Steve Martin - Kiwi
Hi, welcome to Formation Designs. My name is Steve Martin, and I am the owner and principal designer. I practice in the design fields of Architecture, Furniture and Craft (knife making). You can see examples of my work in the pages on this site.
My first design practice opened in 2003, in the township of Lyttelton, which is located in the beautiful South Island of Aotearoa/New Zealand. In 2012, the practice moved to Australia, finding its new home in the hinterland of Byron Bay, in a little town called Bangalow. Fives years later(2017) we were on the move again, this time, based in Ithaca, which is situated in the gorgeous Finger Lakes region of upstate New York in the U.S.A. Now we have returned home, settling in the vibrant and colourful city of Brisbane, in the sunny state of Queensland, Australia.
Architectural design
Formation Designs has considerable experience in commercial office and warehouse design, specialising in concrete tilt up panel construction. We have built on this expertise by putting it to use in the design of highly energy efficient, high thermal mass residential housing, using concrete composite panels and incorporating passive solar design principles. Our design workflow uses a combination of tools; generally starting with good old pencil and paper sketches, then turning to modern technology to create 3D models (often referred to as BIM, Building Information Modelling). 3D modelling is an extremely powerful and useful tool which helps visualise and communicate the entire building project. It also streamlines approval documentation, and the construction process, along with project management delivery.
Furniture Design
Furniture Design, I love with a passion. It is where I find energy and the luxury of the most creative freedom. The furniture in my range is focused primarily on contemporary stylistic forms, with simple lines, a truth to materials, and a pinch of humour. Environmentally-conscious decisions play a major role in the design process. I normally like to use a restricted selection of materials, including steel, wood,leather, and occasionally I work with repurposed materials.
Formation Design Company produces a range of furniture, and undertakes commissioned and custom work.
Craft design
Craft design is where I get back to the fundamentals. Back to the primal, to bare elements, fire, steel, wood and sweat! I produce a range of repurposed hand-forged kitchen knives. The knife is one of humanity's first and most basic of tools. My hand forged knives are sculpted from repurposed carbon steel farriers’ rasps, along with a variety of local and exotic hardwoods. The result is a pleasing, tactile aesthetic with a heavy-in-the-hand feel that is substantial and genuine. Each forged, hand-sculpted, kitchen knife is unique and will be treasured for a lifetime. They will always be a talking point when sharing food with friends around the table.