Design by Storm
MANUFACTURING & DESIGN
Industrial designer Danielle Storm launched her furniture design studio, Design by Storm, in 2017. Her work draws on the latest technology, traditional craftsmanship and the power of creative community to make beautiful, functional furniture pieces, right here in Moreland.
FACT FILE
| Business type | Industrial design and furniture making |
| Industry | Manufacturing |
| Suburb | Coburg North |
| Founded in | 2017 |
| In Moreland since | 2017 |
| Core offering | Experimental but useful furniture |
| Website | designbystorm.com.au |
WHO… I am
Hi, I’m Danielle Storm, industrial designer and founder of Design by Storm, where I design and make experimental but useful furniture objects. I think of myself as an evangelist for innovative design. Growing up I looked around me and was so frustrated by the lack of daring and creativity in our furniture - after all, these are things we literally spend all day every day interacting with! I wondered: if we’ve evolved so much over the past few hundred years, why hasn’t our furniture done the same? So, I made it my mission to reimagine our relationship with these ubiquitous but tragically old-fashioned objects. That’s a tall order for just one (not-so-tall) person though, so while most of my focus goes to my furniture design studio, Design by Storm, I also try to get other young people excited to help through teaching roles at RMIT and elsewhere.
WHAT… I make
The objects I make are, first and foremost, forward thinking. I’m not interested in making more of the same, more cheap or half-hearted designs that will end up ignored or in landfill. Each and every piece is unique, challenging; a combination of functional forms, sculptural geometry experiments, time-honed craft, and inventive technology. So far, I’ve focused on bringing these themes to items for the home like coffee tables, side tables and lighting pieces, but I have some more varied ideas in the works as well.
WHY… I work out of Space Tank Studio
Space Tank is a maker space for manufacturing startups, providing access to workshop space, machinery and tech. I joined Space Tank to gain access to these but what I didn’t realise at the time was that the community would become like family. It is a supportive environment of people all working to pursue their dreams with incredible determination. Some days I feel like no one understands what it takes to start a creative business: you have to be 100 per cent in it, and somehow, surrounding yourself with friends that are going through the same things turns fear into fun. There is also a lot of collaboration going on – it’s become a real maker ecosystem.
WHEN… I knew I wanted to be an industrial designer
I started out studying graphic design, because at the time there was no industrial design course available in South Africa, where I grew up. I soon learned that graphic design was too restrictive for me. It was all 2D media, but I think in 3D – it felt like my designs always wanted to escape the narrow confines of the page or computer screen. A 3D object gives a direct visual and tactile experience, and there is so much more scope to make that experience fascinating. One day during my undergrad, I came across a book by Luigi Colani, an industrial designer and inventor, and I was just so incredibly inspired by his work; by the beautiful forms and the technicality required to engineer them. From that moment all my decisions were in pursuit of a career in industrial design.
HOW… I develop my themes
I find much inspiration in nature. The materials and colour choices in the Aurora range were based on different geographical landscapes, and I photographed each piece in the natural surrounding it was inspired by. My hope is that these pieces will instill a little bit of the same wonder you’d encounter while in nature – right there in your living room!
Design by Storm is a Moreland Made success story!
Space Tank Studio, 9 Warner Street, Coburg North.
Left to right:
Aurora Ocean, 2018, by Makiko Ryujin from Made In The Dark Studio. Courtesy of Design by Storm.
Aurora Razor, 2018, by Starry Kong. Courtesy of Design by Storm
Impossible side table, 2018, by Starry Kong. Courtesy of Design by Storm.
Danielle Storm, 2018, by Makiko Ryujin
Landing image: Aurora coffee table range, 2018, by Makiko Ryujin from Made In The Dark Studio. Courtesy of Design by Storm.
Read more about the Moreland Made campaign and how your business can get involved.
Moreland City Council, Locked Bag 10, Moreland Vic. 3058, 90 Bell Street, Coburg Vic. 3058 Australia