There are moments in every designer’s career that encourage you to pause and reflect.
Not because you’ve reached the finish line, but because they remind you that years of dedication, experimentation and craftsmanship are beginning to resonate beyond your own workshop.
For us, one of those moments came in 2022 when the Dock Seating Bench & Side Table was selected as an Official Shortlist in The Object category of the prestigious INDE Awards.
It wasn’t simply recognition for a single piece of furniture. It represented years of refining ideas, developing our craft and believing that thoughtful design still has a place in a world increasingly driven by mass production.
Design Begins Long Before the First Sketch
Every project has a story long before the first drawing appears on paper.
The Dock collection grew from a simple observation—boats secured alongside timber docks. Rather than literally copying nautical forms, we became interested in the relationship between balance, structure and connection.
The defining feature became a compound joint that visually locks the upholstered seat to the solid timber base. It appears effortless, yet achieving that simplicity required countless hours of design development, engineering and craftsmanship.
Like much of our work, the objective wasn’t to create something fashionable.
It was to create something timeless.
Standing Alongside the Region's Best
Being selected as an Official Shortlist placed the Dock collection alongside work from some of the most respected designers and studios throughout Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific region.
For a Melbourne furniture studio, that recognition carried real meaning.
It demonstrated that carefully considered Australian design could confidently sit on an international stage—not because it followed trends, but because it offered an original point of view.
Recognition like this is never guaranteed.
It is earned, project by project.
An Evening to Remember
Walking into the awards theatre that evening was both exciting and humbling.
Surrounded by architects, interior designers, manufacturers and creative studios whose work we’d admired for years, there was an unmistakable sense that everyone in the room shared the same goal—to create work that genuinely contributes to the design industry.
As each shortlisted project appeared on the screen, there was a quiet sense of pride in seeing our work become part of that conversation.
Whether or not a trophy comes home almost becomes secondary.
Being invited to stand alongside the region’s best is an achievement in itself.
A Collaboration Built on Shared Values
The Dock Seating Bench & Side Table was created through the collaboration between Manuel Canestrini and Colin Whitehead under the Formacy name.
While every collaboration brings different strengths, the philosophy remains consistent.
Design should solve problems.
Materials should be respected.
Craftsmanship should never be compromised.
Those principles continue to guide every project we undertake today.
Building a Design Legacy
Looking back, the INDE Awards shortlist became another important chapter in a much longer journey.
Over the years our work has also been recognised through the VIVID Design Awards, Good Design Awards and IDEA Awards, with projects including Shard, Shadow, Dock, Symbiont, Allambee, and most recently the Covet Experience Centre.
Each project explores different ideas and materials, yet they all share a common purpose—to create furniture and objects that are thoughtful, enduring and beautifully made.
Awards are never the destination.
They’re milestones that remind us we’re heading in the right direction.
Looking Forward
When we look back at photographs like this, we don’t simply see an awards evening.
We see years of conversations, sketches, prototypes, setbacks, late nights in the workshop and the quiet satisfaction that comes from turning an idea into something real.
Those experiences continue to shape the way we design today.
As we prepare new work for the 2026 IDEA Awards, we’re reminded that every project builds upon the last.
The pursuit has never been about collecting awards.
It has always been about creating meaningful Australian furniture that earns its place in people’s homes, workplaces and lives.
Because in the end, recognition isn’t something you chase.
It’s something that quietly follows when you remain committed to doing your best work.