Regular readers will know we are hosting Aeron hockey championships in ten countries around the region at the moment.  Competition is fierce because the winning team from each country will be flown to Hong Kong this September to battle it out in the regional championships.  Up for grabs is not only the honour of being crowned King and Queens of Aeron Hockey but each member of the winning team will walk away with their very own Eames Lounge & Ottoman.  

We know how much people love the Aeron chair.  Its been inducted into halls of fame across the world, crowned the King of Office chairs and named Design of the Decade.  So we're giving everyone the chance to tell us in their own words why they deserve an Aeron chair of their own.  Thats right - hop over to our facebook page and enter - you have to write in 25 words or less why you deserve a design of the decade.  Winners will be announced the first week of September so sharpen your pencils and start entering.

Compete in the Herman Miller Aeron Hockey Championships for your chance to win an Aeron chair, 2 nights in Hong Kong, and the ultimate prize of an Eames Lounge and Ottoman.

The inaugural Pan Asia Pacific Aeron Hockey Championship promises to be huge, and we want you to be part of the fun.

Join your local team, and vie for first place on your nation's leader board. Each nation's winning team will then be flown to Hong Kong to compete in the championship finals. Members from the winning team will walk away with an Eames Lounge & Ottoman, while secondary prizes will be awarded to the first and second runners-up.

And in case you're still wondering ...

Considerably more elegant than the original game, Aeron Hockey is a variation of 'office hockey' whereby players battle it out with a paper puck and a makeshift stick, while seated in sophisticated style on a Herman Miller Aeron chair.

Registration is now open.  Contact your local dealer for more information.

While busy studying for a Masters of Architecture, Josh Carmody has managed to score a couple of significant goals with his furniture design business. Second runner up in the recent Herman Miller Asia Pacific design competition for 'Triplicate', Josh also won the Maurice Lacroix award at Launch Pad in 2010. We couldn't wait to find out what's next for this talented emerging designer.

What led you to pursue a career in design?

Design and architecture was a pretty natural step for me. All the things I enjoyed most at school were the subjects that revolved around art, woodwork and design. So once it came time to choose a career path I decided to study architecture. In my first year of architecture, I found that I missed building furniture and after getting a small commission offer I decided to start a small design business, as a side project to develop while I study.

Describe a typical day at the office.

To be honest, at the moment I don’t really have a typical day at the office. Mainly because I don’t have a consistent routine, or an office. Being an architecture student takes up a lot of my time, which results in my furniture design taking place during the occasional moments of downtime. Last year I designed a few pieces throughout the year but had no time to build the prototypes. So I blocked out 5 weeks over December and January to build those new concepts and start designing some others. Those 5 weeks also doubled as my holiday time, so the pace in my workshop back in Canberra is pretty relaxed.

How would you describe your design aesthetic?

My design aesthetic at the moment is still developing. So far my furniture designs have all been based around timber, because it is a material I have a pretty good understanding of. The aesthetic of my work so far is the result of my focus on joinery. I usually try to push or test different woodworking joints, which in itself creates a pretty interesting design. In ‘Triplicate’, I reapplied and developed some joints and then exploited them to enhance the overall aesthetic of the piece. The broad focus in ‘Triplicate’ was to design a flat packable piece of solid timber furniture without compromising on quality joinery. I think the design outcome has been a pretty good result overall.

How has your approach evolved over the years?

I am becoming more comfortable with my design approach. Circumstances have led me to do my furniture design work in my downtime. So I have embraced that and do most of my furniture design work while kicking back on the couch after uni or work. It is also a good excuse to sit on the couch, watch a movie … and tell myself I am working.

Beyond that, my approach to manufacturing has changed. I used to design and build furniture on a commission basis, which meant I had the freedom to do what I wanted when it came to the joinery. This often meant I would design complex joints that could only be made with a mallet and chisel. Now I have bigger goals in mind, so designing with the intention of larger scales of production has caused me to rethink and develop a lot of my design thinking.

What inspires you?

Inspiration comes from anywhere and everywhere but architecture would have to be the major inspiration for my furniture designing. Constantly drawing and modelling different building designs means that my mind is often working on an idea. Different details or ideas from that architectural side of my designs will often resurface in my furniture design.

Who has influenced you?

When it comes to design, there are too many people to mention them all. Aalto would be a key influence as he was a great architect and designer.

What have been your most rewarding achievements?

Winning the Maurice Lacroix award at Launch Pad 2010 was a big achievement for me. It was the first time I have had my work critiqued so publicly and to get such a positive response was a pleasant surprise and a big motivation.

What’s next?

2011 is the final year of my Master of Architecture at Melbourne Uni so from the start of March I will be focussing a lot of my time on that area. With that being said I have just finished building 3 different prototypes and I have another two on the drawing board. So I will be occupying my spare time looking for a good local manufacturer for those concepts, particularly ‘Legless’ and ‘Triplicate’. I also have the intention to do some overseas travel at the end of 2011 and into 2012. There are a few designers around the world that I would like to meet and learn from. So I will have a go at trying to make that happen.

How do you want your work to be remembered?

Beyond the sustainability ideas surrounding the use of timber and recycled timber to produce long-lasting but environmentally friendly designs, I haven’t really thought about that too much and I should probably think about it further. But I like the thought of my furniture being passed down through a family. It would also be cool to have my furniture being sold in retro furniture shops in 50 years time. Beyond that I just hope people like my work and would like to own it.

After wowing our design competition judges with her elegant Coco Pendent, it looks like the future is bright for runner up, Kate Stokes. We caught up with this talented designer following her recent win.

What led you to pursue a career in design? 

I wanted a career that balanced creativity and logic because I really enjoy using both sides of my brain. After school I started studying architecture but I found the scale of buildings was really overwhelming and quite limiting for me. After a few years of travelling and working overseas I became more and more drawn to human scale objects and I transferred to study industrial design. I enjoy the problem solving aspect of working in design – there are always so many ways things can be done, so finding the best way is a great challenge. 

Describe a typical day at the office.

I work in a shared studio in Melbourne with 7 creative guys. Every day is a bit different, but generally I share my time between working on new designs – modelling and sketching, visiting manufacturers, dealing with orders and emails and meeting with clients.

How would you describe your design aesthetic?

I work with clean lines and interesting geometry. I try to reveal the manufacturing process in my design aesthetic and often use contrasting materials to explore the relationship between different components. 

How has your approach evolved over the years?

I tend to take a different approach with each project, and for every new design there is so much to learn. I usually design with particul ar processes in mind, so I’ve learnt to research manufacturing techniques in detail and find ways to manipulate these to create something unique. Working with local manufacturers and developing relationships with them has become really important.

What inspires you?

People mostly – I love meeting creative people who are passionate about what they do. There are so many talented artists and designers in Melbourne and it’s so great to get an insight into their lives and work.

Who has influenced you?

Oh so many people! Some designers I really admire are Doshi Levian (UK), Rich, Brilliant, Willing (USA), Form Us With Love (Sweden), Raw Edges (UK) and Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec (France). Some Australian designers whose work I really like are Daniel & Emma, Dhiren Bhagwandas and Design by Them, to name just a few.

What have been your most rewarding achievements?

Setting up my own design studio has been my most rewarding achievement so far. I’ve been really impressed by the support and encouragement from the design industry during this first year of practice. It’s wonderful that there are opportunities for new and emerging designers to help build independent practices.  

What’s next?

This year I’ll be putting more furniture pieces into production under the Coco Flip brand as well as working with some Australian manufacturers to design products under license. I’m also heading over to New York to do an internship with Rich, Brilliant, Willing in May w hich is e xtremely ex citing.

How do you want your work to be remembered?

I’d like my work to be remembered for its unique character – a balance of simpl icity and quirkiness and products that people enjoy using in their everyday lives.

Following his one-on-one mentoring session with Yves Behar, we caught up with designer Adam Cornish to find out more about the man behind the Wooden Hammock - the winning entry in the recent Herman Miller Asia Pacific Design Competition. 

What led you to pursue a career in design?

I know it sounds clichéd but I feel design chooses you. From an early age I have felt the desire to change and modify the things around me to suit the task I need them for. Ithink in essence that is what design is still about.

Describe a typical day at the office.

A typical day at the office starts with good coffee. I live and work in North Melbourne so we have great small batch coffee which I enjoy on my work to work. I really enjoy the start of the day as you get to reflect on the work from the day before. I bel ieve your instincts are at their strongest when you haven’t viewed the work for a few hours.

Then I suppose it is down to business working on whatever the project may be. I work with a wide range of mediums and although I do use CAD for most projects, I feel it is vital to make 1:1 models and mock ups. I am always surprised on how much feed back a simp le crude model will give you in comparison to a rendering.

I also work closely with manufactures of my products, so a typical day is often spent out of the office viewing samples and researching prior to starting a project.

How would you describe your design aesthetic?

Aesthetics for me are about remaining honest to how something is made or used.

How has your approach evolved over the years?

As designers we must constantly strive to improve the way our products relate to th e world and to lessen their environmental impact. This approach to design has broadened my outlook on design and made me consider the subtleties of each project.

What inspires you?

I am inspired by life, travel and all my experiences. Being inspired is about being open minded and observant of the world around you.

Who has influenced you?

Knell Grant has been a mentor and friend of mine for many years and has always encouraged designers to dream. This outlook has influenced my design practice immensely.

What have been your most rewarding achievements?

My most rewarding achievements would have to be my first international exhibitions in Milan.

What’s next?

I will be unveiling two new products at the 2011 Milan Furniture Fair which I am extremely excited about.

How do you want your work to be remembered?

I would like my work to be remembered as a link in the chain of product evolution.

Firstly thanks to everyone for taking part in our competition to win a one-on-one mentoring session with Yves Behar. We were really excited by the quality of entries, the stories behind them and the discussions they generated.

The winning entry is Wooden Hammock by Adam Cornish. Congraulations Adam! Your beauiful piece of design certainly made us w ant to find a shady place and try it out. You will meet with Yves Behar for a mentoring session and also receive a SAYL chair. 

Thanks also to our three runners up: Kate Stokes for the gorgeous Coco Pendant, Josh Carmody for the very clever and intricate Triplicate and Denis Abalos for the sleek Snug. You will each receive a SAYL chair. 

Finally, we are also recognising two other notable entries: The offcut stool by Ben Edwards and Bean coffee table by Charles Ng.

Congratulations and thanks to everyone who entered our competition. Stay tuned as we will feature our winner and each runner up on our blog over the coming weeks and months.