- NV How did you find Elba as a material for product design?
- EE To work with such a rich, strong and aesthetically pleasing material like Elba was a privilege. I had always wanted to branch out and expand further into home accessories, so this was a perfect opportunity with an incredible material.
- NV Were there any key challenges in working with this material?
- EE I really wanted each piece to be created as if someone had literally hacked into the natural formation of the stone and created the piece themselves. The challenge was how do we brief a manufacturer to give it that effortless, raw, ‘dug out of the mountain’ look.
- NV What have you learnt from this project?
- EE It just strengthened what I have always believed: that you need to first understand what a material feels like, where it’s from and how it has come to be before you even start thinking how you can mould it into your own visions. Materiality first, design second.
- NV How would you describe your design to someone who hasn’t seen it?
- EE If the Flintstones were to have a romantic dinner in the 21st century…
Emma Elizabeth is a Sydney-based designer, stylist and creative director. As a 2006 graduate of Scenography at Istituto Europeo di Design in Milan, Elizabeth developed a practice at the crossroads of interior design, industrial design and set design. Her cross-disciplinary approach allows her to work within the realms of design, art direction, styling, events, curation and creative conceptualisation.