INTERVIEW | Multidisciplinary Creative Marlo Lyda

INTERVIEW

As part of Melbourne Design Week, CULTIVER recently showcased Luna, our latest collection, in collaboration with Sydney-based designer Marlo Lyda at MATTERS. Her exquisite new work Turning (Camphor) is about turning overlooked timber into fine furniture via “the meditative craft of woodturning”. The collection comprises a bed (dressed in Luna, of course), stools, a selection of table and floor lamps and accessories, which were all gloriously on display at the historic Villa Alba in Kew over the course of design week.

Not just an exhibitor, but also the curator along with Jordan Fleming, Lyda is a true force of nature, her passion for celebrating makers and their materials is evident in her own designs, as well as within the group exhibitions she curates. She’s been the catalyst for treasured Australian designers being able showcase their work. Read on to find out more about what inspires the multidisciplinary creative and her work.

I’m a designer-maker and curator based on Gadigal land in Sydney. My journey took a pivotal turn when I studied at the Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands, a school celebrated for its conceptual and hands-on approach to design. It was one of those rare experiences, one that shapes your life in unforeseen and invaluable ways. Upon returning to Australia, I launched my design studio with the Remnants Collection at Melbourne Design Week 2022. Since then, It’s just been a steady process of learning and persisting.  

Describing what I do isn't simple. While I'm working hard to establish myself, my work is a movable feast—dancing between furniture design, the business that entails, curatorial and community-driven management, teaching, and special projects that indulge my passion for material research.

Creativity, to me, is about transforming the overlooked into the cherished. It feels like embarking on a contemporary treasure hunt, seeking out materials and techniques that offer a glimpse of a different future. In other words, I don’t see material scarcity as a limitation; rather, intentional resourcefulness is both liberating and deeply inspiring.

"Turning (Camphor)" is a love letter to the meditative craft of woodturning. It started with a conversation about the scent of Camphor Laurel in a turner's workshop—a tree I knew from my childhood in the Northern Rivers. Discovering it was an invasive species, I saw an opportunity to turn a problem into a resource. This collection celebrates Camphor's beauty and proposes a sustainable path forward, turning overlooked timber into fine furniture.

To me, timber, stone, and metal are not so different. While they each require unique tools and techniques, they all tell a story of time and legacy. In all my work, I strive to reveal this intrinsic value and share their stories. The unchecked consumption of these materials is something that deeply concerns me. For this collection, and perhaps by accident, I was particularly drawn to the underappreciated beauty of Camphor Laurel timber. It will likely be a new material all together for my next collection… thats just the way of things when you follow your fascinations.

Making has always been my truest form of literacy; it’s how I search for what is essential in materials and ideas. There is an innate intelligence in our hands, a wisdom accumulated over decades by makers and craftspeople. Embedding this knowledge into my work and the MATTERS platform creates a tangible connection that people can feel. Sustainability is not just important to me—it’s the very foundation of my practice, driving my commitment to using reclaimed and overlooked materials.

For the past decade, my concept of home has been quite transient, with small objects and rituals anchoring me. Now that I’m more settled, curating and shifting these objects within my space allows me to connect with the stories they hold. My home is a place where objects nourish me, and I, in turn, nourish them.

I'm a swimmer—it keeps me grounded and fit for the physical demands of my work. I also carve out time for reading, either as a morning treat or an evening wind-down. These rituals are moments of personal solace and joy.

Visit marlolyda.me
@marlo__lyda