For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated by the discarded.  It must have been my grandfather who first awakened this interest.  He was like a bower bird in his lifetime of collecting things neglected and often landfill-worthy spending hours hidden away in his outdoor shed transforming them into new treasures.

Growing up I was always collecting things from ceramic tea pots to potties and making leather bags, macramé hangings and weavings to put into the Royal Melbourne Show.  After graduating from University and spending ten years living in London, I eventually made my way home to Melbourne, Australia.  Not long home, the sudden and very sad death of my Dad lead to me rekindling my love of using my hands to make things and my label, the crown jewels, began. 

On one of my annual London trips I was lucky enough to have my jewellery range bought by Paul Smith. This is a relationship I still have today, supplying seasonal collections to his 15 plus stores in London, Milan, Paris, New York, LA and Tokyo….

An opportunity to refurbish an iconic Melbourne basement bar lead me to create a whole body of site-specific furniture and lighting which launched me from my jewellery making focus, to one that now includes interiors, objects and furnishings.

Since then, I have worked on numerous projects creating one-off pieces including the feature French Tea Towel Chairs for the Guillaume Brahimi Restaurant at the Melbourne Crown Casino, retail fit-outs for the Joe Black men’s tailoring stores, and numerous one-off light fittings for the much acclaimed Ivy Bar, (including restaurants and private club) in Sydney, Australia.

I draw inspiration from the discarded and am inspired to give them new charm.  I collect in a magpie-like fashion from auction houses, curio shops and flea markets around the world. By employing old materials in new products I find it inspiring to be able to incorporate the unique histories of each item I use. I daydream of the stories past told and ones to be re-lived once the piece takes on a new form and owner. I don’t think I really make anything new.  I just make new connections. I put things together which are not supposed to be together and hope that by my works’ celebration of colour and the juxtaposing the old with the new, my pieces make people smile.

Each piece whether it be a chair, light or neckpiece, is all handmade in

my sun drenched Melbourne studio, filled with imagination and love.

With endless joy,

suzie stanford xxx

designer & finder