We are living in a time, when the temptation to hand over our messy thoughts to AI + ask for a neatly wrapped summary, is high. We’re starting this series because I love having conversations with interesting people doing interesting things – and I decided that amplifying these stories could be good for all of us.
Stories of making, building, growing, sharing, teaching – I believe they remind us that our hands + minds have great power to incite connection, inspiration + joy. The messy middle is simply a part of creating something worth remembering, collecting + loving.
I’ve been following the work of Locki Humphrey since discovering them via Craft Victoria. I was drawn to their use of bio-based ‘leather’ alternatives in the work, along with a unique approach to textural contrast + kinetic energy. With the conclusion of a very busy Melbourne Design Week for Locki, we were able to sneak in a visit to their studio + chat all things creativity, interiors + pushing the boundaries on material combinations.
Locki’s (they/them) approach to object design focuses on minimal intervention, craft and sustainability. Their process is driven by both intuition and intention, an exploration of material, colour, texture, proportion and the potential of recycled materials. Championing Australian manufacturing and designing for deconstruction, Locki's contemporary furniture and lighting challenge convention by balancing craft and innovation. The resulting pieces feel both familiar and refreshingly new.
Locki's work has been featured in a range of both Australian and international exhibitions and publications such as VOGUE Living, Elle Decoration, The Local Project and The Design Files, and recently they were awarded the Australian Emerging Designer of the Year 2025 for Product Design by The Local Project and Artedomus.
CW: Locki, thanks for inviting me into your studio on this chilly Melbourne morning in Brunswick East. As a designer, inspiration is no doubt what you are asked about regularly.
This is one of my favourite quotes – the author Chuck Close is controversial (not in a good way) but the words will always resonate with me.
“Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work. If you wait around for the clouds to part and a bolt of lightning to strike you in the brain, you are not going to make an awful lot of work. All the best ideas come out of the process; they come out of the work itself.”
I’ve worked with many designers over the years, and I’m RMIT design trained also. We all have a different approach – and it’s often so tempting to jump to the finished idea, rather than let concepts percolate + accept that the preliminary iterations may be disappointing. How do you approach your work from the kernel of an idea to fruition?
LH: I think because I came into design a bit sideways, I’ve never really had a precious relationship with “good” ideas early on. Most of my projects begin with a material, texture or process that I’m curious about, and then I sort of follow it until it either becomes something interesting or completely falls apart. A lot of the early stages are honestly pretty ugly or impractical, but I think that’s an important part of the process and of learning. I often find it’s this push and pull between what’s possible and what shouldn’t be possible that creates interest in my work.
I try not to rush to the resolved version too quickly because the weird detours are usually where the most interesting parts come from. Sometimes a project changes completely halfway through because I discover a better construction method or a material behaves differently to how I expected, especially when I’ve created the concept in 3D or as a drawing. I’m quite comfortable letting the work evolve in that way, and have had to teach myself to accept the results that come from it. Being too rigid in my expectations often just ends up in disappointment.
CW: Is there a central ethos to your work that is a non negotiable – for example, we won’t ever use animal derived materials at Sans Beast – what are your guiding principles?
LH: I think the biggest non-negotiable for me is trying to design responsibly in terms of lifespan and material use. I’m really interested in creating pieces that feel substantial enough to live with for a long time, rather than being trend-driven or disposable.
I look towards three questions when I’m working on a new design
1. Is it recyclable and/or bio-degradable?
2. Can it be dismantled easily?
3. Is it manufactured in Australia?
These three questions help me maintain a sustainable focus in my work from the start, rather than trying to reverse engineer sustainability into my business model. Using local manufacturing also ensures worker transparency and supports industry here, along with reducing freight and overproduction.
I also try to work with materials that already exist wherever possible; recycled metals, deadstock materials, industry waste streams, or materials that can eventually be separated and recycled again. My work is designed for disassembly because I think designers have a responsibility to consider what happens to an object after its “life” as much as during it, and objects should have repairable parts rather than contributing to a direct-to-landfill waste stream.
That doesn’t mean every project is perfectly sustainable, I think anyone claiming that is probably oversimplifying things, but I do try to make thoughtful decisions at every stage.
CW: 100 Chairs was a sublime exhibition. How did you approach the piece you made + were you aware of the other pieces in the exhibition prior?
LH: Thanks! Yeah it was a pretty stunning exhibition to be a part of, it was so amazing to see the breadth of Australian design in one place, especially given there was a requirement that all of the works exhibited were manufactured in Australia.
We didn’t get to see what other designers were including in the exhibition until drop-off day! I have a few mates who were also showing in it, so I knew of a couple works, but honestly it’s nice not knowing what people are working on in a show like this, it really allows you to just focus on what you want to create.
My work, the Bound Stool, is a variation on my existing Bound Chair design. I’ve exhibited the Bound Chair a few times over the past 2 years so I thought I would take the opportunity to show this new form off in a really fun finish. I powdercoated the steel frame in this very bright blue, and then wove the seat using three different colours of danish cord in a pattern similar to Scottish tartan. It was the first time I’ve tried a weave with 3 cords at once, so it was a great challenge, and it turned out fantastic.
CW: I’m not sure if it’s the dark times we’re facing in the world currently – climate change, environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, war + the weakening of democratic guardrails, over production of fashion….but interiors + our homes generally, seem to be getting more attention as we seek comfort + the metaphorical hearth of home.
Personally, I’ve found myself far more drawn to furniture, lighting + object d’art over the past few years, than a new fashion runway show. I don’t think I’m alone in feeling this way. Do you look at interior trends across the globe – eg Salone de Mobile - and do they influence you at all?
LH: I definitely pay attention to what’s happening internationally, including Salone and other major fairs, but probably more from a material or cultural perspective than a trend forecasting one. I’m really interested in seeing what technologies, finishes or fabrication methods people are experimenting with globally. I find work from other designers to be really inspiring, but I try not to draw too heavily from these sources, because I don’t want to lose my voice.
I do think there’s been a broader shift toward people valuing their spaces more deeply, especially after the last few years. Home has become tied much more closely to identity, comfort and emotional wellbeing, rather than just function.
Personally, I’m much more interested in objects or furniture that people form long-term relationships with, rather than things that cycle through trend periods very quickly. The broader shift in focus towards collectible design has resulted in a lot of interiors with the same 10 famous chairs, but I do think there’s a growing appetite for pieces that feel personal, tactile and emotionally resonant.
CW: Is your vision to be a one person show, always attached to the tools, or do you envisage building a team + producing in sustainable volume, thus getting your pieces into more interior spaces?
LH: I think I’ll probably always want to stay connected to the making process in some capacity because so much of my design process happens through physically testing things and solving problems in real time. Problem solving is one of the parts I enjoy most.
At the same time, I’d definitely love to expand my practice a little and collaborate with more brands and studios so the work can exist at a larger scale and reach more spaces. I’m not necessarily interested in becoming a huge production company, but I do like the idea of building a practice that can support more ambitious projects and collaborations while still keeping a strong design authorship behind it.
CW: What prompted the use of cactus ‘leather’ for the All Heaven Broke Loose exhibition? Why not cow leather?
LH: Part of it was sustainability-minded, and part of it was honestly just material curiosity. I started exploring alternative leathers while developing my 2025 solo exhibition Oxide for Melbourne Design Week. The work was already dealing with ideas around industrial waste streams, adaptation and material futures, so it felt important that the materials themselves were contributing to that conversation.
I became really interested in cactus leather because it sits in this strange middle ground of creating a new material from agricultural and food waste. It’s definitely not a perfect material, but it represents people actively trying to rethink what materials could look like in the future, and how we might replace existing, widely accepted systems with more sustainable alternatives. I find that experimentation really exciting.
Cow leather obviously has a long history within furniture, and I’m not necessarily interested in rejecting materials outright, but it also comes with serious environmental and ethical issues that are difficult to ignore. I’m interested in exploring what other options are out there, and how we can preserve the cultural significance and tactility of these materials while addressing the broader impact of how they’re traditionally produced.
CW: What does the next 12 months look like for you?
LH: I’ve recently worked on a terracotta design for New Volumes by Artedomus, so I'm really looking forward to that being released this year. In June I’m exhibiting work at 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen with Claire Delmar, and I’ll be showing at Fremantle Design Week later in the year. I’m also currently working on a second solo exhibition, so hopefully that comes together well!
Over the next 12 months I’d love to work with more brands on collaborative designs, I really enjoyed that process with New Volumes; being able to rely on their manufacturing expertise really frees me up to just focus on the design process, which has resulted in some really robust work.
Quick fire 5
1. Favourite tool in your studio + why.
My tape measure. I use it daily, and it’s housed in a beautiful hardwood shell. Objects that we use daily, no matter how mundane, should bring us joy to interact with.
2. One book every designer / creative should read.
The Nature and Art of Workmanship by David Pye is a great read for designers, a classic for delving into the value of handmade objects, so I would highly recommend that.
But to be honest my absolute favourite design book will always be 1000 Chairs by Charlotte Fiell. A bit on the nose I know, especially given the recent 100 chairs exhibition, but it really is a great read as a furniture designer. They’re always releasing updated versions too, so there are a few variations from the original 1997 version, and it’s great when you’re looking for a bit of design inspo.
3. Morning bird or night owl?
Night owl. If I can force myself up in the morning I actually get a lot more done, but that's often too big of a task.
4. Dream collaboration?
Oh, Loewe. They’re a brand that really celebrates craftsmanship and pushes design into places that are both chic and playful. They have a rich history of working with amazing designers and run the Craft Prize every year. I’d love to do something like design the chairs for a runway show, or collaborate on an accessory.
5. If Melbourne wasn’t home – dream city to live in?
Mexico City! It’s so vibrant and green and friendly, and the food is great. Plus the design scene is incredible there, it’s really robust and inclusive, and heavily supports local manufacturing. I absolutely LOVE Paris but I think that maybe it’s a much better place for me to visit regularly than to actually live.
You can find Locki + follow their work at:
- TikTok @locki.studio
- Website www.locki.au
- Current exhibition - Latitude, curated by Claire Delmar, at 3 Days of Design Copenhagen, 10th-12th June