A New Dawn – South Drawn

Introducing South Drawn, the Australian lighting company formerly known as Lumil, that draws inspiration from the road less travelled and strives for refined design outcomes through innovation and exploration.

In the summer of 2020, Luke Mills, known internationally for the raw beauty of the lighting designs produced by his former studio Lumil, was ready for his next challenge. Enter brother Christian and a partnership founded on the pursuit of adventure was formed. With a rich history of shared experiences, Luke and Christian found themselves combining their respective skillsets to facilitate the foundation of Australian lighting studio South Drawn.

“Recollections of an adventure or a place of memory evolve to become inspirational and material touchstones, and the name South Drawn speaks to each lighting piece being crafted locally and assembled in house.”

Luke and Christian, proud of both their New Zealand heritage and Victorian residency, chose the name South Drawn pertaining to its powerful ability to conjure emotive ties to the geographical beauty of New Zealand’s South Island and the strong industrial legacy of Victoria’s manufacturing past. Both brothers feel that “recollections of an adventure or a place of memory evolve to become inspirational and material touchstones, and the name South Drawn speaks to each lighting piece being crafted locally and assembled in house.”

With an already established portfolio of high-end residential and commercial lighting to his name, Luke undertook the role of design director, fusing the lessons learnt from four years at Lumil with the slightly altered design direction of South Drawn. Luke’s exploratory approach to lighting design and the use of natural materials is largely influenced by nature and a strong affinity with the environment that surrounds us. He strives to transcribe the texture and form found within the natural landscape into every lighting product he designs.

South Drawn strives to transcribe the texture and form found within the natural landscape into every lighting product they produce.

Keeping the duo well balanced yet not shying away from the spirit of adventure that lies at the heart of South Drawn, is Christian, who heads up the production and logistics side of the business. An inherently creative person himself, Christian works alongside the local artisans and manufacturers that form a vital component in the creation of these truly unique pieces. An unsung hero of sorts, Christian’s expertise is best appreciated when observing his approach to streamlining the assembly of each piece.

Far from the archetypal design duo, Luke and Christian pride themselves on sourcing inspiration from the most unusual of places. “Our process is grounded in an adventurous sense of discovery, a strong narrative and distinctive forms and finishes,” they say. “In our experience the best lightbulb moments come when we’re away from the computer, exploring a concept with a manufacturer, digging through forgotten samples or observing the organic forms of nature.” Expanding on their design process, Luke and Christian explain that, “the conception of apiece is then sketched and re-sketched – and then re-sketched again. Material samples line the walls of the studio waiting for the right project to come along. Sometimes it’s a serendipitous moment pairing the two, sometimes the design is formed around a finish.”

Maintaining a strong connection with the local Victorian design community, South Drawn works with manufacturers and artisans to help produce the finely crafted lighting products they design. Often using traditional materials and long-established manufacturing techniques, each and every South Drawn lighting product is an excellent example of truly local Australian design.

Expanding on the previously established Lumil portfolio of lighting products, South Drawn offers customers increased access to the Globosus Pendant, Tide Line Pendant, UV Linear, 2234 and Beam Linear, as well as a number of bespoke pieces and new products that are currently in the works. With Luke and Christian already working hard behind the scenes, the launch of South Drawn promises to be an exciting new chapter in the lives of the brothers as they strive to produce innovative lighting products brought to life by the dramatic spaces which they illuminate. With characteristic excitement as they step out on a new path, Luke and Christian say: “Join us on the unfolding adventure. We promise it’ll be one you’ll keep coming back to.”