Tom Skeehan: Taking Canberra design to the world stage

When it comes to business, first impressions count. Local designer Tom Skeehan discovered this early in his career and followed his passion for industrial design, luxurious materials and minimalist flair to create a statement on the commercial scene.

Skeehan founded the design firm Skeehan Studio, based in Canberra, which produces commercial furniture, light and product design, adopting a material-minded process.

“I take a very material-driven approach to furniture design, allowing the materials used to form the works driving aesthetic, stripping a product back to its minimal form,” Skeehan says.

“The first few years of my career I was exploring where I wanted to work inside the design industry. I had studied industrial design at the University of Canberra and worked for a number of design studios and furniture makers after graduating.

“I began designing furniture for some local businesses and used this as a platform to launch my own studio.”

Skeehan’s style and keen eye for design has made an impact around the globe, but he will always be grateful for the support he has received from the local design community.

“Canberra has a very supportive community and I’m very proud to call it home. I travel a lot for work and do nearly all my business now interstate or overseas,” he says.

“However, Canberra is where it started; the local community here helped get me get a start in this industry, allowing me to test my products and grow my business with them. I’m proud to still be in Canberra and it’s great to see where some of these businesses are now.”

Although Skeehan reminisces about his humble beginnings, he says that, through his years of education locally and overseas, his approach and inspiration has evolved.

“It’s very important to identify a clear design brief to accurately lay out the products’ intentions and outcomes,” he says.

“I personally enjoy the earlier stages of a product’s development, pages upon pages of sketches and quick models. This is where the idea is at its biggest and you are slowly refining the concept. It’s the quickest and cheapest way to test an idea and fail quickly,” Skeehan says.

“Lately, I have been looking to architecture and the built environment for inspiration. I’m very interested in connections and how we engage with raw materials on a daily basis.

“If I was to reference a designer it would be Naoto Fukasawa and Tadao Ando. Both Japanese designers that continue to innovate and design with a material-minded process.”

Throughout our conversation it’s easy to see Canberra holds a special place in this designer’s heart. With his current workspace in the Australian National Capital Artists Studio (ANCA) in Mitchell, Skeehan provides a space for young creatives to collaborate and design freely, providing the same support he received by the community early in his career.

“It’s a fantastic space for local artists and designers to build up their studios and work in a collaborative environment.”

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Skeehan is already a household name, but over the past few years he has managed to have success with his designs on a global scale.

“We have just launched a new chair in Milan, the NAVE chair. It’s is the catalyst for a new collection for Stylecraft and will launch in Australia in September,” he says.

“I’ve also been working with some brands in New York for the past two years, hopefully we can share something with you by the end of the year.”

As a result, Skeehan and his team have secured an exciting few years ahead, both at home and abroad.

“The studio is growing and I’m trying to be patient and make sure we scale up sustainably,” he says.

“I’m interested in doing more in education, and currently am a guest tutor at the University of Canberra and at the New School in NYC.

“I have also recently welcomed my newborn son into the world and he is coming on his first trip to the US this week. He can’t hold a pen yet, but he loves sitting down all day … furniture designer in the making?”

For more on Skeehan and his work visit:

stylecraft.com.au/ or skeehan.com.au

Follow Skeehan on Instagram

@skeehanstudio