Mat Macmillan’s career began as an apprentice to a carpenter and cabinetmaker in North London. There, he learnt working methods that now represent a bygone era. Joints were marked and cut by hand, chisels sharpened on an old India stone.
It is these techniques of days gone by that have remained at the forefront of Mat’s Tauranga-based practice, Maker Design Studio, ever since. Combine this with his interest in design, sustainability, and Greek mythology, and the result is alluring.
Mat’s lighting range is inspired by Io, the priestess who led Zeus astray with her beauty; Jupiter’s fourth moon, her namesake, a constant companion giving light.
“The twin themes of beauty and light are behind this range,” Mat tells us.
The pieces are crafted by hand with locally sourced premium plywood, the innate irregularity of the timber becoming a natural feature of every one, each delivering a simple, calm beauty filtering the glow from within.
