Corey Baker – vivid

22 June 2021

Automotive clay modelling is a select field and until recently, the skilled were in strong demand at the world’s top automobile centres. Corey Baker was among them.

“A lot of it is contract work and it took me to the US, Europe and Britain – a great way to see the world,” says the 28-year-old Melburnian who made excellent use of his honours degree in industrial design.

He worked on projects for giants including General Motors and VW, then the global financial crisis dealt a punishing blow to the industry and it was time to activate career Plan Two. Its seeds were sown during Corey’s childhood.

“My dad was forever building and making things around the house, so I’d always been aware of skills like carpentry and decided to apply my training to furniture design,” he says.

“People assume automobile design is all computerized. That’s how it’s portrayed, but a lot is done by hand. That’s what attracted me to clay modeling. When I left uni, I wanted to do something that was hands on.”

Corey Baker - Float Wine Dais Late last year, Corey launched his limited edition furniture company Riva. Among the showpieces at his studio-workshop are the two striking designs selected for Vivid – the asymmetric Float Wine Dais in jarrah and stainless steel and the Lofoten Lounger in bamboo and stainless steel.

The latter has been named in honour of Norway’s Lofoten archipelago. “It’s above the Arctic Circle and one of the most stunning places I’ve seen,” says the well-travelled designer.