Ricardo and Anna are the dynamic husband-wife duo who are also the co-founders of Velce, and they are on a journey to recreate experiences that support the body, mind and movement. They are designing meaningful furniture and accessories to celebrate and encourage physical movement through their mutual love of movement-centric designs. Their motto - 'we want our human-made world that is designed by us to also be designed for us’!
Needless to say I was excited to learn more about the brand, the clever designs and more importantly the people behind it. I caught up with them on how they met, why they began the company and what they hope to achieve in the future.
What has been the inspiration behind Velce and how did it all come about?
We are interested in why our human-made physical world that is designed by us, so often doesn't seem to be designed for us. We believe that the most amazing piece of design is the human body and that the human body deserves thoughtful pieces designed to serve the human condition.
Soon after we started dating we realised that we serendipitously had a very similar concept for a business and three years ago we decided to start working to bring the idea to life, a concept we now call Velce.
How would you define your style and how has it evolved over the years?
We believe there is meaning in and feelings created by everything – from a candle holder to the dimensions and shape of a corridor. Over the years this belief has become stronger and stronger and it informs our style. We love simple design with a strong dose of meaning.
Can you tell us a little bit about where you live?
We moved to Sydney and specifically Randwick about four years ago. We chose Randwick because it's near all the places we visit the most - the beach, Centennial Park, the city, and these days the industrial areas and The Royal National Park. We know not everybody gets to choose where they live so we feel very grateful that we do and think that this choice says a lot about us and our personalities and interests. Sydney is a wonderful place in that it has the city bustle balanced by the amazing natural environment.
Do you have a favourite collection or design?
We love Japanese design, particularly what they do using wood. In Velce’s collection we really like Iwona Kosicka’s indoor swing. Not only is it beautiful but rocking has so many positive health benefits including being very calming.
What is a typical workday like for you?
There isn't much typical so I will describe yesterday, Tuesday. In the morning we ran the Centennial perimeter followed by some woodwork and doing some planning and emailing which continued into the night between a few meals and snacks.
What are you working on at the moment?
Finding more ways to share Velce with more people
What according to you is the next big thing in interior design?
Design that cultivates wellbeing by studying and acknowledging what we as humans and as a community of humans really need to be happy and healthy.
What advice can you give those seeking a career in product design?
Design to create harmony, respecting and honouring people and the environment.
Soon after we started dating we realised that we serendipitously had a very similar concept for a business and three years ago we decided to start working to bring the idea to life, a concept we now call Velce.
How would you define your style and how has it evolved over the years?We believe there is meaning in and feelings created by everything – from a candle holder to the dimensions and shape of a corridor. Over the years this belief has become stronger and stronger and it informs our style. We love simple design with a strong dose of meaning.
Can you tell us a little bit about where you live?
We moved to Sydney and specifically Randwick about four years ago. We chose Randwick because it's near all the places we visit the most - the beach, Centennial Park, the city, and these days the industrial areas and The Royal National Park. We know not everybody gets to choose where they live so we feel very grateful that we do and think that this choice says a lot about us and our personalities and interests. Sydney is a wonderful place in that it has the city bustle balanced by the amazing natural environment.
Do you have a favourite collection or design?
We love Japanese design, particularly what they do using wood. In Velce’s collection we really like Iwona Kosicka’s indoor swing. Not only is it beautiful but rocking has so many positive health benefits including being very calming.
What is a typical workday like for you?There isn't much typical so I will describe yesterday, Tuesday. In the morning we ran the Centennial perimeter followed by some woodwork and doing some planning and emailing which continued into the night between a few meals and snacks.
What are you working on at the moment?Finding more ways to share Velce with more people
What according to you is the next big thing in interior design?
Design that cultivates wellbeing by studying and acknowledging what we as humans and as a community of humans really need to be happy and healthy.
What advice can you give those seeking a career in product design?Design to create harmony, respecting and honouring people and the environment.
What 3 words describe your brand?
Wellbeing through movement.
Which is your favourite room in your home and why?The sunroom which is also our workshop and studio, because it's where most of our time on Velce is spent and has big windows that look out to trees and lets in lots of light and sun.
Where do you see Velce in five years time?
We would like movement-centric design to become a concept that more people are familiar with and are using to guide them in their everyday lives.
What's your favourite inspirational quote?
We love quotes, so one is going to be hard but our favourite quote for Velce is 'Nothing happens until something moves' - Albert Einstein.
Anna and Ricardo both believe in the importance of standing or even better walking at least 10 minutes each hour, as ultimately even an ergonomic chair or regular exercise won’t compensate the effects of sitting for prolonged periods of time.
Through their simple yet extremely aesthetic designs like that of the Velce active stool, the Iwona Kosicka’s indoor swing or the Velce wooden racquets, they encourage us to find forms of movement that we enjoy like something as innately simple like rocking back and forth and can incorporate into our daily routines.
Till next time... we were born to move, so keep on moving!
IMAGES PROVIDED BY VELCE
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