After being commissioned to design a public art installation for his local village on the Sunshine Coast (which was so well-received it won one of theย 2013 Intergrain Timber Vision Awards), Carl Holder was left with a pile of plywood off-cuts in his garage.
Letting it sit there for over a year, one day he decided to turnย it into a pieceย for his own home; something everyday but not, useful yet playfulย andย beyond the generic. Beginning with a dozen or so ideas, Carlย developed three into pieces, all of which you can now see in his onlineย Etsyย shop: Foreply.
Creating pieces that are sculptural and functional,ย Carl makes all hisย furnitureย himself fromย local FSC certified plywood.ย “I’ve always loved classic plywood furniture,” explains Carl. “I love its sleek good looks, its functionality and the fact that it is portable and flexible and can fit into very small spaces. So plywood furniture is kind of the perfect furniture for the way we live now.”
Designing theย Thingamabob, both a table and seat ideal for holding things like books and an iPad; theย Plus and Minus stool/side tables, whichย can easily be pulled apart and hung on the wall or door to save space; and theย Capsule shelf, a modern mantelpiece for neatly holding daily belongings away from the kids, the products have been so sought-afterย Carl even wonย the Esty Design Award for New Talent last year. “It’s still early days for Foreply but it has come along way since winning the New Talent Award. The resulting confidence and exposure the award has givenย me isย invaluable. I went from having a few dozen shop visits a day to literally tens of thousands, with interest coming from all over the globe.”
With entriesย now open for thisย year’s Etsy Design Awards (Jen’s a judge!), Carl has some helpful tips for any potential applicants. “Preparing your submission is a great opportunity to refresh your shop; ensure photos of your work areย of a high standard and your shop information is up-to-date and engaging. Tell your story and share your passion in a concise way.”
Having always loved making things, Carl got into the furniture businessย after his day job at an architectureย and design firm saw him miss getting his “hands dirty.” With his 9-5 life seeing him rely heavily onย 3D CAD modelling and prototyping to design, Carl’s lovingย being able toย follow hisย passion for ethical furniture design and working with local sustainable materials.
Currentlyย usingย allย his spare timeย to come up with exciting new products and ideas, the Foreply Etsy shop is as a result taking a short break. “I hope to reopen the virtual doors again very soon, there are lots of ideas on the drawing board that I want to resolve and bring to market to extend the Foreply range. These (like the current items) consist of designs that are entirely made from plywood and others introduce new materials and a different design aesthetic.” Watch this space!
