BOHEMIAN rhapsody
With its wonderfully idiosyncratic mix of vintage 20th-century furniture, lighting, art and objects, Redfern’s Rudi Rocket is a mecca for stylists and designers seeking the outré and unexpected.
WHAT WERE SOME OF YOUR EARLY CREATIVE INFLUENCES? Simone: Our home was lled with beautiful objects and original art. Though not high-end, they were colourful and stylish with a European aesthetic my parents brought from Germany. I studied at Sydney College of the Arts, which opened my world to design in all its forms, and worked as an interior architect for 20 years. Rudi: My father was an industrial designer for a lighting manufacturer in the 1960s and 70s, which started my appreciation and love for vintage lighting. We always had interesting lamps and prototypes at home. I studied art and now make sculptural pieces. WHEN DID YOU START COLLECTING AND HOW DID RUDI ROCKET COME ABOUT? S: I started serious collecting as a design student, wanting objects I couldn’t nd in department stores, seeing beauty in vintage design. Collecting is my life! R: From early on I collected interesting objects, from industrial to art pieces, and this has in uenced my sculpture. Rudi Rocket came about as a collaboration between us and our desire to create more than just a retail shop. We wanted it to be about the experience and the joy of discovering unique pieces and to show how a mix of styles, designs and eras can work together. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR APPROACH TO COLLECTING? S+R: It’s not always about a known or famous designer or artist. We use a ‘gut feeling’ approach and collect objects, furniture and art that we love. We look at the object, the proportions, use of colour and the design. We love nding something unique and a little left- eld. IS THERE A PARTICULAR ERA OR STYLE THAT RESONATES WITH YOU? S: I love postmodern design, 1970s Italian furniture, brutalist ceramics and 1950s modernist textiles. R: Bauhaus design lighting, Australian and British modernist artists, brutalist architecture. WHAT APPEALED ABOUT YOUR LOCATION? S+R: Redfern has an edgy vibe and bohemian atmosphere, a little unpredictable, with a great mix of new and old – perfect for our unique shop we opened in 2011. COULD YOU DESCRIBE A TYPICAL WORKDAY? S+R: There isn’t one: our days vary from working with designers and stylists, customer requests and enquiries to sourcing for the shop, restoring furniture, arranging shop displays and researching new vintage pieces. There is always more to discover about vintage designers and artists. WHAT DO YOU ENJOY ABOUT THE WORK YOU DO? S+R: It is very satisfying to see restored pieces come back to life and then head to their new home. The excitement of seeing our vintage pieces in beautiful homes and commercial projects. And, of course, the excitement of nding new amazing vintage pieces for the shop. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE PIECES IN THE SHOP NOW? S: Charlotte Perriand ‘LC7’ swivel chairs, mid-century Danish teak cabinet by Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, and 1970s Italian glass and chrome coffee table. R: An abstract expressionist painting by John Peart, Verner Panton ‘Panthella’ lamp and Vico Magistretti chair. WHAT ARE SOME DREAM PIECES THAT YOU WOULD LOVE TO SOURCE? R: 1920s Bauhaus table lamp by Marianne Brandt and Australian abstract painting by Yvonne Audette. S: 1950s French ceramic by Roger Capron and any postmodern design piece by Ettore Sottsass. (But they wouldn’t make it to the shop, we would have to keep them!) WHICH OTHER DESIGNERS, ARTISTS, FILMMAKERS AND ARCHITECTS DO YOU ADMIRE? S+R: So many! Gordon Andrews, Keith Haring, Albert Tucker, Wes Anderson, Pierre Paulin and Harry Seidler. WHAT PROJECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO IN THE COMING YEAR? S+R: Continuing to work with designers and stylists who choose to mix our vintage pieces with contemporary design.
0488 990 490; instagram.com/rudirocket