Your name: Jacqui Thomas
What you do: I founded and ran a design and branding agency for 21 years and now I am a hunter & gatherer of Australian Objects of Design for Sooper Design, a company I co-founded with Anne Sherlock in 2012.
Your latest project: Sooper Design
Who are three people that inspire/excite you:
1) Marc Newson – awesome Australian Designer who can apply his thinking to just about anything
2) Brodie Neill
3) My son who has a creative soul and is exploring his passions and creativity in new environments as he emerges from secondary school into the the big wide world
What is your favourite…
travel destination: They’re poles apart but Paris and South East Asia. I love to spend an afternoon in Rodin’s garden with a baguette and a French vogue, but a recent stay on Gili Trawangan was a real treat and a total getaway. Bali Island, beyond the tourist muck is a great place to be relaxed, inspired and eat well. It has a great mix of traditional culture and the creativity of artisans and business people from all over the globe.
hotel/place to stay: A tiny apartment in the Marais district of Paris or a beach hut overlooking an ocean somewhere warm.
luxury goods company: Sooper Design
value for money company: Sooper Design
design classic: The Bialetti stovetop espresso maker. I have 4 different sizes and the smallest one gets used several times a day and always goes with me when I go away.
new design: The Clover light by Tassie born, UK based Brodie Neill
type of chair: A comfortable one. Either that or the floor
meal: Number 27 at the local Thai takeaway with coconut rice.
restaurant: Fog
drink: Bubbles from Tassie – Clover Hill or 42º South
bar: On board the Barnstormer (Bavaria 42 match yacht) after a day of racing.
Item of clothing for…
Winter: A pair of pink fluffy bunny ear muffs that I bought in Hanoi
Summer: a sarong
artwork: “A few things fundamental”, a bronze sculpture by David Owen Tucker that I bought in 1992. It reminds me every day of the simple things in life and makes me smile.
artist: At this moment Mauro Palmieri, an incredibly talented Melbourne photographer who’s creating my portrait for me.
gallery/museum: Qdos in Lorne. The sculpture garden is where I sit and dream and plan. I always leave there feeling so alive.
book: An interiors or architecture picture book
item in your studio: My desktop screen saver because I can change it to whatever pleases or inspires me at the time.
piece of technology: I can’t say I’m in love with technology but would find it hard to live without my Apple products and a decent internet connection
historical figure: Is Audrey Hepburn historical enough?
fictional character: The Mad Hatter
vice: Too, too many of those
virtue: hmmmm! Is humility a virtue?
What does the term ‘Design Hunter’™ mean to you?
A Design Hunter™ is someone who seeks to enhance their existence through the presence of good design.