Louise Olsen & Stephen Ormandy

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Louise Olsen & Stephen Ormandy

Designer/Creative Director & Artist, Sydney

If you’re lucky, once in a lifetime you might come across a couple who are as equally talented, down to earth and naturally creative as each another. Well it seems luck was on my side when this amazing couple- Creative Directors of Dinosaur Designs Louise Olsen & Stephen Ormandy partners in life & business invited my crew and I into their beautiful home to photograph them surrounded by the special things that inspire and delight them.

As an interior designer it always makes my heart sing when I visit a home which has been beautiful curated and reflects the creativity & personality of its occupants. Louise & Stephen’s Bronte abode is light & color filled with a calm airiness and artistic sophistication. I have been a huge fan of their brand from a very young age and I have also specified their amazing Dinosaur Design Rugs for multiple hospitality projects I have designed, so to finally meet Louise & Stephen in person and see their gorgeous home was a huge honor.

Being given a guided tour by Louise and Stephen through their artistically curated home was like taking a journey through a beautiful treasure box filled with pieces from all over the world- India, Japan, New York and the Pacific Islands. At every turn there was a vignette of such surprising & unique composition that I caught myself smiling from ear to ear! It started with Stephen’s boldly colored geometric sculptures & paintings, and Louise’s whimsical tear-drop mobile which delicately dances in the light of the stairwell. Juxtaposed amongst their own designs are artworks by famous artists such as Fred Williams & Louise Tuckwell, and of course Louise’s own parents (and much loved Australian Artists) John Olsen and Valerie Strong-Olsen.

We collect things that inspire us and love the relationship between different objects. We like incorporating our own designs with the works of other artists, it creates a story and is a way of visually documenting memories – Louise Olsen

"The way we approach our design practice is all about what we love, and so far this approach has worked." - Stephen Ormandy

Louise and Stephen also have a beautiful collection of Aboriginal artworks complete with a bark painting by the notable Aboriginal Elder & Artist – Yirawala. The detailed composition of these native artworks sit beautifully upon the fresh white walls of their home. Many of the artworks through the home are by friends and family of Louise & Stephen’s and you can tell by the way they speak about them that each piece has a special place in their hearts.

Both my parents were artists. I feel very close to their paintings as I have wonderful memories of watching them paint. – Louise Olsen

We design pieces that we believe in aesthetically, if we wouldn’t have a piece we’ve designed in our home we don’t put it in the store – Louise Olsen

A fantastic collection of Dinosaur Design vases and plates are featured throughout Louise & Stephen’s home, artfully placed amongst an eclectic mix of objects which they’ve gathered in their travels- some antiques, and others by design gurus such as Jonathan Adler, Moooi, Georg Jensen and Patricia Urquiola.

It comes as no surprise that Louise has an incredible collection of Dinosaur Design Bangles & Necklaces! They also make great decorative totems when stacked up together, like how Louise displays them.

Our home is very simple, white with clean lines that allows us to display our collection – Stephen Ormandy

A personal note to Stephen & Louise- being welcomed into your beautiful home and being able to share the photos with the readers of Mavens of Design is a great privilege and an experience I’ll never forget, thank you!

"I try to take on each project anew. I find that if there are too many rules a piece doesn’t evolve. I constantly question and push the boundaries of what I think is possible." - Louise Olsen
 
 
"Steve is also a beautiful artist his paintings have a great sense of colour. We also love pieces from our daughter Camille." - Louise Olsen
Sculpture by Stephen Ormandy "Creating is fundamentally all about exploring and what’s produced develops into your visual language. Your visual language becomes the bedrock of your creative practice and always informs the creation of new works. For us this process has at first been more instinctual but as we developed the history becomes an important player in the creative process." - Stephen Ormandy
"Our book collection is such a wonderful opportunity to dive into other creative lives." .”- Stephen Ormandy
"We do like to be independent and following trends robs you of that." - Stephen Ormandy
"Our home is close to the sea, and sits high up among the trees, it’s a place of retreat after coming home from a busy day at the studio. I love the relaxed feel we have created" - Louise Olsen
"We surround ourselves with things that inspire us. Our garden, library our art collection, music and people we love." - Louise Olsen
"We don’t follow trends, they’re not important to what we do. It’s more important to create a piece we believe in aesthetically. Our main inspiration is nature and its shapes and forms. At the moment we’re focusing on incorporating more precious metals in our jewellery and homewares collections." - Louise Olsen
"We are rigorous about satisfying our atheistic ideals, one of the questions we ask ourselves, would I buy this? The answer must be yes for the work to move into our stores." - Stephen Ormandy
"All the things we collect are there because we love them; they have to have an effect and our book collection is a wonderful resource." - Stephen Ormandy
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