Australian Designer Creates Furniture Collection Inspired by Ancient Seashell Spirals.

Paper Nautilus, just one of the references that served as a conceptual framework for the Nautiloid collection.

Shell Victoriana featuring Ross Didier’s head!

Didier’s original concept artwork, Anthropocene, was displayed during Melbourne Design Week 2025 at Fletchers Art Gallery, serving as a precursor to the commercial Nautiloid furniture collection.

Ross Didier’s latest Nautiloid collection draws from nature’s own design principle. Taking cues from ancient seashells and their spiral geometry, this collection of seating and tables presents a refined interpretation of forms that have existed for millions of years.

The standout feature of the Nautiloid pieces lies in their distinctive latticed construction, which follows the mathematical precision of the Fibonacci sequence. Each chair, bar stool, and lounge chair showcases curvaceous lines that extend into wrap-around arms before transitioning seamlessly to slender rod framing. The result is furniture that feels both organic and engineered—a balance that speaks to Didier’s unique position between art and design.

“Art and design are very different, and I feel very aware of sliding the bar between them,” explains Didier. “Design is Shaolin kung fu where Art is bare knuckle fist fighting. Good art communicates ideas—good design serves function, and the story this creates is inspiring.”

This philosophy is evident throughout the collection’s practical considerations. The seating offers genuine comfort while maintaining stackability for commercial applications. The pieces work equally well indoors and outdoors, thanks to their robust stainless steel and metal construction with polycarbonate feet, zinc protection, and powder coat finish.

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Ross Didier on Playing with Shapes and Design Storytelling.

Ranging from accessible and affordable utilitarian to high-end luxury designs, Didier’s products fit any type of interior, whether it is a private home, a commercial space or a public environment.

The accompanying tables echo the collection’s shell-inspired geometry, with concave, fanning structures that reference scallop shells. Available in three different heights, these tables can function independently or be combined in various configurations to match the full range of seating options. Tabletops come in solid aluminium or porcelain across multiple sizes.

What sets Didier’s approach apart is his hands-on methodology. The Didier Design Studio creates prototypes by hand before collaborating with skilled craftspeople and factories to bring concepts to reality. This process, refined over 30 years, has established one of Australia’s most distinctive design practices.

“Furniture always needs to adapt to the human body and the human body needs to be ultimately understood to create good furniture design,” notes Didier. It’s this understanding that transforms the Nautiloid collection from merely sculptural pieces into genuinely functional furniture.

In an era where furniture often prioritises trends over substance, Didier’s approach offers something more enduring: pieces that connect us to both ancient natural wisdom and contemporary living needs.

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Still Life Drama: Puffalo and Fable baroque by Ross Didier.

Ross Didier goes baroque for his latest photoshoot, channelling the ornate Still Life paintings of the 1600s.

[Images courtesy of Ross Didier. Photography by Mike Baker, Forough Yavi and Ross Didier.]