallery in London. We’ve sold artworks in New York, Toronto and London, and that’s just within a few months.”

 

The inspiration for Will & Caro’s pieces come from nature. “Nature is the best designer and the best artist,” William says.

The artwork consists primarily of handmade paper, such as Nepalese wax paper and washi, a handmade silkscreened Japanese paper.

 

“We like to use a lot of texture as well, play on movement and shadow,” William adds.

Each piece is a subtle celebration of the traditional, simple and handmade.

“We’re losing paper. Everything is becoming so technologically-driven that the personal touch of paper is disappearing. It’s losing that intimacy and simplicity that it used to have,” William says.  

Next up for Will & Caro is Art Melbourne 2011 and a solo show at Sydney’s Butler Goode Gallery, which is sure to bring the up-and-coming pair even more attention.

 

Will & Caro
willandcaro.com


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Issue 63 - Kitchen & Bathroom Issue

Issue 63

Kitchen & Bathroom Issue

Habitus 63 is arguably the most aspirational issue of the year with Kitchens & Bathrooms to dream about. Whether a family hub, an entertainer’s paradise or somewhere to grad a quick meal, how we live in and spend time in the kitchen is a very personal question that requires thought and an abundance of resources. Always the aspirational eye candy of design, we have some truly lovely kitchens from Greg Natale, YSG, Splinter Society, Sally Caroline and Studio Johnston. Bathrooms are just as important with Greg Natale, Studio Tate, YSG and Those Architects sharing some fabulous insights

Order Issue