Designer, craftsperson, educator, and writer Evan Dunstone is at the forefront of the new appreciation of commercial studio furniture taking Australia by storm.
If you love Australian-grown hardwood, one of the newest places to enjoy is Analog Bar in exclusive Balmoral Beach Sydney. The vibe is laid-back amid a native timber furniture fit-out commissioned from Dunstone Design, the fine furniture business of Gottstein Fellow Evan Dunstone. The standout is the bespoke 8-metre-long Blackwood bar, and Mr Dunstone also supplied their Tamar stools and Sabine chairs.
In addition to running a hugely successful Dunstone Design Studio —where he produces the highest-quality chairs, stools, dining room tables, cabinets, and side tables from the finest Australian native hardwood timbers—Mr Dunstone is also an in-demand teacher of wood craftsmanship and design (especially chair design). For years, he’s been invited to teach, judge, and publish extensively. His apprentices have succeeded, and his ability to mentor and teach is proven.
Trained by David MacLaren OAM, craftsman and owner of the Bungendore Wood Works Gallery, Mr Dunstone is a 2001 Churchill Fellow, where he studied contemporary chair design and manufacture and, most recently, a 2022 Gottstein fellow – where he studied the Swedish relationship between forestry and woodcraft education.
“My Gottstein project investigated the relationship between the Swedish forestry industry and Swedish woodcraft education and how it differs from Australia,” Mr Dunstone told Wood Central: “The fact that there’s not a mature high-end Australian furniture industry exporting to the world market is due to a lack of training, vision, and investment, not due to a paucity of access to unique timber.”
“That’s why I travelled to Sweden, home to the world’s best education in wood technology, craftsmanship and furniture design.” The Gottstein Trust fellowship funded visits to major education centres and a four-day Malmsten Symposium in September 2022.
According to Mr Dunstone, Australian and Swedish craftspeople have very different relationships with their wood: “Swedish woodworkers are far more interested in design, craftsmanship, functionality, and sustainability – they neither seek nor expect dramatic or interesting wood the way an Australian maker might.”
“Many Swedish craftspeople I spoke to found my samples of Australian timbers quite confronting. They could not, for example, believe the range of colours we often see in a single species…I carried a set of blackwood samples, ranging from light, straw-coloured blackwood to dark, highly figured blackwood.”
He said these samples represented a much more comprehensive colour and grain range than a Swedish craftsperson could expect across their palette of native timbers. “Swedish makers were interested in Australian timbers from a position of curiosity, but many expressed a reluctance to use such dramatic timber in their designs.”
“I went to Sweden asking the wrong questions,” Mr Dunstone said. “I expected to find a close relationship between Swedish forestry and Swedish woodcraft education because both sectors are so strong. But if anything, I found a greater disconnect between these groups in Sweden than in Australia.”
However, where Sweden shines is in the support it provides to students who study woodworking. “A student at Malmsten can spend up to 5 years training to make their Gesäll piece. The casual observer mistakes this depth of training as perhaps pointless and possibly self-indulgent.”
Many Australians may not appreciate how this understanding of wood as a sustainable material, craftsmanship as an ideal and design as a concept can filter through an economy; IKEA is living proof of what is possible – founded on a complete understanding of wood as a material and design as an applied art. That combination appeals to a global market.
“Love it or hate it, IKEA was only possible in a culture that respects and invests in woodcraft training,” Mr Dunstone said: “It is not possible to predict the heights to which excellence in education and training in a specific discipline will ultimately lead. It’s only possible to predict that poor education and training in a specific discipline will lead to mediocrity.”
“Australia has unique timbers that could have worldwide appeal if offered in the form of highly designed and crafted objects. We don’t have such an industry because we have not invested in the training to make this a reality. Australian training focuses on specific roles within existing industries, most of which are domestic.”
Instead of trying to replicate the Swedish school model – which has never taken hold in Australia, Mr Dunstone said Australia should work closer with the world’s best training centres.
“The Swedish schools are all open to international students. Australian industry should create a rigorous selection criterion and send chosen students to study in Sweden on a fully funded scholarship. These students would return with valuable skills and training to inject into the Australian industry.”
“Many Gesäll-trained Swedish makers would happily come to work in Australia for a short-term placement of 3 months. Unfortunately, Australian working holiday visas are only available to people under 30. As Gesäll training takes at least five years, and most students don’t start until their mid-20’s, the vast majority of Gesäll qualified makers are 30 or more.”
“At present, there is no simple, legal way for a Swede over 30 to visit Australia and work for three months in a workshop. However, industry should work with the government to make this possible. This would inject new thinking and skillsets directly into workshops all over Australia.” Â
Australian and international consumers are increasingly looking for sustainable choices. Australian-grown timber designed and manufactured into beautiful furniture that lasts generations is sustainability writ large. In addition, he said the Australian timber industry should work as closely as possible with the Australian furniture industry to find areas of consensus:
“The story of forestry in Australia is complex and emotive, while the Australian furniture industry has been decimated over recent years due to a range of market factors. The two industries would benefit greatly if they could present a united front when it comes to showcasing he truly sustainable use of Australian timber and the importance of value-adding.”
More about the Gottstein capacity building grants
The Gottstein Fellowship is a prestigious grant awarded annually to people working within or associated with the Australian wood products and forest industries –Â anywhere on the value chain. Recipients are supported to pursue a project that can benefit the sector as well as boost their career. To apply for the fellowship, click here to visit the Gottstein Fellowship website.
- To learn more about the Gottstein Fellowship and the Capacity Building Grants, click here for Wood Central’s article covering the launch of the new grants.
