Let there be light
Teleisha Thomas
September 2025
Unique, playful, and refined. Words that describe Volker Haug’s lighting creations and the studio where they are made.
In this edition of Meet the Maker, we speak with the German-born, Melbourne-based creative, whose fascination with light began at the age of 10. From an early mentorship under lighting design pioneer Geoffrey Mance, to receiving the 2025 Melbourne Design Week Award for his studio’s 20-year retrospective, Volker shares insights into his craft and his vision for the future of Australian design.
Melbourne has produced many exciting creatives, why do you think this is? And how do our creatives stack up against international global designers?
Melbourne has a distinct creative energy — open, collaborative, and unafraid to take risks. There’s a spirit of experimentation here that fosters originality and pushes boundaries. Australian designers bring a fresh and often unconventional perspective. There’s a confidence and resourcefulness in the work that absolutely holds its own and, in my opinion, particularly in lighting, increasingly leads on the global stage.
Known for championing collaboration, your studio has partnered with some of the industry’s most exciting creatives, including Flack Studio. Why are partnerships like these so valuable to your process, and are there any new drops on the horizon?
Absolutely. Collaborations are integral to our practice. Working with Flack Studio on the Me and You collection was a particularly memorable experience. It brought together our technical knowledge and their spatial design expertise to create pieces that balance artistic form with functionality. We’d work with them again in a heartbeat — in fact, we’re planning to expand on Me and You soon. Opportunities like this allow us to broaden our creative thinking, gain new perspectives, and bring fresh energy into the studio. If the right collaboration comes along, we’re always open to exploring it.
What’s something in your studio or home that has nothing to do with lighting but tells us everything about your taste?
I’m obsessed with West German ceramics. Their bold colours, striking shapes, and unusual patterns never fail to excite me. While many styles exist, I’m drawn to the rare, more unusual pieces, they’re the ones I hunt for at flea markets and vintage shops, both locally and abroad. You can’t miss them in my home, though I’ll admit, they’re not for everyone.
Is there a tool in your studio that’s completely irreplaceable?
An unusual but essential tool from years past was the customised Lazy Susan, used to create a perfect guideline radius for our designs. Imagine an oversized light bulb fixed at its centre, slowly spinning. A metal ruler, with a thin marker taped to it, traced a perfect guideline around the globe.
What kind of legacy do you hope Volker Haug Studio leaves behind?
I’d like the studio to be remembered for pushing boundaries— for taking lighting beyond the functional and into the realm of expressive, thoughtful design. Our hope is that our work continues to evoke curiosity and emotion, while standing the test of time both materially and conceptually. More than just objects, we see our lights as part of a broader cultural conversation, playful, unexpected, but always highly considered. If our legacy is one of bold creativity, meaningful collaboration, and a lasting contribution to contemporary design, I’d be proud of that.
“Our hope is that our work continues to evoke curiosity and emotion, while standing the test of time both materially and conceptually. More than just objects, we see our lights as part of a broader cultural conversation, playful, unexpected, but always highly considered”
Volker Haug
