Launched in 2018, New Volumes has quickly become the genesis for new Australian design expression, marrying people, design, materiality and their stories. Its first collection saw New Volumes invite eight Australian designers to submit their concepts for furniture, lighting and accessories which would then be made from Elba, an exquisitely beautiful natural stone which is highly sought-after for its marble-like qualities.

Each design started its journey as a sketch, before it was collaboratively developed and then crafted into a beautiful, functional, collectible piece. As a body of work, the collection brings new dimension and beauty to its Artedomus Elba materiality.

Since that first collection, New Volumes under the guidance of Creative Director, Thomas Coward, has expanded its dialogue around materiality-led design to include a Terracotta Collection, with a third all-new collection tipped for 2025-26.

For this polished and statuesque collection of furniture and accessory pieces, Thomas handpicked the designers and guided them through their design journey.

One of the collaborators was the inimitable Melbourne designer and renowned creative director, Marsha Golemac, who felt a very personal connection with her piece, Spomenik I.

“It reflects my Croatian heritage, particularly my deep admiration for Yugoslavian Brutalist monuments from 1960 to 1990,” says Marsha. “The design is more an expression of gratitude than inspiration – it speaks of my connection to home.”

Marsha found working with Elba marble a liberating experience. “Having limited knowledge about what was and wasn’t possible with Elba proved to be advantageous. Approaching the creative process without caution allowed for a great sense of freedom,” she says. “Spomenik I functions as a vessel, but I feel it takes on more of a sculptural role. It might find its place on a table, resting on the floor or perhaps in a location that’s intentionally unreachable.”

Hemera, a monolithic desk lamp that commands attention, is the work of furniture and lighting designer Ross Gardam. “Working with marble in its solid state, which is something I hadn’t done before, opened up the ability to form nearly any shape,” he says. “Respecting the material was the most challenging part of the process – I wanted the outcome to honour its value, age and beauty.

“The Hemera desk lamp, which is reminiscent of Brutalist architecture, is powerful in its simplicity of form. It consists of four separate elements, each connected by the marble’s own weight. I wanted to create the appearance that the material emits light naturally or that the stone itself is illuminated.”

“Illuminating the lamp for the first time and seeing how the transparent veins in the marble glow through the top of the shade was the most exciting part of this project – it looks amazing, especially in low-light levels,” says Gardam.

Inspired by the idea of modularity, designer and interior stylist Megan Morton created Harvest, a design consisting of five terracotta pieces that can be combined or used individually for different purposes – as a tabletop sprout planter, a cake stand, serving plates, a dinner set or colander.

“I’m always shocked at how many oversized cake stands and other items you might only use once a year are stored in valuable cupboards. It started me thinking about whether I could make these pieces as single items that could pack down together and provide endless opportunities for different uses. I still feel giddy when I see the suite together, and I learned through its creation that I love terracotta and its capacity to make food, bring people together, and be something warm and life-affirming in the hand,” she says.

“The chance to bring something to market that was outdoor-proof, sustainable, multi-purpose, useful and beautiful to both the eyes and hands is what excited me about this design challenge,” says Morton.

Thomas was intrigued by the idea of form when he created the Cove occasional chair, which is defined by two negative shapes placed on top of the other – one creating lift, the other creating support. “The anatomy of a piece is what excites me,” he says. “The Cove chair is very simply legs, back and arms that flow into one another – it is defined, in essence, by its absence of matter.”

As for what surprised him about working with terracotta: “It is harder and more durable than I was expecting,” says Thomas. “The fact it’s made from just mud, water and heat, and yet has the potential to last for hundreds of years, is just incredible to me.”

Furniture and lighting designer Kate Stokes created the Pinch lights – two elongated, shield-like forms that can be used inside and out. “Designing a piece with a singular material was a unique challenge, and I hadn’t worked with terracotta before. It is heavy and solid, so working it into a lighting product without additional translucent materials to diffuse the light was interesting, and when the manufacturer is as far away as Italy, there are plenty of unknowns.

“It was tempting to design something more complex or embellish the light in some way, so restraint was the most challenging part of the process,” she says. “Pinch is very simple in form, but that’s where the beauty lies. The material is the hero, as it should be,” she says.

The Pinch, which has proven overwhelmingly popular for its minimalist lines, has also been translated into an Elba edition – bringing a cooler, sophisticated tone to the original design.

The charcoal terracotta lends itself well to pieces like the Echo PB – a classically inspired table with a revolving carousel of voids by Thomas; and the slender Pinch Marrone indoor/outdoor wall lights by Kate Stokes.

It’s a collection that offers endless possibilities, for both the designer – who can leverage New Volumes’ expert relationship with natural materials, and design-lovers seeking original Australian design that balances substance with quality, and a compelling story to tell.