#samplebrew

Sherwood Gutterz, Design Studio Steve Abbott and Matt Turner are the faces behind Sherwood Gutterz, a multi-disciplinary design studio based in Melbourne. With a focus on aesthetic and ideation, the boys like to term themselves designers and makers who work in both tactile and digital realms. 

For Sample Brew, they certainly left the latter behind. Their concept  - a table for conversations - was all about tactility, fine materials and getting people together. 

What more could Sample Brew really ask for? 

What attracted you to the concept of ‘gold is the only love’ and how did it inform the result you produced?  


We saw gold as the pedestal we put things we love on. It’s a natural occurrence to create a pedestal, whether physically or subconsciously for the things that are true and the things we love. The piece was aimed at acknowledging this.

What tools and/or technologies did you utilise in the work process of the piece you created?

Once designed, the brass top was cut with a precision cnc router which allowed the smaller details within the design to be cut. The brass core was turned to create the thread, which we then attached to the hand cut Red Gum base. We then went liberal with Brasso and elbow grease, heaps of elbow grease!


As designers is there a particular characteristic that you feel makes your work unique?


We are constantly evolving as designers/ makers. We love to explore ways in which we can present a brand through means of print, online and visual objects like light boxes and signage. These all work to evolve an identity and we get to be in contact with all facets of the design process and build. 

Jonathan Zawada said that the most effective way to think about a creative solution is not to think about it at all. Do you agree?

Not quite. If we didn’t think about our design process or our creative solutions then we’d most likely be drinking pints at The Napier.

Experimentation is the leading method Sample Brew uses to break the opinion of norms both in perception and production. How do you utilise experimentation in your own work?

Without experimentation our work/we wouldn’t exist. We’re addicts of learning so experimentation is a common guest in our approach.


Last but not least, describe Gold Ale in five words or less. 

Golden Sun / Mysterious Black 

Jonathan Ben-Tovim, Industrial Designer 

Jonathan Ben-Tovim of Ben-Tovim Design is tall and good-looking - but don’t let this sidetrack you from his work. His Melbourne based industrial design consultancy, Ben-Tovim Design create lighting and furniture that speaks for itself. All crafted locally, Jonathan’s approach is admirable; explore new materials and processes without losing sight of how design should fit into people’s lives. 

Born in Zimbabwe, Jonathan studied Industrial Design in Adelaide and finalised his Masters at the renowned Design Academy Eindhoven before finally settling in Melbourne in 2010. 

Good move Jonathan. 

What attracted you to the concept of ‘gold is the only love’ and how did it inform the result you produced?  

I’m always looking for interesting collaborations that might lead me to designing something I might not otherwise think of. This concept pushed me to create some kind of narrative associated with the work which was fun to explore.

What tools and/or technologies did you utilise in the work process of the piece you created?

I reconfigured some existing shades that I have used for other lights. The coatings I applied were new experiments. I applied a chemical formula to one part of the shade, which created the green patina. This was the first time I had experimented with this kind of surface treatment.

As a designer are there particular characteristics that you feel makes your work unique?

I don’t really believe in the idea of artists or designers being ‘unique’. Every artist is a continuation of the current body of work that is out there, combined with their own life experience. 

Jonathan Zawada said previously that the most effective way to think about a creative solution is not to think about it at all. Do you agree?

I interpret this as sometimes the best solutions for creative ideas come when you are away from your work and thinking about other things. I have experienced this often. It is hard to be creative sitting at your desk every day. But when you are in the shower or riding a bike; this is often when clarity finds you.

Experimentation is the leading method we use to break the opinion of norms both in perception and production. How do you utilise experimentation in your own work?

I guess like most designers experimentation comes when I am making things by hand. This might be playing with new materials or testing a prototype. The best experiments for design involve getting your hands dirty.

Last but not least, describe Gold Ale in five words or less. 

Fruity slap in the chops.

Lucky Prawn, Artistic Co-operative

The name’s the first oddity; Lucky Prawn. Then you meet the duo. Fred is shorter than Laura. Laura is prettier than Fred. They look fun. They are fun, but most of all - they embody ideas. And that’s what really counts, right? 

A shop, a studio and creative co-operative, Lucky Prawn is Laura Clauscen & Fred Mora – two creatives who both stem from a background in art direction, experiential design and curatorial practices – and that’s pretty much what they do now.

Working independently and in collaboration with others, Lucky Prawn cultivate, capture and distribute exciting online and offline content ranging from the land of art, publishing and even food. 

For Sample Brew, they created Gold Unattainable. It really was. We’ll let them explain it. 

What attracted you to the concept of ‘gold is the only love’ and how did it inform the result you produced?  

For Lucky Prawn the ethereal nature of gold is seeded deep within its unattainability. Inevitably, throughout our lives we attempt to fabricate the things we cant have. We created a machine that is both aspirational and utopian, a perfect construction that could not create gold.

What tools and/or technologies did you utilise in the work process of the piece you created?

Beginners carpentry, power tools, YouTube tutorials, laborious Bunning’s visits, salvaged mechanical elements, favors, powder coating, Ute Hire and sound design by Alex Albrecht.  

As a designers is there a particular characteristic that you feel makes your work unique?

Lucky Prawn outcomes rely on personality beyond aesthetics. Erotic, playful and macabre undertones often punctuate our work.  And because our artistic practice isn’t particularly specialised, we have no limitations on the creative outcomes we yield. We will often jump from one trade or material to the next, bypassing rudimentary actualities to get to a unique solution using only calculated naivety.  

Jonathan Zawada said that the most effective way to think about a creative solution is not to think about it at all. Do you agree?

For us, inevitably the solution we think we have naturally progresses into a better solution by the end of the project. Like Zawada it is important for us to let the process run its course, this usually includes feasts over steaming Kimchi hotpots or a trawl through the hardware store. For each project there are many Lucky Prawn solutions, for us it is important to settle on the one that feels suddenly right.

Experimentation is the leading method Sample Brew uses to break the opinion of norms both in perception and production. How do you utilise experimentation in your own work?

Experimentation fuels Lucky Prawn outcomes. For us, conceptualisation and ideation comes hot and fast, but it is the precarious experimentation required to guide a project to fruition that gives us strong and original results. 

Last but not least, describe Gold Ale in five words or less. 

Mathery, Product and Industrial Designers

Erika Zorzi and Matteo Sangalli are the duo behind Mathery - a design studio from Milan, Italy that works across product and industrial design, video and photography. 

Although they haven’t been in Melbourne long, the charming pair has certainly made their mark on the city (and beyond). Their colourful and quirky Fruit Wares Collection and the very unforgettable kids-only space at the NGV will surely make you want more.

We were lucky enough to snatch these lovely Italian imports for the limited edition golden Fruit Wares collection. 

What attracted you to the concept of ‘gold is the only love’ and how did it inform the result you produced?  

Our projects are normally a splash of colour - we’ve never worked with gold before. We’ve never felt ready for it for we had too many expectations! When we saw this luxurious material on the outside of our Fruit Wares it gave justice to the intricate texture of the fruit skins our homewares are made from.

What tools and/or technologies did you utilise in the work process of the piece you created?

We cast resin in silicone moulds made from model composed by real fruit skin.

As designers is there a particular characteristic that you feel makes your work unique?

We are very direct. We like the idea that we can communicate with people through our objects. Our work is intuitive, and at the same time, a discovery.

Jonathan Zawada said that the most effective way to think about a creative solution is not to think about it at all. Do you agree?

We think that sometimes a light bulb works better when switched off. So yes, when you think too much about having an idea… it just doesn’t arrive! 

Experimentation is the leading method Sample Brew uses to break the opinion of norms both in perception and production. How do you utilise experimentation in your own work?

Experimentation is our job, is what sits between the idea and the final product, we wouldn’t do anything interesting if we would be stuck into the classic idea of design. Experimentation is the desire of a change. Keep your hands dirty!

Last but not least, describe Gold Ale in five words or less. 

Buo-nis-si-ma! 

Welfe Bowyer,  Jewellery Designer

You can see the architectural influence in the details of WELFE’s work. Crosses and rings look like shapes you’d read about in Fountainhead or some fantastical history. Even his eroded textures bear an element of this fascinating interpretation. A predominantly self-taught jeweller, Welfe Bowyer (originally from New Zealand) is a Melbourne based jewellery designer obsessed with texture and materiality. 

His designs are like lost heirlooms, geometries created centuries ago, now re-discovered. Their eroded forms allude to intricately designed geometries from an alternate history.

Enjoy it all before he packs up for Paris never to return. 

What attracted you to the concept of ‘gold is the only love’ and how did it inform the result you produced?  For me, working in gold is mostly for special occasions such as weddings. Using gold is a direct bi-product of someone's love. So it made sense to work with this material. There was no other choice  - there's no substitute for the real thing. 

What tools and/or technologies did you utilise in the work process of the piece you created? 

The Gold Cap was created by manipulating a wax mould of the Sample bottle cap. The wax was then set in plaster, melted out and replaced with 9ct gold.

As a designer and/or artist is there a particular characteristic that you feel makes your work unique? 

Texture and structure. I create strong geometric forms and then apply unique hand made textures that look eroded, corroded and pitted.

Jonathan Zawada said that the most effective way to think about a creative solution is not to think about it at all.  Do you agree?

 Yes. Go with your first instinct.

Experimentation is a key method Sample Brew uses to break norms both in perception and production. How do you utilise experimentation in your own work?

Each new design is different and I'm not sure how it will come out until it is finished, so every piece for me is an experiment. I experiment with form, texture and materials.

Last but not least, describe Gold Ale in five words or less.

The real thing.