the editeur effect
How the Perth design mecca became a portal for global creativity.
In partnership with EDITEUR • Words ELIZABETH CLARKE • Imagery JODY D’ARCY
On the eve of celebrating its eighth year, designer Christian Lyon speaks with Elizabeth Clarke about editeur—its genesis, showstopping collections, extraordinary collaborations and the joy of teamwork.
In the beginning
“As a child I would spend days designing and building cubbies and rearranging the furniture in my bedroom. I grew up in a family environment that valued and supported the arts and creativity, and I always knew I would build a career around art and design. Then I discovered my passion for design and interiors studying design at W.A.I.T. [now Curtin University].
“When I started my career there was no internet, no Pinterest or Instagram, so I started old-school and would spend hours trawling through home and architecture magazines tearing out pages and building lever-arch folders filled with images of my favourite buildings, rooms and objects. But the only way to see and experience these things was to travel, hit the streets and seek things out. I loved the hunt!
“I started to meet and connect with many talented creatives doing amazing things and creating pieces. Sometimes I was able to collaborate with them on commission pieces to use in my work for my clients. Unfortunately, not everything I found was suitable for the clients I was working with at the time, but I knew that I would someday be able to find a way to show their work so I began to build a global network of fabulously talented creatives and amazing resources that I would store in my folders for future reference.”
IMAGE: Christian Lyon, Interior Designer + Founder of editeur
Bringing the world to Perth
“The concept of editeur came to me after being in the industry for decades—this year marks the 30th anniversary of Christian Lyon Design and my 42nd year in the industry. Eight years ago, I devised editeur as a platform to develop the profile of design in Perth. I wanted to introduce designers and brands that weren’t mainstream, or trend-driven. I also wanted to celebrate the amazing creativity I had discovered throughout Australia and overseas.
“Even though we are physically isolated in Australia, especially here in Perth, the design and creative industry in this country was growing and maturing and I wanted editeur to connect with this blossoming movement.
Design is a huge industry globally, especially in Europe and the US—editeur was created as a portal not only to the rest of the world but for the rest of the world to see what’s happening in Perth.”
IMAGE: Evolution, 2024
Pushing boundaries
“The goal from the beginning was to celebrate creativity and push the boundaries, putting unique and expected ideas in front of people. We started curating collections of products by different artists and creatives that were exquisitely designed and beautifully executed, consciously ensuring we were not being guided by what was on trend or commercially viable.
"It was important to me that the commitment and competence of the people I was collaborating with needed to be unquestionable. I didn’t want editeur to play safe; I wanted to be adventurous, develop our style, and present something different to everything else. We have been very fortunate to make connections with like-minded people all over Australia and worldwide who like to push the boundaries too.
"It’s not about buying a look, or a suite of pieces that go together; it’s about offering ingredients and guiding people on how to put them together to reflect their personalities and style. People don’t have to invest in a cookie-cutter solution when they can find something of quality that is unique and beautiful at editeur. It’s not about sticking to a formula. I wanted to show people that it’s okay to think outside the box and to see how wonderful that can be!”
IMAGE: Tutti Frutti, 2021
The best of the best
“We have always aimed to offer an insight into different aesthetics, different movements and mediums, but always trying to find the best examples of any given style. We aim to present a refined offering that is the best of the best, be it a local ceramicist, a WA painter, an amazing South American textile artist, or an incredible European furniture designer. We seek out the expectational and the best of its genre. Likewise, when I am sourcing vintage pieces, I am looking for the best examples from notable designers of an era that epitomises that movement.”
IMAGE: Fluxe, 2020
Divine intervention
“editeur allows me the freedom to curate collections that change all the time. We follow a model similar to that of the fashion world – two main collections a year: spring/summer and autumn/winter. There’s always a theme but until I start sourcing products and collaborating with designers and artisans, I don’t know what it will be. There is never an end game in mind. It’s something that develops as I’m sourcing, investigating, researching and digging deep into certain schools of design and finding creatives who are innovative and exciting. It’s a wonderful and weird subliminal process and all of a sudden, a direction and emotion starts to connect the dots and I can see where I am going with the collection. I often say to myself, ‘Oh, I get it now – that’s what I’m trying to say!’
“The launch of each new collection is an evolution. It’s an expression in itself. In a way, it’s a chance for me and my team to express ourselves by conceptualising an ‘installation’. It creates an atmosphere where everything speaks in the same voice but has its own statement to make. It’s about what’s ticking all the boxes and finding that common thread. Even down to the food we serve and the music we play.
“I aim for every collection to be harmonious. There are so many ways to express yourself. It’s not preconceived; editeur is constantly evolving and developing different collections and exploring new directions. It’s interesting when I look back over the past eight years to see how we have changed – it’s been a phenomenal journey.
“We collaborate with many different designers, artisans and brands but their work must all fit the same criteria – expert design execution and top-shelf quality. It's the prerequisite for everything that comes into the store. A piece could be a very affordable bowl by an emerging WA ceramicist, or a very rare, highly collectable piece of vintage furniture by a notable designer. I ask myself if it is good enough for me to have in my home and if it’s yes, then it’s good enough for editeur.
“It’s not about profit margin or market wants, it has to be the best I can find. It’s my litmus test. There must be integrity behind every brand, collaboration and creative. It’s not about one direction or one voice – it’s many. There have been times when we have been mellow, calm and delicate and then other times dynamic and fantastic. It’s a very powerful and challenging process for me and the team.”
IMAGE: Dark2Light, 2022
Switching it up
“What sustains me is finding something new that’s fabulous. We constantly change direction, evolve, and switch it up. We don’t follow a formula. We present high-profile brands often quite differently from how they are displayed in their own showroom. I like to place objects in a different environment with contrasting elements. It creates a different energy and is part of our creative process. It’s a bit like putting on a play. You write your script, cast the actors and, as you rehearse, move through the process of vetting and refining until you come up with a show that sings! It’s super-exciting and keeps us all energised. Creative momentum is so rewarding.”
IMAGE: Christmas, 2020
Relationships
“My team is my family – we share a passion and are all deeply invested in editeur. It’s not just me: Despine, Bree, Jeanette and Russell have all been involved since the beginning. It’s about a group perspective. We each bring to the table different skills and it is a very collaborative process that pushes us to work with artisans and designers. We discuss what we are doing and where we are going with them and look at how we express it. That’s what I love most – it’s that cross-pollination that makes editeur unique.
“Not to mention the input and reward we get from working with our wonderful clients. It’s not about simply selling stuff, it’s about building long-term relationships based on trust and honesty. Sometimes we have to say, ‘Yes, I know it’s beautiful but it’s just not going to work in your home’. I’d rather not make a sale than have a client regret a purchase. It’s a big responsibility to have a client place their trust in us and we take our task seriously of guiding them through the process of acquisition.
"Our clientele is adventurous and we work hard to help them build confidence in their taste and listen carefully to their direction and brief. Along the way, we push people gently to consider a piece or direction they might not have considered, but we are always respectful. It’s about deciphering what they need, what they are thinking, and introducing them to new ideas and finding their perfect fit. We explain the value imbued in artisanal pieces, underlining that someone has conceptualised, designed and created that piece, often by hand, as an expression of their creativity, skill and expertise.
“It’s a legacy piece! It’s telling people a backstory and providing insight into why it is so fabulous and why they might connect with it. When you purchase an object, you are adopting it and bringing it into your home, so make it the best – why fill a space with just anything? Find something that speaks to you and that you love.”
IMAGE: Contour, 2023
An enduring love of design
“editeur is a passion; if it wasn’t, I would have given up years ago. It’s hard work but it’s very rewarding. Thanks to our talented collaborators, my amazing team and incredible clients, I have met some exceptional humans along the way. I’ve found my people, a community that loves extraordinary design as much as I do. That’s the joy in it for me.
“editeur is a place, I hope, where people come to enjoy themselves. We want it to be relaxed, friendly, warm, a joyous place where you come to discover and connect with good design and people who love it. I don’t know anywhere else quite like it.”
IMAGE: The Moderns, 2019
"As an interior designer, I focus on my client’s taste and lifestyle. I don’t impose on them what I think they should put in their spaces; instead, I draw out of them the direction they want to go in."
—CHRISTIAN LYON, editeur
Follow @editeurperth
editeur
496 Stirling Hwy, Peppermint Grove
Have you read?
