Melbourne, AU

James McNab is a professional member of the Designers Institute of New Zealand, and in more recent times an immigrant to the shores of Melbourne, Australia. As a trained Industrial Designer, James’s career has primarily been self-initiated over the past decade where he has established himself at the helm of various design practices, running projects ranging from 1500 sqm interior workspace fitouts through to bespoke furniture pieces and objects.

James’s recent body of work has been grounded on the premise of aesthetic utilitarianism, using highly industrialised materials and processes to create refined objects with a strong emphasis on aluminium and the combination of visually lightweight and heavy objects. James aims to design furniture that achieves simple and pleasant material interactions while removing aesthetic complexity from the equation. James’s process as a designer is largely driven by materials and exploring alternative ways to use them.

At a holistic level, James’s work is often bouncing between the humanistic qualities of handcraft and the industrial refinement of machine made, a kind of pendulum swinging between craft and utilitarianism, of which a continual shift across this scale is evident in his interior work. In October 2022, James was awarded a gold pin at the Best Design Awards, New Zealands premier design awards event for his work on the Nature Baby Retail Store in Newmarket, Auckland.

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