The result of a collaboration between an established Tasmanian furniture manufacturer, Designs in Timber and Brisbane based designer, Alex Lotersztain, One/Third has brought the cream of Australia’s designers together to produce a large collection of highly crafted items in Tasmanian Oak. The name One/Third was chosen to express the importance of each of the three pillars under which the brand operates - design, craftsmanship and quality.
The 'Cubo' modular shelving system by Alex Lotersztain is a combination of lacquered cubes in any of six colours and Tasmanian oak shelves. The boxes can be open or with hinged doors. In the vertical storage form without shelves, it can be stacked 5 cubes high.
Lotersztain not only contributes several of his own designs to the brand but is also it’s artistic director. Brett and Rebecca Gray of Designs in Timber approached Lotersztain to help them create a younger, more design focused brand which would use the companies 50 years of experience in the furniture industry to create competitive Australian products in solid timber. Lotersztain’s design ability and proven track record with companies such as Stylecraft (who have distributed Lotersztain’s highly successful Derlot Editions brand since 2008) made him the obvious choice to direct the artistic side of things, leaving the Grays to concentrate on prototyping and manufacturing.
Adam Goodrum's 'Tub' armchair uses identical timber components as the 'Tub' side table and merely adds a hidden wrap around shell and upholstery.
Goodrum's 'Tub' armchair bench is a delightful combination of armchair and long side table for commercial environments.
Launched in August 2012, the brand’s first collection included two designs by Lotersztain , the ‘Cubo’ modular storage system and the ‘Solid’ table and stools along with three designs by Helen Kontouris, Adam Goodrum and Jon Goulding - 'Penelope', 'Tub' and 'Splay'. All are veterans of the Australian design scene with Kontouris and Goodrum being two of very few Australian designers to have been successful internationally. Two older designs from Designs in Timber, the ‘Husk’ table and bench and 'Tim' and 'Tom' bar stools (both from 2011) were also released as part of the first collection.
Jon Goulder's 'Splay' table in a black stain and in natural Tasmanian oak from One/Third's first collection in 2012.
Helen Kontouris' 'Penelope' table uses light bands of steel in conjunction with a solid oak top. Offered in various colours, three diameters and two heights, the table broaches both residential and commercial environments.
2013 saw a slight change in direction for the brand with the more obvious use of metal components. A new scissor-leg stool design called ‘Lever’ by Launceston based designer Matt Prince was added and a very rustic lighting design called ‘Log’ by Duncan Meerding. In October the same year Lotersztain added a new system of tables and benches using a metal bracket joint system to create highly cost effective assembly and to make a focal point of the coloured joints. Ross Gardam, who is a regular designer for the Stylecraft brand also joined the One/Third family with his ‘Asymmetry’ side tables that combine fine metal rod with a turned timber top. This natural growth of ideas and materials has created a more diverse look to the collection broadening the application of the brand in restaurant fit outs and other commercial spaces.
Ross Gardam's 'Asymmetry' coffee and side tables look weirdly tangled but are actually based on a precise geometric form. The tops are in solid timber.
Matthew Prince's 'Lever' barstools offer a unique approach to the genre.
The 'Bracket' range by Alex Lotersztain includes a bench and table with metal legs that form the joint. Deceptively simple, the detailing in the inside of the leg is beautifully resolved.
Jon Goulding, now Creative Director of the Furniture Studio at Adelaide’s Jam Factory, also added a new piece to accompany his earlier ‘Splay’ side table in the form of a finely upholstered armchair and later in the year, a rocking chair.
Jon Goulder's armchair addition to the 'Splay' range. The chair is now also joined by a rocker version.
“There are plenty of manufacturers here in Australia but what is lacking is an openness to risk taking. Working with design-orientated products isn’t on many manufacturers radar. Brett and Rebecca Gray from Designs in Timber were courageous enough to believe in the role designer’s play and adamant that it all be made locally and to the highest standard”. Adam Goodrum, designer, One/Third.
Most of the One /Third first and second collections displayed on the factory floor.
Goulder's 'Splay' range consisting of an armchair and side table are shown here in stained black Tasmanian oak. They have subsequently been joined by a rocking chair version of the armchair in late 2013. A Helen Kontouris 'Penelope' side table looks on from the left of the frame.