Designer CJ Anderson caught the discerning eye of Three Balls Red’s creative director Jasmine Dowthwaite when the Queensland College of Art graduate was invited to show at Milan Design Week back in 2019. CJ’s Soigne chair was exhibited alongside the world’s leading brands and designers, cementing his status as one of the industry’s most exciting emerging designers. Most recently, CJ released a sofa with Dowel Jones, and launched a new lighting brand with friend and collaborator, Jay Jermyn. TBR caught up with the humble and supremely talented CJ to talk about his Dowel Jones collaboration, Objects For Thought and the Coast’s changing cultural landscape.

Congratulations on your new Big Friendly Design for Dowel Jones. You must be thrilled! How did this collaboration come about?

It was from an idea I had been developing for a few years but the opportunity to work with Dowel Jones came from their Design From Home Competition, in which I came runner-up with the Big Friendly design.

What were your main influences when conceiving this beautiful piece of work?

All of my work uses over-scale forms and looking at pieces with a child-like lens. Using foam and upholstery really allowed this concept to come through as the Big Friendly is quite a large volume; really how a child would see a sofa or an armchair. The seams are also overaccentuated, splitting the chair up following along the theme of emphasising the features.

We love the Big Friendly's oversized proportions! How is it being received and ultimately whom would be one person you would love to see sitting on your couch?

Big Friendly has been really well received by a few national and international publications, which it should feature in over the coming months. I have loved seeing everyone’s reactions and thoughts on the design. I feel really fortunate that someone who I would love to see sitting on the sofa already has - the amazing artist Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran!

You also have a new lighting brand, Objects for Thought. Can you tell us a little about OFT and what we can expect design-wise?

Yes definitely! The brand is the culmination of quite a few years of friendship and collaboration with Jay Jermyn. We design and manufacture contemporary lighting for both commercial and residential projects. With OFT, we are building a brand to collaborate not only with artists and designers but with builders, architects and interior designers. With our first products, we have designed a range that can really establish a visual language throughout a project.
The iterative nature in which the Rider range builds on itself allows the lights to work in either small or grand spaces bringing a consistent aesthetic through different light fixtures. We also have quite a few ranges we are working on behind the scenes that we will launch over the coming months and years.

A decade ago, creatives would need to move overseas or intestate to elevate their careers however the Gold Coast’s design and creative scenes have definitely undergone a major metamorphosis. Do you agree that the landscape has changed, and who or what inspires you locally?

I definitely think the landscape has changed and really, we are in the middle of that change right now. More and more people are looking to call the Gold Coast home, understanding that you no longer have to reside in a big city to work. I love that I have the ability to bring my family up here and help build the creative capital of the Gold Coast for them to thrive in now and in the future. We are really fortunate to have HOTA and the new gallery space driving art and culture centrally and also bringing world-renowned exhibitions and artists and designers for Gold Coast residents to view. Locally, I am inspired by the environment. Being able to be in amazing rainforests one minute and then world-class beaches the next is such a source of inspiration.

Favourite design-led hotel in the world?

Locally, I love Paramount House Hotel in Sydney and abroad I would love to visit Boisbuchet, a place in the South-West of France that hosts week-long workshops run by some of the world’s most inspiring designers.

View CJ’s Anderson’s designs and Objects for Thought lighting range at Three Balls Red’s Bundall showroom.

https://www.cjand.com/