6 women moving and shaking the design world

Wilhelmina McCarroll and Fleur Sibbel

The dynamic sisters behind the Australia-made furniture label, Zuster have been in business together for 23 years now and remain at the cutting edge of interior design with their exquisite furniture range

“It’s probably in the last 13 years that we’ve really built the Zuster brand,” says Wilhelmina. “Dad had a building company and always taught us to have really high quality, so from the very beginning we’ve made premium products. We like to think of our items as a piece of art rather than a piece of furniture.”

It shows in everything they do - particularly in their choice of materials. From handmade dining tables with intricate embellishments, to jewelled handles on consoles and cabinets and the highest quality leathers in upholstered dining chairs. The embodiment of luxury.

Teri Winter

A pioneer in bringing the very best in design into the home of Australians, Terri started Top 3 By Design over 13 years ago and has never looked back from her philosophy to stock "The 3 best items in their respective class by merit of design - everything from homewares and accessories to kitchen and dining." 

An inspiring designer herself and a strong advocate for other Australian designers, Teri leads by example and regularly advises as a judge and panelist on industry forums and design competitions.

Fiona Lyda

Passionate about attention to detail and design in the everyday objects we have in our homes, Fiona Lyda started the Spence & Lyda showroom over 20 years ago, showcasing excellence in design and making it accessible to us all. Through education around concepts of handcrafted objects and encouraging us to purchase with a conscience and longevity in mind. A champion of the handmade movement and “bringing handcrafted objects back to the communities,” Fiona is invested in fostering the livelihood going back to entire communities through the export of their quality handmade wares. 

Glassware coming out of Czechoslovakia, pendant lighting created by Alvaro Catelán de Ocón from the plastic waste of PET bottles pulled from the Amazon, weavers in India and women weaving baskets in Burkina Faso are all keeping jobs in the areas the artisans live. Whether from far flung villages or local creative collaborations, Fiona believes that, “Cottage industry is reinvesting in the human element that is missing in mass production.”

Beci Orpin

Author, designer, creative collaborator and all-round crafting queen, Beci is Australia’s darling of design and illustration. Having published four books on the subject, Beci makes crafting cool and has inspired thousands to get out the scissors and paper, felt and thread to create – as therapy, in camaraderie or just for the sheer fun of it.

Orpin, was live in West Elm’s Chapel St store today in celebration of International Women’s Day for a live-window installation, creating an artwork artwork celebrating diversity and women supporting one another.

“I was brought up by a great strong women and we always celebrated International Women’s Day,” says Beci. “It is both sentimental and momentus for me to see this day celebrated more widely. I’ll be using it as a prompt to consider and appreciate all of the great females I have the honour to surround myself with,” said Beci.

Evie Barrow

Melbourne-based illustrator Evie Barrow today celebrated three brave, creative, influential Australian women by creating colouring-in sheets for Pottery Barn Kids – including modern art pioneer Grace Cossington-Smith, our most prominent female indigenous activist Pearl Gibbs; and Fanny Durack - the world's greatest female swimmer of all distances from 1910 to 1918.

“I’m continuously grateful to those before me who challenged stereotypes and biases to fight for the rights of women, rights that I enjoy today. Including suffrage, the freedom to study and the option to choose a career,” said Evie. “The struggle for equality continues and days like International Women’s Day are important for celebrating the achievements and sharing the stories of females; past, present, and future so that we continue to progress.”