Tom Fereday’s ‘Mazer’ tables inject organic curves in brutalist forms

What is the role of objects today? Do they exclusively purvey functionality or do they strive to make an aesthetic statement, or perhaps both? Creative ventures are often prone to encountering such dichotomies: beauty versus function, minimalism versus the eccentric, contemporary design versus the humble natural materials, so on and so forth. Despite countless examples where the supposed disparities juxtapose, there is a palpable tension between their approach and tenets. This thin line of tension that cleaves one from the other piques the curiosity of designer Tom Fereday—his oeuvre emanating from diligent inquiries.

Working across Europe and Australia, Fereday creates furniture design, lighting design and objects that celebrate the materials and the manufacturing process through the principles of honest design. The designer now breathes life into a series of geometric tables adorned with subtle organic carved forms. Dubbed Mazer, the series of tables adds to the existing Mazer products, a credenza and a chair. The collection is an ode to natural timber and meshes strict brutalist forms of the body with soft organic cutaways. “The collection was inspired by the simple combination of a bowl and a table, a functional table design with [an] added flare of organic sculpted forms for loose items. The combination allows the pieces to work as side tables, bedside tables and even larger tables and credenzas,” the designer says.

Born in Australia, Fereday grew up in London studying sculpture and graphic design at the Wimbledon School of Art. He then moved to Australia to complete his education in Industrial Design at the University of Technology Sydney. Currently working in Europe and Australia the product designer found his sole practice in 2012. Ensnared by the tension between natural materials and contemporary design, Fereday contrives unique designs propelled ahead by an act of inquiring what an object of today is. His thoughtful work, guided by the essence of materials and manufacturing, subtly explores innovation. His creations have gained traction internationally through collaborations with brands such as Louis Vuitton, Alessi, Stellarworks and Herman Miller and exhibited across international galleries and furniture fairs.

In the Mazer tables, Fereday pursues the delicate beauty and materiality of timber through simple yet inviting silhouettes. “The collection is built on the principle of honest design. I try to create works that celebrate the materials and manufacture behind furniture and objects, guiding considered and thoughtful design outcomes that explore the notion of quiet innovation,” the furniture designer shares. The gently curving cutaways on the wooden furniture sit in a harmonious disagreement with the clean, perpendicular lines of the tables—fueling an intriguing dialogue. Talking about the process of creation of the Mazer series, Fereday notes, “Cutting through such a thickness of timber can reveal timber characters and variations in colour that may be unexpected however we see this as the beauty and unique element of working with timber with no single table having the same appearance.”

This cohesive language of organic cutaways is conspicuous in the Mazer chair as well, with the rounded carvings defining the chair design’s armrests and backrest. Furthermore, the semantics of thoughtful apertures are reflected in another product design, Cor, Fereday’s creative collaboration with Agglomerati that celebrated natural stone. In another recent endeavour in partnership with Eco Outdoor, the designer introduced the Mano series. The collection encompassed Mano bricks, hand-cast modular bricks made from 70 percent recycled glass, and Mano block, presented in the form of a limited edition series of sculptural tables made out of 70 percent recycled glass and 30 per cent quartz sand resulting in a raw, unique textured lustre. The modular design spoke of the optical properties of glass and the potential of materials deemed to be at the ‘end-of-life.’

Fereday continues his creative escapades, now working on larger table versions of the collection and unique natural stone versions set to launch in 2024. With each new piece, he reiterates his commitment to natural materials—making them the protagonist and shining light on their boundless potential.