Marble Basics is a sister design duo based in Melbourne. An adoration of Marble inspires the transformation from everyday objects into marble-ised showpieces. Their dedication to Marble, a durable and enduring material is channelled in contemporary, basic and everlasting products, all designed by Bliss and Bonnie Adams.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do. My sister Bliss and I design accessible, functional Marble products for the home under our brand Marble Basics. We work in Melbourne and sell to a range of stockiest across Australia and New Zealand, hopefully America soon! Our ethos is to provide designs that are both functional and beautiful and are pieces that are incredibly usable in contemporary home living and will be with you for the long haul.
What are some recent, upcoming or current projects you are working on? We have just finalized our new collection which includes many more usable pieces for the home and we will be shooting our catalogue soon which I am looking forward to, as that is when Bliss and I are able to be really creative and communicate our concepts for this collection.
How did your interest in art or design begin? Bliss and I have always had a fascination with art, from an early age we were reading books about Van Gogh and Monet, we have always been obsessed with history through the lens of art. As children we were playing in the garden, cooking and painting and took extra art classes at school, as naturally this was our favorite subject. In kindergarten, I was obsessed with Marie Antoinette and Bliss was very good at drawing. Naturally I studied Visual Arts at University and Bliss studied Media and Communications, so the combination of the two really led us to creating Marble Basics after working in the two industries.
How has living in Melbourne affected your design practice? I think that living in Melbourne really allows design to flourish, it is a city that appreciates its surroundings very much, however, is not insular and is not afraid to look outward. Although Melbourne is really at the bottom of the earth, it is jam-packed with culture and sensations and beauty.
What products or companies are you interested in right now? Right now, I am really interested in reading an Australian magazine called Renegade Collective. It is all about entrepreneurs and really interesting people creating amazing products, ideas and changing the world, it is a very inspirational bedtime read, I really scour every page.
What materials do you use in your work and what is your process like? We use 100% Marble and all of our pieces are handmade. In using a natural material all of our pieces have unique qualities. This offers our customers the chance to have a product with beautiful intricacies so that no two pieces purchased are the same.
What’s your favorite thing about your city? My favorite thing about Melbourne are the beautiful Victorian terrace houses. I love the heritage overlay that exists over many of Melbourne’s architecture and interwar eras. It means there is a sense of originality and classicality to Melbourne, but also mixed in with new and exciting forms of architecture and also some really hideous things too, including large apartments blocks which just adds to a contrasting appreciation of the streets around you.
What is your snack/beverage of choice when working in your studio? We are obsessed with Chai Lattes, it has to be done with proper tea leaves, no powder! There is a great place around the corner from where we work and we can walk the dog there to take a break.
What are you listening to right now? Right now I am listening to FKA Twigs and Client Liaison, a Melbourne band inspired by the 80’s excess, and fax machines.
