This week, we were lucky enough to hear from Lucy Grant, the creative mind and driving force behind Beeline Designs. Let’s dive into Lucy’s background, inspirations, future projects and more!

Hi Lucy, thanks so much for speaking with us. We just love the pieces you create and your eye for design. To start, could you please tell us a bit about yourself? How did your career start and what led you to co-found Beeline Design with Adam Brislin.

I studied fashion design and worked in the industry for many years so would often give Adam my opinion when he was working on projects in the early days. Beeline Design began as a side project creating custom pieces for friends. In 2012 we were contacted by Attica to make some bespoke pieces for their dining room, it was at this time we started to see the potential of Beeline and map out a bit of a plan to grow it into our main focus. It also coincided with a time where I had just given birth to our first child and the company Adam was working for closed down so while it was a very stressful time, we decided to refocus our energy into creating a business that was going to support our family. I spent my maternity leave using my commercial design background to help Adam develop a product range that started with the Calypso stool, We were soon stocking our pieces in retailers and producing our Calypso stool for a wide range of hospitality venues. We eventually found ourselves in the position to focus solely on building a brand and since then we have released several collections and seen our pieces sent all over Australia and the world.

Beeline Design create beautiful pieces that are an artwork in themselves. What is the ethos that guides the brand and the inspiration behind your collections?

It varies a lot between each collection, in our Ridge collection the inspiration came from the material, the corrugated sheeting and how we could manipulate it into different shapes; the Geometrica inspiration was very different. For this collection we initially were inspired by an Alessi coffee pot designed by Michele De Lucchi, his work in the Memphis movement was also influential in our process but as the pieces developed they moved away from the initial shape and took on their own life.

How do you stay ahead of design trends and keep your collections fresh and exciting?

We try to avoid following trends as we want our collections to stand on their own, but we also take into consideration that there will always be trends so ensuring our pieces are versatile to work in a wide variety of colours and can be customized in different materials to are how we ensure longevity in our designs.

What is your favourite part of the job?

Definitely a favourite part of the job is seeing pieces go from concept design to prototype, months and months go into the development of each piece so seeing them realised is very rewarding.

Marketing and PR play a big role in building your brand. Can you talk about some of the strategies you use to connect with your audience and build brand loyalty?

We definitely found social media particularly Instagram was a great tool for connecting with our audience in the early days. As the landscape has changed we now focus on investing in beautiful imagery which work well to get press features. Flaunter has really helped us reach a wide range of publications and increase our online presence.

We noticed you have an eye for commercial design and a keen sense of aesthetics. We love the abstract designs in your Geometrica Collection. How do you approach blending the two?

I have always loved the impact colour can have, it can draw you to an object but just as easily turn you away. When designing this collection I wanted to demonstrate the versatility of this collection by presenting it in both bold colours and more sedate neutrals to ensure the pieces appealed to a broad range of customers.

Are there any tips you have for someone just starting out in the home/ furniture industry?

Definitely reaching out to similar businesses to network, we have been so lucky to connect with a lot of similar brands and have benefitted from shared advice and experience. Working together is not only hugely beneficial for your business but keeps the local industry strong.

What is your favourite collection or piece from Beeline Design?

My favourite collection would have to be Geometrica, we allowed ourselves to be less restrained when designing it and am really proud of how unique it has turned out. My favourite piece would be our Geometrica Cabinet- it was based on a scribble we did years ago but it sat unresolved for a long time, when we developed the base shape for the geometrica collection it all suddenly fell into place. The placement of the veneer on the diagonal echoing the conical shape in the base and drawing you down to the handle imploring you to open it.

Can we expect to see anything exciting in the coming months for Beeline Design?

We are expanding our collection to include homewares both designed by us and also sourced from unique brands here and overseas. We also have some new furniture pieces in the works for next year.

If Beeline Design could be spotted in one celebrity’s house, who’s would it be and why?

Kelly Wearstler is a master at mixing materials and textures and we would love to see her create a Geometrica piece mixing a unique natural stone and a beautiful timber

Spotlight On: Lucy Grant | Founder of Beeline Designs