Craft Futures: An exploration of craft livelihoods June 20 2019

Join us for Craft Futures, a presentation by Nora Kinnunen at Cafe Bar Pesula Fiskars.

Craft Futures explores Fiskars Village craft livelihoods. Based on Nora's PhD research, this presentation and discussion gives insight into the working lives of the local crafts practitioners. Nora will present key findings and open a discussion on the role of craft knowledge and skills in sustainable futures. As a redirective designer, Nora engages in research and practice to champion local craft, and advocates for craft futures as a re-imagining of a culture that is centred on craft as a sustainable mode of production and the basis for sustainable ways of living.

Saturday 29 June at 6 - 7.30pm at Cafe Bar Pesula Fiskars, Hälleforsintie 1, 10470 Fiskars.

Free entry, no booking necessary.

This event is part of the Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale Parallel Program.

Furniture restoration and upholstery classes December 22 2018

Bring your own furniture item to our furniture restoration and upholstery classes and learn how to re-upholster, restore and repair from master craftspeople Lasse and Helena Kinnunen. 

We are holding the classes at our Burleigh Heads workshop on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays between 12 January and 18 April 2019. For more information visit our course page or contact Helena on (07) 33965850 or info@dekadesign.com.au to discuss further.

Basel project July 22 2018

We have been working with our client over a period of time to supply custom furniture for their home in Basel, Switzerland. So far, the living and dining areas feature the Pietari table and credenza, with custom benches and dining chairs. 

The high polished finish and hand-crafted stainless steel detail by Lasse stand out as enduring features of our work.

Designed and manufactured by Helena and Lasse Kinnunen. 

Pietari table with custom bench and dining chair

Living room features the Pietari credenza

Pietari dining chair with its timber detail

Deka - Luxxbox collaboration November 10 2016

We are very excited to be joining the creative community at Luxxbox at their Eagle Farm workshop. Luxxbox and Deka Design have been collaborators for many years and see this as an opportunity to strengthen the bonds and continue to work together promoting the work of local designers and manufacturers.

In addition to exciting new collaborations, we are maintaining our normal production of our range of furniture, and will continue to custom design and manufacture high quality furniture for residential and commercial interiors.

To contact us please call on 07 3396 5850 or info@dekadesign.com.au . If you wish to visit, please contact us to make an appointment.

Luxxbox workshop
43 Kenyon Street 
Eagle Farm Qld 4009.

Talking craft and repair June 27 2016

It's been a busy week, Nora has been out and about talking about craft and repair.

Image: Artisan.

The Apprenticeship exhibition

To close The Apprenticeship exhibition, Nora joined Artisan's panel discussion about new learning pathways to craft skills. In an interesting dialogue with the panel and an engaged audience, the concensus was that the future is bright for craft given the renewed interest and developing momentum in craft and maker culture. However, it is only possible if craft is able to garner mass support from industry, government, patrons and the public. Given that some craft disciplines are facing skills shortages and many masters are approaching retirement, there is an urgency to formulate an understanding of what we need to sustain for the future viability of these practices. As was proposed on the night, perhaps it is time to introduce guilds in a re-imagined form that not only direct the development of the discipline but also provide support to the diverse ways that craft practitioners make a living out of what they do. At a time when government spending of the arts is decreasing, any long-term stability for craft will depend on grass-root actions that push the agenda of craft as a sustaining and sustainable mode of production and a significant contributor to local culture. Each of us share in that responsibility!  

Panelists: Roy Schack, Aaron Barton, Clare Kennedy and Nora Kinnunen, and chaired by Richard Stride.Thank you Artisan and all the artisans part of this valuable exhibition!

Furniture restoration demonstration
Nora's other interest is in cultures of repair, working towards ways of dealing with what we already have.

 
Work in progress.

Nora was joined by Rebecca Barnett at the Brisbane City Council's Acacia Ridge Tip Shop for a furniture restoration and upholstery demonstration. Onlookers asked about their own restoration projects and were given tips on how to do basic re-upholstery and restoration. There are many valuable pieces that make their way to the tip shops, and can be easily repaired, re-upholstered or restored. On Saturday 2 July, Nora and Rebecca will be at the Geebung Tip Shop working on completing this chair restoration. Come along to discuss restoration and browse the shop for your next little restoration project!

The Brisbane City Counci Tip Shops at Acacia Ridge and Geebung are the retail face of the Brisbane City Council's resource recovery initiatives, and are operated by the Endeavour Foundation to support their important work providing opportunities for people with a disability. More information about the tip shops here.

Artisan: The Apprenticeship panel discussion June 13 2016

The Apprenticeship exhibition at Artisan is an important look into the tradition of crafts skills which have been in steady decline due to external forces of mass production. Thirteen artisans tell a story of how they have pioneered their own pathways to gaining craft skills, and by doing so, asking us to re-imagine how we may be able to preserve them into the future. To close this exhibition, Nora will be joining a panel discussion that explores how new learning pathways may better serve craft practice in the future. The panel, chaired by Richard Stride, also includes woodworker Roy Schack, furniture maker Aaron Barton and brick maker Clare Kennedy.

The Apprenticeship panel discussion
At Artisan, 381 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley Qld 4006
Friday 24 June 2016, 6 - 7.30pm
More info on Artisan's website. 

DIY lamp shades February 14 2016

An easy way to brighten up an existing lamp is to make a new lamp shade. We make these leather and wool felt shades for the Ikea Kvart wall lamp and the Flos May Day lamp. But if you want to make one at home, it is very easy!

Materials:
One piece of leather or wool felt approx 45 x 45cm (for Ikea lamp) or 80 x 80cm (for Flos May Day lamp).
One open ended zipper in a complementing or contrasting colour (23cm for the Ikea lamp).

When covering an existing lamp shade with a new one, care must be taken so that the lamp does not overheat. Use an LED bulb that does not cause the cover to overheat.

Instructions:
1. Make a pattern on paper from your lamp.
2. Use this to cut your material.
3. Position and mark the zipper.
4. Sew the zipper in place.
5. You can also make a cover for the Ikea lamp wall mount by cutting a circle the 1cm larger than the mount, and a border 1cm wider than the thickness of the mount. Length is the circumference of the mount plus 1cm. Simply sew the edges together to form a cover.

Ikea Kvart lamp with DIY felt cover.

Felt cover

Flos May Day lamp with DIY leather cover.

Enrolments open for summer 2016 courses January 18 2016

We have opened enrolments for the 2016 summer season. Courses include Introductory Furniture Restoration, Intermediate Upholstery, and extended 10 weeks Chair Making Course and Woodworker's Workbench Making Courses.

For more information visit the School of Furniture.

Enrolments open for spring 2015 furniture restoration and upholstery courses July 05 2015

We have opened enrolments for our spring 2015 season of furniture restoration and upholstery courses. With the first commencing early October, these courses run over four consecutive Saturdays. For more information visit our School of Furniture webpage. 

Suitable for beginner to intermediate level, these hands-on courses will teach you how to strip, repair, finish and upholster a small piece of furniture. Courses are run by Lasse Kinnunen and Helena Kinnunen.

Fiskars summer store May 02 2015

Helena and Lasse will be opening our Fiskars summer store early May. Fiskars is a beautiful artisan village in southern Finland, a vibrant hub of creativity with many craftspeople, designers and artists. The summer store at the 'Toriliiteri' will include some pieces from our classic deka collection as well as a few newly launched pieces, including Lasse's new cabinet Oksa.

New Zamu chair and Lasse's Oksa cabinet.

January restoration and upholstery course photos February 28 2014

The students of the January course completed their projects beautifully! Each project needed a full strip down and structural repair. Old webbings and waddings were replaced, surface finishes were applied, fabrics were selected, new cushions made and upholstery completed.  Here are a few before and after photos.

 
Children's chair before and after

 
Lounge chair before and after

 
Lounge chair before and after

Summer/autumn season furniture restoration and upholstery courses January 21 2014

Deka Design's School of Furniture has now scheduled all the restoration and upholstery courses for this summer/autumn season, January - April.

In addition to the first course running Saturdays from 25th January, we now have courses running on either Tuesdays, Thursdays or Fridays during February, March and April. These have been designed to give students access at times that suit them better during the week. The student may chose between 10 x 3-hour sessions or 6 x 3-hour sessions depending on the scale of their project. For more information visit our courses page.

The School of Furniture will take a break from courses during May - August 2014 so the next restoration and upholstery courses for 2014 will run in the spring season beginning September.

Restoration and upholstery course starting January 25th January 13 2014

The next furniture restoration and upholstery course will commence January 25th 2014. It will run over five consecutive Saturdays.

For more information click here or to enrol email info@dekadesign.com.au.

Design and Craft Tour of Finland December 13 2013

Deka Design Traveller is organising a Design and Craft Tour of Helsinki and Southern Finland in July-August 2014.

Join this nine-day tour to experience inspiring design, craft and architecture destinations. See woodworkers in their workshop, meet the artists of Fiskars Village and visit local exhibitions. And as the long summer days linger, enjoy local Finnish food and a lakeside sauna to relax.

We are taking expressions of interest. For more information please contact Nora at info@dekadesign.com.au .