Less is more: Daniel Boddam creates furniture that invites calm

In an increasingly overwhelming world, Daniel Boddam creates furniture that invites calm. Nine years ago, the Sydney- and Byron Bay-based architect made good on his childhood ambitions to design furniture, starting first with the M-Table: a round-top, timber silhouette with a pyramidal base inspired by the grandeur of the El Castillo Maya temple in Mexico. In the years since, he’s applied his design philosophy of “less is more” to lounges, lighting, cabinets and small objects.

Ancient monuments and the Australian landscape are Boddam’s greatest sources of inspiration. You can see the rolling waves and sweeping sand dunes in the soft curves throughout his work. The rammed concrete of his Geo Drum side table and the unexpected optional cork inlay of the Oscar Cabinet likewise echo the country’s rugged terrain. “I’m trying to create an Australian vocabulary that also has resonance for an international environment,” Boddam says. It’s a viewpoint that’s paying dividends, with inquiries for his designs now coming in from across the US and Europe.

Growing up with architect parents, Boddam spent his childhood surrounded by classic modern furniture. Early on he discovered that his favourite furniture designers were architects – it seemed natural that he follow in their footsteps. Furniture, he points out, is architecture in miniature scale.

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Boddam’s pieces embody modernist design principles: comfort and function, minimal ornamentation. It’s eye-catching, but never intrusive. He selects premium natural materials – American oak, Tasmanian oak and blackwood, stone – and lets them do the talking. “I try not to make too many statements in the one piece,” he says. “I believe in not having overly cluttered interiors. Living well simply – that’s important to me.”

Boddam says architecture – a lifelong discipline – gives him an understanding of materiality and aesthetics. When designing, he thinks about how a piece of furniture works within an interior environment, sometimes placing his piece in an architecture project to see how it responds to the space. “That’s my litmus test for good design.”

Across his retail showrooms in Sydney and Melbourne, Boddam works with interior designers and clients to tailor his furniture to a home’s unique character. (For clients who want to envisage his furniture in their space, Boddam also offers a 3D modelling service.)

Thanks to a made-to-order model, Boddam’s Aussie-made designs can also be customised or adapted, from the material and fabric of a piece to its overall shape. “I think the sense of luxury is really understanding the needs of the client and being able to use experimental materials that suit someone’s internal environment,” he says. “Recently we did a custom version of the M-Table for a study, so the whole family could come together on the one table.”

Boddam releases new pieces each year, but there is no formula or set schedule. “New” can mean anything from a refinement of a past design to experimentation with one-off pieces or collaboration with other artists. “Predominantly it’s a passion,” he says. “I’m doing it as artistic expression.”