“David” Console by Patrick Kennedy and Rachel Nolan in American cherry

Approaching the brief for this project, Rachel and Patrick discussed what they sometimes like to do in their architecture. As a way of making an object or a building that people have a connection to and a human interaction with, they will anthropomorphise or zoomorphise the thing, making the form or memory of a creature. This console has a distinctly animal quality about it, with a head, tail, and flank, all rendered in different finishes to the timber – scraped, gouged, laminated or coated. The interior is stained in reds and pinks, like insides. The piece will ultimately serve its purpose in the studio’s conference room, holding glassware and ceramics.

Led by principals Patrick Kennedy and Rachel Nolan, Kennedy Nolan was established in Melbourne in 1999. Theirs is a multi-award-winning, medium-sized practice and both are active speakers, lecturers, and jury members for their profession. They are interested in the evocative nature of form, materiality, colour and the craft and beauty of historical architecture. Fascinated by both the material and the immaterial, they are both conceptually driven and pragmatic, focused on creating enduring settings for life.