What We Keep
‘David Jones and Powerhouse frame, elevate and tell stories through objects, just in different contexts. The cabinet became a way to hold those ideas together through display, concealment and preservation.’
I’m Tom Skeehan, founder of SKEEHAN Studio. We work across furniture and product design, partnering with brands on commercial projects as well as more conceptual and cultural work.
I was drawn to this commission for the chance to work between two institutions that have shaped design culture in Australia: David Jones as tastemaker and Powerhouse as custodian of design, making and industry. These opportunities are rare, especially for a designer wanting to contribute something to that legacy.
Concept
When I began researching the histories of David Jones and Powerhouse, an overlap between retail and museum emerged. Both frame, elevate and tell stories through objects, just in different contexts. I wanted to create a work that could live in our homes and still speak to both worlds. Everything kept pulling me back to a cabinet.
A cabinet naturally holds ideas through display, concealment and preservation. Part display, archive and domestic furniture, it gave me a way to explore how objects are experienced, whether they’re put on show, tucked away, or carefully revealed. For me, it connected to the way that Powerhouse and David Jones exhibit objects: on a plinth, behind glass or in a display window, the object’s status is elevated. When we're setting up our home, whether it's intentional or not, we're thinking about the way objects have been presented to us.
