Celebrating 18 Years
In a classic mid-century Sydney home, furniture studio Design By Them marks its 18th anniversary with a photo shoot that celebrates its elevated curation of furniture, lighting and accessories.
Sydney furniture studio Design By Them has come of age – celebrating its landmark 18th year in 2025, and commemorating the milestone with a ‘house party’ photographic campaign. The vibrant shoot showcases 15 Australian-designed pieces, hand-picked to reflect the essence of the studio’s philosophy – accessible, world-class furniture, lighting and accessories that are equal parts playful and timeless.
“The DBT 18TH campaign is about a brand grown up, finding beauty and nostalgia among the chaos of its journey – a coming-of-age party that celebrates the lessons of the past and a retrospect of innovation and ambition,” says Sarah Gibson, who co-founded the company with fellow industrial designer Nicholas Karlovasitis from the garage of a Sydney apartment in 2017.
Now based in Alexandria in Sydney’s inner south, Design By Them represents 15 Australian designers, whose work was captured in the nostalgia-saturated campaign, shot in a Peter Hall-designed mid-century home. The company’s first release, 2011’s Butter stool by Gibson Karlo – crafted from 100 per cent post-consumer plastic – floats playfully in the swimming pool, on whose edge sits the Overlay runner in Mustard by Danielah Martinez and the Ribs outdoor bench in light grey, powder-coated aluminium.
The sculptural beauty of Tom Fereday’s Bow chair in walnut finds perfect grounding with the Overlay rug.
In the dining room, the sculptural beauty of Tom Fereday’s Bow chair in walnut finds perfect grounding with the Overlay rug. Elliat Rich’s whimsical Weaver cabinet in Copper proves the ideal spot for LPs and a punch bowl.
Larger pieces are also showcased, including the sweeping modules and tubular frame of Christina Bricknell’s Olio sofa, the Press armchair by Studio Truly Truly and the softly curvaceous Sundae armchair by Jason Ju, here in a sublime deep maroon. New and old chairs perform party duty throughout the spaces, from Daniel Tucker’s classic 2007 Bobby stool to the freshest kid on the block, Swage by Angus Easthope.
For Gibson and Karlovasitis, the landmark anniversary serves as a potent reminder of everything they’ve strived to create over the past 18 years – and what the future holds in store. “We still have the same vision of what we want to achieve and where we want to be,” Karlovasitis says. “The only difference is that we are better at getting to it, and we have the team that allows us to do it. Experience coupled with optimism and drive is a powerful combination.”
