Penelope Forlano - MMM

Based in Perth, Western Australia, Penelope Forlano operates Forlano Design, a design consultancy focused on providing quality design and project management services.

Penelope's award-winning designs have attracted national and international attention, with her work being selected for various international and state exhibitions. She recently received an Australian Design Award, the highest accolade in the industry.

Penelope’s MMM grant was awarded for Wild Creeper, her sculptural coat rack and hook product range. She realised that the coat rack in Australia, which in many places is only used a few months of the year, needed to be a sculptural and beautiful object that could hold its own when unadorned by clothing or accessories.

Penelope describes the motivation for the Wild Creeper coat rack as follows: 'This design started as an engaging sculptural and moveable object allowing the user to create their own forms to appeal to their particular aesthetic sensibility. The design was inspired by the possibility of creating an organic yet machined form, like a tiny constructed Garden of Eden sitting within an interior space. The brackets/independent hooks were interpreted as being ‘rooted’ to the wall and the moveable components as creeping tendrils spreading into space. Each ‘bud’ from the ‘tendrils’ acts as both a hook to hang items, or to hook onto the rail, allowing maximum flexibility and functionality.'