Translating design intent with Klaro’s manufacturing-led approach
Published
In an industry where design intent is often diluted by value management and procurement pressures, Klaro Industrial Design positions manufacturing as a creative ally – allowing commercial interior designers to deliver unique pieces aligned to the project’s original vision.
For Klaro Industrial Design, retaining design integrity doesn’t begin at the tender stage, it starts well before a concept is even drawn. Creative Director Alona shares that the most overlooked advantage in commercial design is early and meaningful engagement with suppliers. Even long before “the pencil hits the paper” she adds.
Founded on the principle of “fewer products, more intent,” Klaro operates as a vertically aligned industrial design studio specialising in commercial furniture, particularly for workplace environments.
With a background spanning interior architecture and sculpture, Alona approaches design holistically – balancing spatial thinking, materiality and structural logic with a strong problem-solving mindset.
This vertical alignment is key. Klaro designs for a manufacturing ecosystem it understands intimately, working closely with Corporate Furniture, which manufactures many of Klaro’s products and facilitates their broader supply chain.
It all amounts to furniture and one-off solutions that are aesthetically resolved, but also commercially viable and realistically buildable within Australian manufacturing conditions.
For Mitch, Director of Corporate Furniture, their role as manufacturer is to ensure what appears on paper is delivered on site, and built to endure. While CNC machinery and digital fabrication continue to evolve, he emphasises that craftsmanship remains essential, particularly when durability and detailing are non-negotiable.
This collaboration allows Klaro to act as a translator between designers and manufacturers. Alona describes this integral role as being able to convert design intent into “manufacturing language,” ensuring that what the designer envisions can be faithfully realised through production. For commercial interior designers navigating tight programmes and cost pressures, this translation is critical.
Sustainability, in Klaro’s view, is inseparable from longevity. Modularity is treated as a core design principle, enabling furniture to be reconfigured, relocated and adapted over time rather than replaced.
It’s a way of thinking that directly addresses waste, an ongoing concern in the commercial design sector, by designing pieces intended to endure both physically and visually.
Working with local manufacturing is also a form of industry insurance. By actively supporting Australian production, Klaro helps strengthen the very capabilities designers rely on – making quality, speed and collaboration more viable over time.
For commercial interior designers seeking to deliver projects that survive procurement intact, Klaro offers a compelling model – one where early collaboration, manufacturing intelligence and design ambition are aligned from day one.
Watch the video now and learn more about Klaro Industrial Design and how they support designers in realising build-ready outcomes.
Klaro Industrial Design
klarodesign.com.au
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