GlobeWest Collections 2021

With the natural environment, contemporary architecture and interiors, and the Australian lifestyle forming three of the principal sources of inspiration in Melbourne-based furniture brand GlobeWest’s design practice, Ocean House by Rob Mills Architects was an ideal location to showcase key pieces from GlobeWest Collections 2021.

GlobeWest Head of Creative Keti Lytras had admired Ocean House for some time, even having a photograph of the project pinned to the studio wall. But it was the confluence of the trends that GlobeWest had been observing in interiors over the past 12 months and the events of the COVID-19 pandemic that led to Ocean House being chosen as the location for the Collections 2021 shoot. “I have huge respect for the architect Rob Mills’s work and, in Ocean House specifically, I love the mix of materials – the concrete, timber and glass – and the curves internally which lead your eye around the space,” she says. “I think the building reflects how local architecture can be extremely sympathetic to its environment. The expansive windows and external vistas let the views of both the Pacific Ocean and the Australian bush be the heroes.”

GlobeWest Head of Creative Keti Lytras had admired Ocean House for some time, even having a photograph of the project pinned to the studio wall.

On the one hand, GlobeWests’ design process is driven by research to understand the forces that are driving directions in design and culture more broadly. On the other, it is informed by their focus on inspiring design professionals and their clients with a fresh and innovative interpretation on these macro trends. The results of this research and design analysis are brought together in the GlobeWest annual Design Directions Trend Forecast. This year’s forecast identified four overarching themes, dubbed ‘Homage to Heritage’, ‘Soulful Ceremony’, ‘Primal Elegance’, and ‘Sensory Awakening’. These four trends were understood as a natural progression of styles that have been evolving over recent years. But they were also made more poignant by the pandemic, which has seen a renewed emphasis on aesthetics that are nurturing and comforting, nature become an important source of solace and rejuvenation, and a focus inward – both into the home and in terms of local destinations, now that travel further afield is no longer possible.

“We are seeing many Australians moving to the countryside or coast for a slower existence and rural lifestyle. This sense of harmony and earthed connection has been brought to life in natural materials, imperfect elements and a calming colour palette including wholesome green tones like eucalyptus and snowgum across painted casegoods and upholstery that invite the landscape in,” says Keti. Meanwhile, classical architectural influences represent a source of familiarity that is comforting in uncertain times and have been incorporated into the new designs with a contemporary twist. “For example, there’s a reverence for historical architecture and legacy detailing in Empire’s carved linear ripple edging and Verona’s Romanesque stepped base,” she says.

When it came to photographing select pieces from Collections 2021, which comprises 15 new ranges and over 500 new products, Ocean House’s position between the bush and the sea on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road and the architecture’s sculptural forms, tactile materiality and relationship to its rugged context inherently complemented GlobeWest’s underpinning ethos and observations that had informed the designs. Not only this but, Keti explains, “after a particularly challenging year and on the cusp of launching Collections 2021, it felt appropriate to look inward. We always have been, always will be, about inspiring uniquely Australian living, and so there was no better place to bring this to life than in our own backyard.”

On the elevated terrace that sits amongst the treetops overlooking the ocean below, designs such as the Cannes timber dining table and woven chairs, the Aruba platform lounge and Normandy occasional chair from the Outdoor Collections 2021 evoke the simple luxury of relaxing in comfort outdoors in nature, with inviting upholstery, natural timbers and subtle textures harmonising with the surrounding environment. Indoors, subtle green tones of pieces like the Artie buffet and Cove modular sofa recall the hues of the vegetation and water just outside. Refined, sculptural furniture sits side-by-side with more robust, classic forms, as in the dining space where the elegant Dane chair in white boucle is paired with the rustic oak Bowen dining table, playing off the modern and the traditional to create an inviting, calming atmosphere.

But it was the confluence of the trends that GlobeWest had been observing in interiors over the past 12 months and the events of the COVID-19 pandemic that led to Ocean House being chosen as the location for the Collections 2021 shoot.

The release of Collections 2021 and the shoot at Ocean House represents the culmination of a transformative year, during which the GlobeWest design team worked hard behind the scenes to not only prepare a huge range of new products but also to respond to the changing times with sensitivity. As Keti reflects, “we always say, great design is both an investment in your home and happiness – but it’s never been more important for our spaces to offer a sense of comfort and harmony.”

“I have huge respect for the architect Rob Mills’s work and, in Ocean House specifically, I love the mix of materials – the concrete, timber and glass – and the curves internally which lead your eye around the space,” she says.