The rest of us might be drawn to the pop-coloured acrylics and voluptuous wavy lines in new homewares label Double Date’s mobiles and mirrors. But for founders and siblings Alice and Bridget Wald, the Melbourne brand represents something much more basic. It’s “50 per cent work and 50 per cent laughing with my sister”, Alice says. “We design our products with love and intention, trying to keep things as handmade and local as possible. We have a lot of laughs and fun designing and creating them.”
It’s easy to imagine big chuckles going on behind the scenes at Double Date. Alice and Bridget’s launch range comprises playfully curvy acrylic mirrors and fun mobiles in pastels and brights – all aimed as much at grown-ups as kids, Alice says.
“While the obvious choice is a nursery, I think our mobiles and wall hangings would look equally at home hanging among the indoor plants of a lounge room, or above a kitchen island or in a window slowly swaying and spinning in the breeze,” she tells Broadsheet.
It all started when stylist sister Bridget was “very pregnant with twins” during lockdown. “I spent a lot of time buying things for my nursery and I couldn't find anything that I really liked when it came to mobiles. I thought, ‘Yeah, I can make something. I’m crafty,’” Bridget explains.
“I really did feel like there was a gap in the ‘cool mobile market’. The combination of pregnancy and lockdown – as well as a sister who enjoys coming along on my crazy ideas – was the perfect mix to get creative juices flowing and make it a reality.”
Bridget dutifully roped in Alice, who’s currently working at “a very grown-up-sounding job” in corporate consulting. Alice says Double Date is her way of channelling creativity and spending quality time with family. “When we started working on Double Date it was a natural fit that Bridge took on the design and I helped with the logistics of the business. We complement each other well that way,” Alice says.
All Double Date pieces are hand-assembled by Alice and Bridget from laser-cut acrylic components, and most are made to order.
“Acrylic meets all the criteria for us when it comes to the look we’re trying to achieve: the ability to add a sense of weightlessness while still giving us colour and opacity to play with,” Alice says. “I also love that we can scale up or down, and this became critical in getting the spin and balance right on the Garden Party mobile. It helps that acrylic is durable and kid-safe.”
For Bridget, it’s important to create as sustainably as possible. While the pair is on the lookout for reclaimed or recycled perspex for future drops, right now they’re focused on eliminating production waste.
“The precision of laser cutting enables us to get as much out of the sheet of acrylic as possible and keep wastage down,” Bridget says. “Making them to order means we can cut to order for the mirrors and use what we need. It also allows us to do small runs.”
The business also moves at a sustainable pace for the sake of its founders. Both care for two children apiece alongside home and professional work that can get “intense” at times, Alice explains.
“The evolution of Double Date has been a slow and organic process with lots of work happening in stolen moments,” Alice says. “Designing during naptime or lunchtime phone calls talking through how we want the branding to look. We pressed ‘go live' on the website during toddler dinnertime!”
