07 September 2010

Stephanie Madison

A freelance writer who seeks out furniture with a story, Stephanie contributes from her Brisbane base.

What do you do: I’m a freelance journalist and artist. I also run my own media communications business.

Favourite designer: Philippe Starck, Charles and Ray Eames.

Favourite design destination: It’s a tie between New York and Tokyo – the architecture, art and eclectic melding of old and new aesthetics.

Inspiration: After spending some of my childhood in the cultural Meccas of Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea I now have a very authentic appreciation of indigenous art and organic, sustainable materials.

I’m also inspired by the abstract expressionism of Jackson Pollock and Australian figurative painter Robert Dickerson, fibre art forms, contemporary Australian indigenous art, Japanese architect Tadao Ando and the concept of Wabi-Sabi.

Work in progress: A creative writing project and a new series of vibrant, textural paintings.

Other areas of interest: The artist in me likes to collect emerging art and what I’ll loosely term vintage and “Eames era” furniture. And, perhaps it’s the writer in me but I’m always fascinated by pieces that come with a story.

For instance, I have a trio of retro Perspex tables, which spent their life in the Brisbane home of an Australian diplomat in an abode that was featured in a 1962 edition of House and Garden magazine. I also have a photograph of the lounge room shot used in the magazine, which showcases the tables. So, to me, these tables are a treasure!