Ross Longmuir of planet (SURRY HILLS)

planet is a universe of possibility and a stable of sustainable Australian design in Surry Hills. Launching the careers of leading ceramicists, as well as housing owner Ross Longmuir’s bespoke Australian hardwood furniture designs, what started small has become an impressive mountain. The showroom’s emphasis on the unusual and the sustainable is selected from a diverse and dynamic range of makers, “planet’s objective is to make the world a more beautiful place.”

How did your journey start?
In 1991 I realised that I had a passion for furniture, yet there was little available that I would want at home, so in the Bauhaus tradition I decided to learn design through working with materials and technology directly. For five years full time I built furniture in Melbourne. In this time I met many other talented makers of other items for the home. So when I relocated to Sydney in 1997 it made sense to show their work alongside mine at planet.

Can you talk us through the aesthetic and function of the showroom?
I see planet showroom as an easily navigated storehouse of basics for the home, that have a level of quality that derives from beautiful raw materials, crafted to the best standards. We also group similar items, so that the large space can be navigated easily. Planet pioneered the display of decorative arts in context in room settings, rather than in the artifice of a white cube gallery.

Who do you admire abroad?
Unfortunately I am actually too busy doing what I do, to survey accurately the whole scene, however so many designers are to be admired. Gerrit Rietveld is my touchstone for furniture. I often stop and think, ‘what would he have made of this?’.

The Australian makers supported by planet have an ethical focus across materials and production. How is this monitored/encouraged?
I feel that it is the role of designers to follow thinking that simply makes sense and ethics are a good part of this. I look for all items to be made of materials that are sourced responsibly, to be made by people who are not being exploited and to end up with items that will have a long life. Simply we try to choose more items that maximise more of these qualities.

Can you talk us through the tradition of craftsmanship you’re applying in your bespoke furnishing designs?
Australian hardwoods are mostly three times denser than hardwoods from elsewhere in the world. The First Fleet on their arrival at Sydney Cove declared that the timber here was useless for anything because it was too hard to cut! Now furniture making is rather more mechanised than in 1788. In Australia, we do actually have a huge tradition of timber furniture craftsmanship, so combined with intelligent design and custom service I love what we can achieve in this design conscious age. When I began using Australian hardwoods in contemporary designs, other furniture makers told me that it couldn’t be done. Nineteen years of making furniture has passed and we have ended up with incredibly durable furniture that improves as it ages and is also beautiful. As a proportion of a person’s income furniture has also never been more affordable, so at planet we can use that advantage to custom build pieces to best suit a client’s home and lifestyle.

Is there particularly special story you’d like to share behind one of the products in-store?
India Flint is one of our textile designers who is committed to eco dyeing fabrics and lives on the land in a water challenged part of South Australia. She avoids even using salt to fix her colours. Through her book Ecocolour, and her blog she has redirected a great deal of interest in traditional techniques that save the world. We have a small selection of pieces from artwork to scarves to throws. Totally beautiful and totally green!

When it comes to apartment living and small spaces, what’s the key to keep home making?
Large pieces and fewer of them is always a good strategy to make small spaces work and of course making use of storage.

What’s Sydney’s best-kept secret? Sydney’s cultural life is so extensive yet so often overlooked. As well as being the home to the highest profile large arts companies, there is a huge depth of cultural events happening. So much originality supported by a huge audience. Currently we have just finished the Sydney Writer’s Festival, there is the Biennale over so many venues for three months, the Sydney Film festival as well as Vivid… and this is just in one month! Probably my favourite is the independent and privately underwritten Pinchgut Opera Company that stages one Baroque opera per year in December at Angel place. It’s contemporary and simply magic.

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