08 October 2008

Holo Inspiration

Aussie ex-pat designers get some Norwegian inspiration and take it to London

Michael Travalia and Christopher Thomas first met in a Tasmanian rainforest back in 1994. Both men took the furniture course at the University of Tasmania, renowned for producing skilled designers.

After graduating they took their own career and life paths – Thomas moved to South Australia then to Norway, and Travalia remained in Tasmania before also taking to Europe – but the two remained close friends.

From their respective bases in Oslo and London the duo have once again come together in a new venture, project HOLO. During a Norwegian designer’s retreat near the small town of Dale, and inspired by the isolation and natural beauty, Thomas and Travalia began designing and making prototypes.

The result is the first collection from HOLO, including the ‘fjord table’ and ‘cloud light’ [both pictured below]. The designs were shown at Tent London, as part of the London Design Festival in September.

The pair see HOLO as a design ‘jam session’, creating new designs for the love of design, rather than making lots of money. Although their designs are likely to be quite popular. Produced out of Oslo and London, HOLO’s first collection is available through pre-order only.

projectholo.com