'The Paper Set' from Tuckbox Furniture

We first covered Tuckbox back in 2013, the same year that co-founders Anthony, Daniel and Prue de Groot launched their furniture design studio. Four years down the track, they’ve created an impressive assembly of sleek, contemporary furniture, graced the pages of countless print and online magazines and secured some exciting collaborations and commissions.

Today, we’re revisiting the family team (Anthony and Daniel are brothers, and Prue is Daniel’s wife) as they launch their latest collection, The Paper Set.

Written

Sally Tabart

‘Paper Set’ sees Tuckbox’s first offering of outdoor furniture. Photo – Lauren Bamford, Styling – Stephanie Stamatis.

Offerings from Tuckbox’s latest collection, The Paper Set. Photo – Lauren Bamford, Styling – Stephanie Stamatis.

Tuckbox furniture is proudly designed and manufactured in Melbourne. Photo – Lauren Bamford, Styling – Stephanie Stamatis.

Tuckbox considered the light and shadow cast from the sun in their first range of outdoor furniture designs. Photo – Lauren Bamford, Styling – Stephanie Stamatis.

Bold lines feature heavily throughout Tuckbox’s work. Photo – Lauren Bamford, Styling – Stephanie Stamatis.

The Paper Chair details. Photo – Lauren Bamford, Styling – Stephanie Stamatis.

Tuck box’s popular stools. Photo – Lauren Bamford, Styling – Stephanie Stamatis.

Daniel explains, ‘It’s important to us to be working with sustainable materials and processes wherever we can.’ Photo – Lauren Bamford, Styling – Stephanie Stamatis.

‘A lot of our workshop discussions are based around engineering, how to give flex or strength whilst using the minimal amount of structure, and removing bulk.’ Photo – Lauren Bamford, Styling – Stephanie Stamatis.

Proudly designed and made in Melbourne, Tuckbox’s new range, ‘Paper Set’, was born out of a fascination with origami, and the strength of the folded form.

Comprised of steel, timber, stone and leather, everything for the new line is produced in Tuckbox’s workshop or with local manufacturers. The studio takes great care to learn the techniques required to produce each new prototype themselves. ‘The designs gain a lot from our understanding of the materials and the manufacturing process,’ says co-founder Dan de Groot.

This collection is Tuckbox’s first line of outdoor furniture, employing perforated surfaces and striking lines that respond to the sun, as well as create intentional patterns of light and shadow.

Equally important as the design and construction of their pieces, is the narratives upon which Tuckbox base their designs, and ‘Paper Set’ has been inspired, in part, by a challenging year. ‘It’s hard to pretend the turbulence and pressures of 2017 hasn’t fed into our work’ tells Dan. ‘We observed that despite all the pressure that is on us all, we don’t break. If anything the pressure fortifies us; it draws us together and makes us stronger.’

Inspired by this enduring sentiment, the team experimented with simple engineering processes that strengthen everyday materials, as according to Dan, even paper becomes stronger, through thoughtful design and engineering.