Fred Ward: Design Luminary
Presented by Melbourne Heritage Interiors
DETAILS
Free, no booking required
Southwood Furniture Showroom
23 Johnston Street, Collingwood VIC, Australia
DATES
Thu 14 May 10am – 4pm
Fri 15 May 10am – 4pm
Sat 16 May 10am – 4pm
Sun 17 May 11am – 3pm
Tue 19 May 10am – 4pm
Wed 20 May 10am – 4pm
Wed 20 May 6 – 7.30pmBook now
Panel talk, ticketed
Thu 21 May 10am – 4pm
Fri 22 May 10am – 4pm
Sat 23 May 10am – 4pm
Sun 24 May 11am – 3pm
This mini exhibition explores the multifaceted work of design luminary Fred Ward (1900–1990), with a particular focus on his Melbourne/Naarm years.
Ward designed furniture for the Myer Emporium, created bespoke furniture and interiors for private and public commissions, and lectured in interior architecture at the University of Melbourne.
In collaboration with Fred Ward’s son Martin Ward, the exhibition presents a curated selection of photos, blueprints and sketches, along with early examples of Ward’s furniture pieces.
The exhibition highlights Ward’s ‘Patterncraft’ and ‘Blueprint’ furniture designs, which gained widespread popularity in the post-war era via mail-order patterns and later flat-pack kits promoted by The Australian Home Beautiful magazine. The exhibition also acknowledges the influence of his wife, Elinor (Puss) Ward, who wrote articles on home decorating.
One of Ward’s Patterncraft furniture designs has been made especially for the exhibition by local furniture craftsman Oliver Smith of Eversley. This piece will be offered for auction at the end of the exhibition to support a woodworking student undertaking a course.
A panel conversation, moderated by Phil Campbell, on Wednesday evening, will explore the importance of Ward’s work and his design thinking via a discussion between Kristine Slawinski of Melbourne Heritage Interiors, Martin Ward (via Zoom) and Oliver Smith.
Participants
Kristine Slawinski
Kristine Slawinski, a heritage consultant and interior designer, and Phil Campbell, a graphic designer, are the creative minds behind Melbourne Heritage Interiors.Published in October 2025, their illustrated book celebrates and documents the legacy of Melbourne/Naarm’s significant public building interiors, shining a light on the stories and history within.Their collaborative work honours the contributions of designers, architects, craftspeople, artisans and artists who helped shape these spaces, and fills an important gap in publications on the city's architectural heritage by focusing on interior design.Through rich illustrations and insightful narrative, Melbourne Heritage Interiors evokes Melbourne/Naarm’s social, political, economic and architectural development, sparking memories and fostering a deeper connection between people and the city’s design legacy.
Martin Ward
Martin Ward grew up observing the creative output of his father, Fred Ward, and cherishes the furniture pieces that have been handed down to him.He is a retired Fellow of the Mathematical Sciences Institute at the Australian National University (ANU), where his father had held a position as head of the university’s design unit.Martin Ward had a long and successful career at ANU as a mathematician specialising in Group Theory.Even after retirement, he ran a course in Mathematical Logic at ANU for close to a decade.He also has a particular interest in playing and composing computer-based music and has led treks in the Nepal Himalaya.
Oliver Smith
After the Black Saturday bushfires, a weekend spent helping a friend rebuild diverted Oliver Smith, director of Eversley, away from his career as a photographer and in fine dining and onto the path to furniture making.That pivotal weekend led to more than a decade as a carpenter, working on beautiful heritage homes, which often included commissions for custom furniture and bespoke architectural joinery.Oliver’s technical knowledge and design expertise inform both his commissioned pieces and the custom architectural items produced in timber and metal at Eversley’s workshop.
Southwood
Southwood, established in 2008, is a Melbourne/Naarm-based furniture and homewares store that celebrates timeless design, quality materials, sustainability and skilled design and craftsmanship. The curated collection of Southwood products in the Collingwood showroom is carefully and ethically sourced by owners and designers Valentina Curcic and Maria Cudina from selected Australian makers as well as international brands that reflect an ethos of craft, quality and originality in design.