Meet Dale & Adam co founders of Dowel Jones 

Born out of a university partnership in 2014, Dale Hardiman and Adam Lynch have been growing their business and enhancing the interiors of both domestic and commercial spaces with their inspired and robust designs ever since.

Based in Geelong, Dowel Jones focus on quality craftsmanship and good design. They have won numerous awards for products both nationally and internationally and we are proud to have collaborated with them on many of our projects.  

In what ways do you think furniture design is different to other design disciplines?

Furniture pieces are very intimate and personal, as we spend most of our days either touching or being surrounded by them. Furniture and designed objects are incredibly interesting typologies, as they are so widely understood in their use that they can easily communicate broader concepts, e.g. societal issues, the environment (other than sitting comfortably). As objects such as furniture can be created within a day, they are great markers of history. 

What changes has the industry seen this decade and what do you consider the main drivers of change will be over the next decade?

We’ve seen a rise in interest from the public and industry for transparency, where the things we fill our homes and interiors with are made and how they are made. We see the main drivers of change over the next 10 years will be accountability, websites and social media can paint a very different picture to what a company is really doing and thinking! The largest change the industry has seen in the last 10 years is the rise of social media and the potential to reach huge audiences without needing to spend huge sums of money on advertising. A brand like ours can produce its first product, and reach 1,000s if not 10,000s of people without leaving their home in their first year of operation. 

What is it about the idea of ‘never growing up’ that influenced the piece recently acquired by the NGV, and how does your personal philosophy find its way into what you do?

The Never Grow Up piece originally came from the idea of bringing something back from an international exhibition, with it’s creation taking place within the exhibition, rather than sending over a completed work. The Never Grow Up concept explored when we are younger, we are far less constrained with our creativity, we draw on everything, without ego, which can be a kind of meditation. The actual work we would say, was the act of the people freely marking the bench, knowing they couldn’t amend or change what they had drawn. Pieces such as Never Grow Up allow us to explore our personal philosophies in a more profound way, outside of needing to be a comfortable chair at a particular price point.