It’s not uncommon for designers to design their own places – places of abode, of leisure and of work. Nevertheless, it’s always intriguing when they do. It’s a chance to see their values and design philosophy truly put into practice; to see them put their money where their mouth is, as it were.

“Designing your own studio is an opportunity to test new ideas, technologies and use design principles,” says Director, Todd Hammond. 

“For us this was particularly around challenging what a kitchen is and its notion of furniture, not joinery. Technologies was about transitioning to a paperless office (apart from a roll of yellow trace), collaborative mobile technologies like Microsoft Hub3S and lighting controls using Casambi controls.

“As for circularity, all ingredients of the fit-out are designed for reuse and that includes being used in future domestic environments. It helps to buy quality in the first place. If reuse is not deemed appropriate in the future, than disassembly for recycling is mandatory.”

Beyond the paperless move, lighting is the object of technological focus. Hammond elaborates on how the new Casambi lighting provides high levels of control and customisation: “Everything in the studio is essentially linked to it… so we can control the colour, temperature and intensity throughout 70-80 per cent of the office fittings.”

Hammond continues: “Lighting is always a key component to all our projects and we always enjoy collaboration with talented lighting designers and manufacturers – particularly on this project with Light Practice for design and Light Culture for supplying fittings from Bega and XD Led profiles.”

Stepping back into the wider city context, Hammond Studio has opted for a city fringe location with proximity to the city, public transport and the wider creative scene of Surry Hills. Inside, the south-facing spaces take in soft natural light rather than harsh direct sunlight. 

“As designers, we put pretty high standards on ourselves,” notes Hammond. These high standards are especially visible in the materials, fittings and furniture used throughout the new spaces. Thoughtful use of timber – always a Hammond Studio signature and in this instance working with Briggs Veneer and Enth Degree Projects – takes the form of hand-selected American Walnut this time. Bespoke joinery is found with desks, shelves, door handles from Tirar and more. Much of the furniture is then provided by Living Edge, including Herman Miller Eames tables and task chairs, as well as a high bench made by Richard Hovers of Custom and other pieces from Seehosu and Mobilia. 

As for a ‘hero’ moment, Hammond says that visitors are drawn to the stone Opus Rosso splashback by Artedomus. The two large slabs are “a real wow moment” which also pairs with a rare Marc Newson Blue Orgone chair. “There are always comments about those two items in particular,” says Hammond while also drawing attention to the use of plants throughout the space. “My favourite moment is the Matthew Johnson artwork and design awards that we have received over recent years,” he adds.

Related: Studio Tate adds some striking blue

The new studio home merges these limited touches of colour and spectacle with a quieter backdrop of refined timber joinery. Functionally speaking, it’s all designed to cohere around a design philosophy of enabling lighting control and embracing technology for a collaborative workplace.

Hammond Studio
hammondstudio.co

Photography
Terence Chin