Locally turned timber candlesticks by Gorman Home Time.
Limited edition King and Queen bowls by Gorman Home Time, tipped with 9 carat gold, RRP $299 ea.
Handmade quilts by Sarah Rowe of Mrs Moresby quilts in collaboration with Gorman Home Time.
Handmade quilts by Sarah Rowe of Mrs Moresby quilts in collaboration with Gorman Home Time.
Well I don’t know about you, but I totally saw this coming. A full Gorman Homewares range! Yesssss!
It appears Lisa Gorman’s appetite for homewares was well and truly whetted (!?) with the release of her delicious mohair blankets this winter (we featured them here), for here we are, not 6 months later, and there is already an entire Gorman homewares line to tempt us!
Entitled Gorman Home Time, the extensive new range consists of collabs with a great many local (and one international) creatives, and encompasses both ceramic and bamboo tableware, bedlinen, quilts, mobiles, turned timber candlesticks and more. The entire range launches TODAY, and is available in two special pop-up shop locations – Shop g08 at the GPO, and 336 Brunswick street, Fitzroy. The full Home Time range can also be found at The Galeries Gorman store in Sydney, and Chatswood Chase. AND of course it’s all available online too!
We love the bold colours and unmistakable handmade-ness of the range, and the ‘not too super serious’ vibe, which Lisa explains below!
Can you briefly tell us a little bit of Gorman’s newest range – Home Time? What motivated you to add a homewares range to the Gorman line up, what influenced the designs and how long has the range been in development for?
I decided to add homewares sometime after I started ceramics classes at Carlton Arts Centre, a bit over a year ago. I thought it would be novel if I could make some ceramics as part of the Gorman collection, just some one-off pieces. When the semester finished, I realised how delusional I was entertaining such an idea, and that sometimes a hobby should stay just that, but I had collected loads of ideas of what I would make in my head, if I were a master potter!
This is when I turned to Connie Lichti, she’s a gun on the wheel, so I took my little drawings along to her and off we went. Now, I have all the ceramics I wished I could have made myself, without all the tragedy of clay flying off the wheel and destroying my neighbour’s masterpiece. I still go along to ceramics classes, I love it, but definitely keeping it in the ‘hobby’ category.
And of course if you have some nice ceramics, you might like some other nice homely things to keep your ceramics company, which is why the range grew from there. There are soft homewares like sheeting, quilts, hairy mohair, embroidered napkins, which all sort of make sense in a homewares range, but there are also a few surprises like mobiles, bamboo picnic ware, plus some pompom slippers and a game of memory.
The aim was to steer away from classic homewares offerings, and venture to new realms with a collection that creates a picture of a relaxed, functional, unique-looking home that’s definitely not shy of colour.
What can we expect to see from Gorman Home Time?
You’ll see print and colour. That’s a given. You’ll see texture and washes and things that are not too super serious, that you will hopefully want to take home with you right that very instant and sit on / under / eat from / drink from / look at / play with / dance around.
Who are some of the local creatives you have collaborated with on this project?
Connie Lichti our super ceramicist from Northcote.
Leah Bartholomew from New South Wales has decorated our bedding with her beautiful oversized abstract prints, under her label Beneath the Sun.
Charlie the wood turner turned our candle stick holders here in Melbourne.
Sarah Rowe of Mrs Moresby quilts, all made with her own hands, all one of a kind. I spotted Sarah and her amazing quilts at the Finders Keepers market.
Tamara Meiklejohn from Monkeyscrub, Barossa Valley, South Australia has handmade olive oil soaps for us in ridiculous flavours like turmeric, honey, clove, and liquorice.
My husband, Dean from Angelucci 20th Century has shared his love heart placemats with us, and the St Albans team are back again with some intensely coloured mohair rugs, all made just down the road in Oakleigh.
Kim Baise, all the way over there in California, has made us mad mobiles using shapes and characters that are specific to Gorman themes.
Tin&Ed from downtown Fitzroy have created a very cool colouring book for big kids like us especially for Gorman Home Time.
Our good friend Rachel Castle has come up with new words in big colours on a beach towel again this summer, and Ellie Malin is showing some of her amazing works in-store.
The talent around Australia (and California, Kim!) is phenomenal and I feel so privileged to have such great artists and producers to work with. It’s the collaborations that give that richness and diversity and interest to collections I believe. I become so inspired when I’m working with these people who have such knowledge and talent and experience doing their thing. The co-branding element is important to me too, because I want people to know about the artist / producer and basically how good they are at what they do. Thanks guys!
What’s next for Gorman?
SS14 collection design is definitely next on the list. Exciting times, the beginning of a new collection. It’s the best part, all those stored up ideas can escape the mind and hit the sketch pad.
What are you looking forward to?
The annual Gorman family weekend away next month. There are 21 of us, it’s a caravanning weekend. How could you not get excited about sleeping in a caravan?
Ceramics by Connie Lichti in collaboration with Gorman Home Time.
Ceramics by Connie Lichti in collaboration with Gorman Home Time.