Daniel To and Emma Aiston have been partners in work and life for 18 years. Today they work from home in their back garden studio in South Australia.
“It’s far enough from our main home to make it feel as though we are going to ‘work’ but close enough to enjoy all of the splendor of our garden and the lovely natural light it receives in the afternoon,” Emma says. “The space itself is simple, but ample for us to work efficiently and experiment with new ideas.”
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- Photo by DANIEL EMMA
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- Photo by DANIEL EMMA
When they started DANIEL EMMA they began with conceptual desktop objects that were easy to transport considering they frequently traveled to show their work and wanted to keep freight costs down.
Today their work varies from those same types of objects—a whimsical vase, geometric bookends—to larger installations. They set out to create the unexpected from simple objects using simple forms.
They started by making things they liked; the bonus was when others enjoyed them. “This is still the case, but we are a little more pragmatic when it comes to decision-making,” Emma says. “As this has now become our full-time job we have diversified the designs as well as the types of projects we work on, which can range from self-production and limited edition works to client commissions and collaborations.”
Photo by Thomas McCain
A version of this article originally appeared in Sixtysix Issue 06 with the headline “DANIEL EMMA: Industrial Designers, Australia.” Subscribe today.
