INDECO
Patrick & Mieke Senior-Loncin

When it comes to design, I firmly believe in the aphorism: "Less is more". 

Patrick has always had an instinct for getting to the heart of the matter. When potholes appear on that mysterious road to creating a new design he digs deeper and further to find the right solution knowing it is there..somewhere.

It’s an approach that has not failed him in life as in when he left for an extended period in Belgium in the early 80s to woo his wife to be, Mieke. Upon his return to Tasmania, Patrick undertook a diploma of applied design at the Tasmanian State Institute of Technology without really knowing why but trusting his instincts that it was the right course of action. It was. After subsequent production work in a furniture factory to further hone his skills, Patrick and Mieke created Indeco (a contraction of Innovative Design Company) in 1992 to make wooden homeware with a focus on kitchenware from simple utensils to salt/pepper/coffee grinders. He has not looked back since.

When Patrick’s elegant soup and sauce ladles were acquired by the Tasmanian Wood Design Collection in 1993 leading to participation in the 1996 International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York, it was proof that Patrick’s instincts had not failed him and in fact, would become sharper. The Tasmanian Wood Design Collection acquired his ‘Rocket Mill’ in 2006 and ‘Meg’s Mill’ in 2008. In 2011, Patrick’s garden implement inspired 'Food Shovels' was the winner of 2011 Tasmanian Design Award in the Timber category.

Patrick has never lost sight of the importance of trusting his instincts and of keeping it simple. From the very choice of timbers that don’t ‘speak too loudly’ - those without strong grain markings or contrasting colours - Patrick has sought to make his objects icons of elegant unity. His latest design, the angel lamp, while representing a new direction for the company, remains faithful to Patrick’s vision.

“It’s difficult to say where I get my inspiration. It can come from nature, a building or even a prehistoric animal like the brontosaurus that is literally the backbone of the recipe bookstand. In stark contrast, the idea for the ladle I designed came from a simple desire to make use of the wood offcuts I had lying about. Having grown up on a farm, I learnt to make use of all sorts of bits and pieces to get the job done. Nothing was wasted. I use the same principle when experimenting with new prototypes. While I’m not always certain where the next idea will come from, I place great importance on creating clean simple designs without adornment or embellishment and seeking beauty from line and proportion.”

Products

Brontosaurus recipe bookstand
The idea for the recipe bookstand came from Mieke wanting to resolve a problem. We thought flat-packing would be the way to go. Doing some rough sketches, the shapes I drew reminded me of a brontosaurus and the design grew from there.

Meg's mill-nutmeg mill
The hole in the side of the nutmeg mill for inserting the nut came from the need for a good design solution when an imported mechanism's manner of loading the nut failed to work properly.

Capstan-ovaloid mill
An oval prism with integrated lid, this mill evolved from our popular handled oval mill. Not everyone likes handled mills but many people commented on how comfortably the oval shape fits in the hand.

Ovaloid handled mill
These mills are first made by drilling out a blank rectangular prism of wood. I realised that if I could somehow mount a lid upon the mill then I would have a product of pleasing appearance. It took some time before I could marry a domed cap to the top and develop a suitable handle to grip and turn this cap.

Coffee grinder
Made of wood and stainless steel, this grinder is from the same stable as our other handled mills and incorporates influences from a Turkish mocha mill.