A 'cheeky' seat takes out the top prize at Australia's Next Top Designers Awards

A versatile stool with a sense of fun took out the top prize at the Australia’s Next Top Designers awards at Design Show Australia last week.

The ‘Cheeky’ stool designed by Maryam Moghadam was the unanimous winner among the judging panel, which included Kanebridge Quarterly magazine Editor in Chief, Robyn Willis, Workshopped Creative Director Olaf Sialkowski, Design Show event organiser, Andrew Vaughan and Creative Director at Flexmirror Australia, Matt Angus.

Designed as an occasional stool or side table, the Cheeky stool comes in a range of skin tones. The judges applauded its commercial applications, its flexibility to work in a range of environments, and its sense of play.

In accepting the $10,000 prize, designer Maryam Moghadam quipped she was pleased to see ‘other people find bums as funny as I do’. A finalist at last year’s awards, Moghadam will put the prize money towards bringing her product to market.

Winner Maryam Moghadam said the $10,000 prize money would be put towards developing her product further for market.

Australia’s Next Top Designers is in its fourth year, but this is the first year a cash prize has been offered. Kanebridge Quarterly magazine has put up the prize money to support the next generation of emerging industrial design talent in Australia.

Editor in Chief Robyn Willis said the cash prize offered the winner the opportunity to put the money towards whatever aspect of their business it would most benefit.

“That might be prototyping their product further, spending on marketing, or simply paying for travel or even childcare expenses to allow the designer to focus on their work and take it to the next stage,” she said. “We’re thrilled to be supporting this design program and nurturing emerging design in a very practical way.”

The Coralescence lamps from the Tide Pool series by Suzy Syme and Andrew Costa had strong commercial applications, the judges said.

The Mass lamp by Dirk Du Toit is crafted from FSC-certified oak or walnut.

Two finalists were also awarded ‘highly commended’ by the judges — Mass lamp by Dirk Du Toit and the Coralescence lights from Suzy Syme and Andrew Costa at Tide Pool Designs. The judges agreed both products were beautifully resolved from a design perspective, as well as having strong commercial applications in residential and hospitality design.

Australian furniture brand King Living has expanded its Aura Collection with the launch of a new modular sofa designed to blend contemporary aesthetics with adaptable living.

The Aura Sofa builds on the success of the Aura Island range, first introduced in 2023, which included indoor and outdoor sofas as well as fixed and swivel occasional chairs.

The latest evolution introduces modular functionality to the collection, allowing homeowners to configure the sofa to suit a variety of spaces and uses.

As living spaces continue to evolve, particularly in urban environments where flexibility is increasingly valued, furniture designers are placing greater emphasis on products that can adapt over time.

King Living says the new Aura Sofa has been developed with this trend in mind, enabling customers to create corner, L-shaped or U-shaped layouts, while also allowing additional modules to be added as needs change.

King Living founder David King said the original Aura concept began as an exploration of sculptural design before being reimagined as a modular system.

“Aura began as an exploration of sculptural form. Now, we’ve brought modularity into that design language, giving the freedom to reimagine your space with a modular design made for flexibility,” he said.

The collection’s defining feature remains its soft, flowing silhouette, with curved forms replacing traditional angular sofa designs.

The company describes the sofa as a response to changing lifestyles, where living rooms increasingly serve multiple purposes, from entertaining guests and family gatherings to quiet reading corners and work-from-home spaces.

Its rounded profile and minimalist aesthetic are intended to enhance the flow of contemporary interiors while maximising available space. According to the company, the design is equally suited to compact apartments and larger open-plan homes.

“Today, living space is both a luxury and a constraint. Aura is our response, a purposeful design that proves when intention and fluidity converge, the result can feel both expansive and refined,” King said.

Beyond aesthetics, the new sofa incorporates several engineering features synonymous with the King Living brand.

These include the company’s Postureflex steel suspension system, extra-high pocket springs and its signature steel frame, which is backed by a 25-year warranty. The company says the design has been engineered to deliver long-term comfort and durability.

Sustainability has also been a focus of the design. Each module features a removable cover that can be professionally cleaned, repaired or replaced individually, reducing the need to replace an entire sofa and potentially extending the product’s lifespan.

The Aura Sofa is available made to order in a range of premium fabrics and European leathers, allowing customers to tailor the piece to different interior styles and colour palettes.

Designed, manufactured and sold exclusively by King Living, the Aura Sofa launched in showrooms and online early this month, marking the latest addition to the Australian company’s growing portfolio of modular furniture designs.

A ‘cheeky’ seat takes out the top prize at Australia’s Next Top Designers Awards

A cash prize from Kanebridge Quarterly magazine, offered for the first time this year, drew a record number of entries for the design competition

King Living has unveiled a modular version of its Aura Sofa, bringing greater flexibility to the sculptural design collection as demand grows for furniture that can adapt to changing lifestyles.