An influential figure in the field of furniture design and manufacture, Roger began his career in London in the sixties, as assistant to the renowned English designer Robin Day. He trained at RMIT in Interior Design and did post graduate studies at the London College of Furniture, before returning to Australia.
Roger’s early work was in the design of furniture for the hospitality sector in Melbourne. He then worked for Kerby Furniture, manufacturers of high-end retail domestic furniture, before leaving to establish his own company, Sumna Furniture. His work included fit outs of the Savoy Plaza Hotel and the Adelphi Hotel, and later freelance work for the top design practices of the day. Roger’s work in setting up the Tarrawarra Museum of Art, and his work in many galleries, such as Heidi, and McClelland Sculpture Gallery set a new direction for his design practice, which continues on today.
In this episode he references Robin Day, Don Chapman, Colin Barrie, Lenton Parr, Parahran College of Art, Chris Palmer, Alan Kerr, Herman Miller, Sumna Furniture, Expo Solutions, Geoff Putnam, Maudie Palmer, Tarrawarra Museum of Art, McClelland Gallery, Design Ecru, Kjell Grant, Innerspace, Edward Alexander, Howard Arkley, Anthony Fitzpatrick, Victoria Lynne, Dame Elizabeth Murdock, Lisa Byrne, John Raul, Mary Featherston and Sue Carr.
Listen now: