About Us
All about Australian Design
Our Story
Established in 2007, Design By Them was founded by industrial designers Sarah Gibson and Nicholas Karlovasitis. Based in Australia, the company is run by designers who are dedicated to creating and producing unique products for design professionals and enthusiasts alike. Our products are designed by Australian designers, developed in-house by the Design By Them team and produced worldwide. The brand’s growing curated collection of furniture, accessories and lighting is characterised by its unique Australian perspective, timeless aesthetic and distinct playfulness.
Design By Them products can be seen in offices, universities, restaurants, hotels, libraries and airports worldwide with pieces supplied for establishments such as Facebook, Google, Dropbox, Sydney Opera House, Auckland Airport, Louis Vuitton and Tiffany & Co.
Our goal is simple: Produce great work and inspire our customers with accessible, world-class design.
Our Team
Collaboration is key. The name Design By Them is representative of not only the multiple designers that we represent but also the people that help us make it happen. We believe that collectively we can create great designs under one brand.
To produce great work, you need a great team who love what they do, enjoy working together, motivate each other, care for each other and are always striving for new challenges and improvements. This is our team and it is what allows us to compete in the global marketplace.
Our Service
We want to make the lives of our clients and customers more enjoyable and are always asking what can be done to improve their working lives. To achieve this, we work closely with our clients, providing them with all the tools and information they need as well as having designs and supply chains that allow for customisation. We know and understand that one size can’t fit all which is why we provide the option to tailor our products to suit aesthetic or functional requirements or create completely new designs according to a client’s needs.
Sustainability
At Design By Them we embed sustainable initiatives into our design process and are committed to reducing the impact of our products on the environment and society. We aim to do this in meaningful ways through comprehensive product life cycle thinking that validates our assumptions and are constantly seeking to improve our environmental initiatives — See our full Environmental Statement here
Custom Design & Collaborations
We work closely with architects and interior designers to design and produce bespoke pieces allowing them to leverage our in house design knowledge, efficient product development processes and multinational manufacturing network to create truly unique pieces for their spaces.
Our production team, with their expert knowledge and manufacturing links, can assist you to create new or customised versions of our products.
Contact us to speak to one of our team about your project needs, to organise a visit to our Sydney showroom or to organise samples for review.
Who We've Supplied
At Design By Them, we strive to deliver premium Australian Design with great service.
You can see our products all over the world. Here are just some of the offices and commercial spaces we've supplied.
See Client Projects
Exhibitions, Education & Talks
Promoting Australian design is at the heart of our entire business, and is why we have focused on producing only Australian design.
Through our products, talks and events (Australian and International) we hope to educate the general public and wider design community about the importance of product design and the talent that lies within Australia. Co-founders Sarah Gibson and Nicholas Karlovasitis are active advocates for Australian design, both frequently participating in panel talks and events involving design. Co-Director Nicholas Karlovasitis is a Design Institute of Australia Fellow and former NSW Chair and is involved in DIA strategies and events around Australia. Sarah is a regular speaker on Design and Creative Business and a previous judge of the Good Design Awards.
Below: Milan Design Week 2019 - DesignByThem Solo Exhibition in Isola
Awards
2016 Chicago Anthenaeum Good Design Award: Bow Chair by Tom Fereday – Winner
2016 IDEA Object - Furniture & Lighting category: Bow Chair by Tom Fereday – Shortlist
2018 Good Design Award Australia | Product Design Furniture and Lighting: Cabin Lounges by Gibson Karlo – Winner
2018 Dezeen Awards | Furniture Design: Cabin Lounges by Gibson Karlo – Longlist
2019 Good Design Award Australia | Product Design Furniture and Lighting: Confetti Collection by Gibson Karlo – Winner
2019 INDE.Awards Design Studio | Design By Them – Shortlist
2019 Dezeen Awards | Furniture Design: Confetti Collection by Gibson Karlo – Longlist
2020 Good Design Gold Award Australia | Product Design Furniture and Lighting: Fenster Seating Collection by Gibson Karlo – Winner
2020 Good Design Gold Award Australia | Product Design Furniture and Lighting: Sundae Lounge Collection by Jason Ju – Winner
2021 Designers Australia Award | USE Category: DL Range by Dion Lee & Gibson Karlo – Winner
2021 Dezeen Awards | Seating Design: August Lounges by Gibson Karlo – Longlist
2021 Good Design Award Australia | Product Design: August Lounge Collection by Gibson Karlo – Winner
2021 Archiproducts Awards | Seating: Olio Armchair by Christina Bricknell & Gibson Karlo — Winner
2021 Hospitality Design Magazine Awards | Seating: Olio Armchair by Christina Bricknell & Gibson Karlo — Winner
2022 Good Design Award Gold | Butter Collection by Gibson Karlo — Winner
2022 Archiproducts Awards | Seating: Twill Chair by Gibson Karlo — Winner
2023 INDE.Awards The Object | Twill Chair by Gibson Karlo – Shortlist
2023 IDEA Awards Object, Furniture and Lighting - Professional | Twill Chair by Gibson Karlo – Shortlist
2023 GOOD DESIGN® Award | Twill Chair by Gibson Karlo – Winner
2023 GOOD DESIGN® Award Gold | Overlay Rugs by Danielah Martinez – Winner
2024 Hospitality Design Magazine Awards | Seating: Twill Collection by Gibson Karlo – Winner
2024 Designers Australia Awards (DIA) | USE Category: DL Collection by Dion Lee & Gibson Karlo – Winner
2025 GOOD DESIGN® Award | Bobby Collection by Daniel Tucker – Winner
Exhibitions
2016 Saturday Indesign – Sydney, Australia
2017 Denfair 2017 – Melbourne, Australia
2018 Denfair 2018 – Melbourne, Australia
2019 Milan Design Week | Design By Them Celebrates 12 Years of Australian Design + Dion Lee x GibsonKarlo Collaboration – Milan, Italy.
2019 Design Tasmania | Design By Them x Dion Lee: The Form That Follows – Tasmania, Australia
2020 Sydney Design Week | Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences: Hybrid Commission: Objects for Future Homes (Gibson Karlo)
2022 Show+Tell — Melbourne, Australia
2023 Show+Tell — Melbourne, Australia
2024 Melbourne Design Week — Melbourne, Australia
2024 Saturday Indesign — Sydney, Australia
2024 Show+Tell — Melbourne, Australia
2025 3daysofdesign — Copenhagen, Denmark
Acquisitions
1999 Ribs Bench by Stefan Lie - Museum of Applied Arts and Science, The Powerhouse Collection Object no. 99/45/1
2009 Weblight by Gibson Karlo - Museum of Applied Arts and Science, The Powerhouse Collection Object no. 2009/100/1
2020 End Cycle by Gibson Karlo - Museum of Applied Arts and Science, The Powerhouse Collection Object no. 2020/136/1