Ross Didier designs a unique range of furniture for Vue de Monde restaurant in Rialto Melbourne.
November 25th, 2011
“Furniture adds uniqueness and identity to a space,” says Ross Didier. “Original pieces with a story and soul, breathing life into spaces by the most subtle of detailing.”
This is certainly true of Didier’s collection of furniture for the Rialto, Melbourne’s Vue de Monde restaurant.



The inspiration came out of Didier’s experimentation with kangaroo furs and skins last year, and ensuing discussions with project architects Elenberg Fraser and Bennett.
“We spoke about the potential for original functional furniture pieces to complement the highly concept themes for the interior landscape and how the ideals of a restaurant can be reflected through that,” says Didier of the project.


Didier’s custom-made tables and chairs reference Melbourne’s pre-European history, landscape and fauna. Armchairs are upholstered in kangaroo leather and furs – the end product of government-controlled culls. The chair frames are made of plantation-sourced oak, with tapered legs that evoke the stance of an animal.
Terra Firma tables, “versatile, rigid and functional”, are teamed with sled-based Tiller timber chairs featuring buttons that “create a look that’s suggestive of spinal detailing,” says Didier.

“My intention was to create truly Australian designed furniture that was sophisticated and embodied strong personality without being kitsch or clichéd,” he explains.


Didier also wanted restaurant patrons to think twice about local product and the life cycle of animals.
“It just seemed a bit of a waste that most of the skins were destined for shoes, footballs and European fashion houses without carrying their story,” he says of his use of kangaroo skins in the upholstery.
Hero image by Dianna Snape
Ross Didier
rossdidier.com
INDESIGN is on instagram
Follow @indesignlive
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
For Aidan Mawhinney, the secret ingredient to Living Edge’s success “comes down to people, product and place.” As the brand celebrates a significant 25-year milestone, it’s that commitment to authentic, sustainable design – and the people behind it all – that continues to anchor its legacy.
The undeniable thread connecting Herman Miller and Knoll’s design legacies across the decades now finds its profound physical embodiment at MillerKnoll’s new Design Yard Archives.
London-based design duo Raw Edges have joined forces with Established & Sons and Tongue & Groove to introduce Wall to Wall – a hand-stained, “living collection” that transforms parquet flooring into a canvas of colour, pattern, and possibility.
The first ever online poll for the Launch Pad program received close to 1000 votes with the stunning ‘ATTA coffee table’ by Nic Cairns receiving the most votes. Thanks to all the voters, Nic has won a Mondaine watch valued at $699. Congratulations also to the following voters who have all won prizes! Daniel […]
Back when activity-based working was still a novelty in Australia, Schiavello launched a new agile desking system that suggested a whole new way of working.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Bean Buro’s Singapore office for Anglo-Eastern is a poetic continuation of their Hong Kong headquarters — a workplace that balances identity and calm.
Krost’s new Ace height-adjustable system challenges convention with the world’s thinnest column profile, engineered for design-led workspaces.