There’s something deeply desirable about Daniel To and Emma Aiston’s designs.

The Adelaide-based pair has been making ultra-simple objects and installations under their DANIEL EMMA label since graduating from local industrial design courses.

Each individual piece is beguiling, perhaps partly because of its singular purpose. But are perfect in their simplicity. Perhaps they’re a response to the increasingly feature-laden objects that abound in our consumerist society.

Photo: DANIEL EMMA Design

How did your collaboration come about and how do you manage your design process together?

We began working together soon after we finished uni, as it was a feasible way to exhibit work in London. We never really had any plans or expectations – it’s evolved quite organically.

What are the hallmarks of a DANIEL EMMA design?

Simple, honest design that isn’t over-embellished.

Photo: DANIEL EMMA Design

Since you started working together, you’ve picked up a big grab-bag of awards, including the Bombay Sapphire Design Discover Award in 2010. How has your work evolved since then?

Every project we undertake gives us skills to tackle the next.  We see this progression as stepping stones. Every project seems to follow the previous one, always bringing new challenges and highlights.

Can you tell us about any of your recent commissions?

We recently designed some cushions for English manufacturer Thorsten van Elten, and prior to that collaborated with US company Field on a desk set which consists of a magnifier, mouse mat, book ends and pen pot.

You mentioned your work is moving away from self-production to more collaborations with manufacturers. Why?

This is what we have been working towards since starting out.  It has been essential for us to self-produce a number of pieces and collections to showcase what we are capable of doing, which has led to companies approaching us for collaborations.

Daniel To and Emma Aiston. Photo: Nat Rogers / InDaily

Do you ever make anything that you don’t want to give away or sell because you love it so much?

By the time a project has come to fruition we are normally a bit sick of looking at the objects! We make sure to photograph everything we make so there is always some record.

What do you see as the challenges and upsides of working in Adelaide as a creative?

Adelaide is a lovely place to live and work.  Having our studio based in the Jam Factory with so many other wonderful creatives makes for a special work environment.  The downside is that we are so far away from London.

What’s next on the horizon for you guys?

A solo exhibition in Melbourne in December, and some other things that we still have to keep secret.