Henrietta Gothe-Ellis - Creative Designer
Henrietta graduated from The University of New South Wales College of Fine Arts in 2002 and holds a coveted Australian Good Design Award for Excellence (2004) for her signature furniture piece, Aura.
Drawing inspiration for her designs from the natural world, Henrietta creates objects of beauty that bring balance and harmony to any space. Her approach to design places an emphasis on proportion and restraint, often featuring geometric shapes, patterns and tactile finishes.
For the past decade, Henrietta has explored and developed her design skills in lighting, graphics, branding, products, interiors, photography, textiles and ceramics. Notable career highlights include collaborating with fashion icon Issey Miyake, an internationally acclaimed furniture range and extensive design work at Australia’s leading lighting design company, Neoz Lighting. Henrietta sets a wonderful example of how one inspired product can help launch an entire design career.
In recent years, Henrietta has transitioned towards creative consultancy and enjoys helping others realise their unique visions through her coaching and mentoring.
The Evolution of Aura
The very first Auras to be produced, Aura Original (2002), were individually handcrafted using fibreglass resin and finished in high gloss white. Inspired by the nautilus shell, this modular form features sacred geometric proportions found in nature, while the smooth, curved body closely emulates the natural beauty of a polished river pebble. These subtle links to nature help create a sense of familiarity with the user, while the modular design invites interaction. Each unique piece stands effortlessly alone, yet can also be coupled, linked, stacked or connected into a circle of infinite size.
Aura Original was chosen by Object Gallery for ‘New Design 2003′ where it won its first award. With the subsequent interest shown in her design, Henrietta Gothe-Ellis teamed up with Roger Veitch to form 2DESIGN STUDIO. In 2004, Aura was awarded the prestigious Australian Design Award for Excellence. The same year marked the introduction of rotationally moulded Auras using UV stabilised Polyethylene. This change in production technique proved pivotal, allowing for the gradual expansion of the Aura range that now includes such variants as Aura Classic (2004), Aura Pebble (2004), Aura Illuminated (2004), Aura Mini (2010), Aura Upholstered (2013) and Aura Chameleon (2015).
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The release of Aura Illuminated brought numerous local and international awards and catapulted 2DESIGN STUDIO into the international spotlight.
