Melbourne Design Week, presented by the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) and Creative Victoria, is Australia’s largest international design event. Bringing together creatives from around the globe, it’s an opportunity to exchange ideas and consider how design can be a positive force in today’s world.

Now in its eighth year, the incredible 11-day program spans exhibitions, workshops, talks, installations and other gatherings that showcase unique crafts, innovative concepts and exceptional talent.

The annual Melbourne Design Week Award is a pivotal part of the program. Proudly presented by Major Partner Mercedes-Benz, it recognises the outstanding contribution of an artist or designer to the event and the Australian design industry.

A&A – a collaboration between Sydney-based industrial designer Adam Goodrum and French marquetry artisan Arthur Seigneur – were the recipients of this year’s Award, which recognised their mesmerising new work, The Kissing Cabinet.

Cabinet of curiosities

With a focus on collectible design objects, A&A uses the centuries-old craft of straw marquetry to bring each of their works to life. The 17th-century French tradition involves flattening, splitting and cutting fine stems of hand-dyed straw before manually applying them to furniture.

The Kissing Cabinet is a continuation of this intricate practice. A contemporary reimagining of classical furniture, the tall, sinuous structure is embellished with vibrantly coloured rye straw – and is instantly recognisable thanks to its bold palette and unique materiality.

“We don't come from a culture of straw marquetry. We have this freedom here,” says Adam. “I think because of that, we've been able to create these pieces which are very different to anything that has been created before.”

Adam recalls meeting a French-born journalist in Australia whose fingernails were painted in a rainbow of contrasting colours. She told him that she’d never be able to do that in Paris – but she could here. Adam saw a connection between her colourful nails and the playful hues, patterns and shapes in A&A’s work; the “riot of colour” they like to experiment with departs from the “conservative palette” that is traditionally associated with straw marquetry.

Currently on show at Melbourne’s Tolarno Galleries until June 1, The Kissing Cabinet is a captivating piece of artistry filled with sophisticated mechanisms and curiosities. When opened, the whimsical form unfolds to reveal an array of secret compartments; upon closing, the shapes converge like a pair of kissing lips.

“[The Kissing Cabinet] has these little hidden drawers that, when the cabinets close, you don't know they’re there – but you've got to open the cabinet to get to it,” explains Adam. “And then even where they are, you require a magnet to open it, to get inside the compartment that's hiding a secret.”

‘The gold of the poor’

Understanding the history of French straw marquetry makes A&A’s work that much more remarkable.

Despite the material’s shimmery look and silky feel, it was historically a very low-cost practice; destitute nuns and convicts used it to craft small items they could sell for much-needed funds. For this reason, it was referred to as ‘the gold of the poor’.

Arthur credits two French designers, André Groult and Jean-Michel Frank, for reviving straw marquetry in the 20th century and using it to make contemporary patterns during the Art Deco era. In fact, Arthur’s teacher, Lison de Caunes, happens to be André's granddaughter. “[She] brought straw marquetry back to where it is today,” Arthur says.

Today, there aren’t many still working with this material. Arthur is one of the few artists – if not the only one – schooled in this craft in Australia.

The French tradition was new to Adam when the pair met in Sydney. “[Arthur] introduced himself and showed me this beautiful technique of straw marquetry that I'd never seen before,” says Adam.

Both designers were drawn to the possibility of adorning objects with straw – and given that their studios were only a few hundred metres apart at the time, it felt natural for them to start working together.

Their very first creation in 2018 – Bloom cabinet – currently sits in the NGV’s collection. Bloom has the striking look of a flowering lotus: its vivid bands of colour came from 4320 strips of rye straw, all individually dyed and expertly applied by hand. The cabinet took over 400 hours to finish.

Since then, A&A’s works have become more and more ambitious. Even after Arthur relocated to Melbourne, the pair continued to work closely to refine their ideas.

“Once we come up with the form, then we start applying the pattern and the colour,” Adam says. “Often our newest work has been some evolution of the previous work, so there's normally some link between it.”

Designing the world they want

A&A’s unique creations resonate with Melbourne Design Week’s current theme – ‘design the world you want’ – in many ways.

“Today we live in a bit of a fast-fashion society where everything has to be done quickly,” says Arthur. “And the beauty of straw marquetry is that we can take our time … and we really want to work something until it's refined enough.”

With the Australian Fashion Council estimating around 227,000 tonnes of unwanted clothing ends up in landfill each year in Australia (while the average Australian buys 56 pieces of clothing annually), there’s something truly remarkable about a design studio that once spent many months crafting a single object out of 16,000 individual straw ribbons.

“The role of design inherently is to make our world a better place,” says Adam. He hopes audiences will connect with their timeless heirloom pieces. “There's no use-by date.”

The pair are always considering ways to make their designs more sustainable. Currently, they are looking into growing their own straw – rather than sourcing it from specialty producers in Burgundy, France. Not only would this help them reduce their carbon footprint, it would also allow them to be involved in every aspect of the creative process and foster a deeper connection to their craft.

This outlook undoubtedly played a role in A&A winning the 2024 Melbourne Design Week award. Adam says it felt “bloody great” to be recognised.

“We were honoured,” Arthur says. “Melbourne Design Week is definitely the most important design event in Australia.”

To commemorate A&A’s achievement and mark the launch of Melbourne Design Week 2024, the all new Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV was wrapped in their award-winning marquetry-style pattern-work. Curved lines embellish the EQE SUV’s generous surfaces, emphasising the car’s sleek silhouette and sporty proportions.

“To see it on the Mercedes-Benz is really cool,” says Adam.

Artistry and engineering have always been intertwined, particularly when it comes to functional design. A&A’s considered approach to design resonates with the “incredibly well-made” all-electric EQE SUV – which is complete with high-quality synthetic leather upholstery and recycled plastics throughout the interior.

More broadly, A&A’s commitment to designing for the future is a vision that Mercedes-Benz shares. Beyond the electrification of our vehicle fleet, we continue to strive toward more extensive use of recycled materials and renewable energies in production as part of our Ambition 2039 initiative.

Mercedes-Benz is proud to be Major Partner of Melbourne Design Week 2024, presented by the National Gallery of Victoria and Creative Victoria. Learn more about Melbourne Design Week here.