The Design Files
WRITTEN BY DESIGN FILES
Interior and furniture designer Leah Bennet is bringing her Aboriginal culture into contemporary Australian homes with her new range of cushions!
The proud Wudjari Noongar is the director of Leah Paige Designs and has been curating modern, contemporary spaces centered around Aboriginal culture since 2021. But now, in an inspiring collaboration with Whadjuk Noongar artist Shane Hansen, Leah has created a cushion collection for her homewares brand, LPD Karlup. ‘I realised there was a huge opportunity here to create furniture pieces that allowed designers the opportunity to revolve their projects around culture; rather than getting to the end of a project and putting some artwork on the walls as an afterthought,’ Leah says. ‘I knew that I wanted to create furniture pieces that were not only versatile enough to fit into any interior but also furthered people’s knowledge and understanding of our First Nations, allowing all people the opportunity to gain an emotional and tangible connection to culture.’
Shane’s ‘Raindrops’ print is inspired by the patterns made in the sand during a heavy downpour and comes in four different colourways – featuring earthy tones of taupe, rust, black and white. It’s the first release from the creative duo, who have also recently worked on a vibrant Aboriginal wallpaper collection with Scandinavian Wallpaper and Décor. While Leah was not always aware of her Aboriginal cultural ties, she says she’s been able to finally find her ‘place’ in the community in the last few years – and now uses her creativity to champion Indigenous artists and stories, sharing their connection to Country through striking and thoughtful design.
