In the lead up to Australia Day 2013, online design and furniture retailer Temple & Webster are throwing their support behind local talent.

With a week dedicated to unearthing fresh new designers, the inaugural “We ♥ Australian Design” is a campaign that seeks to discover “the next Marc Newson”.

Chris Hardy – Pleat Stool

Launched on January 21st, the website showcases only those products created by the 10 up and coming designers nominated in the Temple & Webster Emerging Designer Award, for which voting closes on Australia Day.

Surya Graf – Labware

The winner, who will be selected from the top 3 finalists by a panel of industry experts, will receive a $5,000 cash prize and an opportunity to explore greater media coverage to enhance exposure for their designs and their profile.

Kate Stokes in her studio with Coco Flip pendant light components

“Designing is a buzz but to make a living off it requires more effort and a few lucky breaks. This opportunity is just what I needed to get my start-up business off and running”. Explains Ash Allen, a nominee in the 2013 Emerging Designer Awards.

Tate Anson – Tryst Stool

Fostering the brand awareness and market growth of local producers and manufacturers is a bold approach for a relative newcomer like Temple & Webster.

Committed to rejecting the sale of replicas and industry-harming retail practices, the name Temple & Webster draws on Australia’s historically significant convict twosome: William Temple and John Webster. The pair being the first commissioned Australian furniture manufacturers, making fine furniture for Governor Lachlan Macquarie in colonial Sydney in the early 1820s.

Ash Allen – Lionheart Stool

Emerging Designer Awards

templeandwebster.com.au/eda

Hero Image: Daniel and Emma – Stationery Container