Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 19, 2026

David Caon

David Caon is an Australian industrial designer and creative director. He is active in the fields of furniture, product, interior, and transportation design.

Last revised
Jun 19, 2026
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David Caon
Born1977
Adelaide
Alma mater
OccupationDesigner, industrial designer, interior designer, creative director
Spouse(s)Jeramie Hotz
Websitecaondesignoffice.com 

David Caon (born 1977) is an Australian industrial designer and creative director. He is active in the fields of furniture, product, interior, and transportation design.

Early life and education

David Caon was born in Adelaide, Australia to a family of Italian origin.123 He graduated from the University of South Australia with a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design and subsequently travelled to Europe to further his studies.4 In 2000 he enrolled in the Automotive and Transport Design Master's programme at Coventry University, however, he quickly became disillusioned with the course and left after several weeks.15 He moved to Milan to work as a graphic designer at Mondadori publishing group, after which he went to work for George Sowden, an English proponent of the Memphis movement.678 While in Milan, he also collaborated with Jerszy Seymour, a post-punk artist and designer.9743

Work and career

Following his time in Italy, after a chance meeting with fellow Australian designer Marc Newson in 2003, Caon moved to France to join Newson's Paris studio.7 He worked on projects for clients such as LVMH, Nike, Samsonite, Magis, and Qantas.1064 In a Sydney Morning Herald profile, Newson recalls that Caon, who was 26 when he joined the studio, was "bright eyed, ambitious, confident and full of energy". In the same article, Caon describes how he went "from working with Jerszy and that kind of blue-sky, idealistic, exhibition-style open thinking, without restrictions, to working on serious projects for serious clients. And Marc Newson has a dream stable." The collaboration lasted over 5 years, with Caon working his way up to become a senior designer and project manager for Newson.111

Caon returned to Australia in 2009, and after briefly working with architects Woods Bagot, he established Caon Design Office, a Sydney based design practice. His first major client was Marc Newson Ltd.124 He has worked in a wide range of design disciplines including industrial design, product design, furniture design, transportation and aviation design, brand identity, graphic design, packaging, interior architecture and retail design.13641 The studio has worked for companies such as Noritake, Recaro, Schneider Electric, Woolmark, and Qantas.714

Qantas weight saving crockery manufactured by Noritake15a source ↗

He has been a consultant responsible for the creative direction and design of the interiors of the Qantas fleet,16 including the refurbishment of its Marc Newson designed Airbus A380s,17 the design of new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft,3 and ultra long-range Airbus A350s for direct Australia to New York and London routes,18 as well as ground based interiors, bespoke furniture and fittings.181916 Caon's weight reducing designs for Qantas's in-flight crockery20 and cutlery21 resulted in an annual savings of over 500,000 kilograms of fuel.151022231a

In collaboration with architects Acme and Akin Atelier, he has designed retail and hospitality interiors including restaurants for Australian celebrity chef Neil Perry such as "Margaret" and "Next Door" in Sydney;24 Qantas's first class, business class, and transit lounges in Australia and abroad;2526 as well as residential interiors for private clients.271211

In 2020 Caon and business partner Henry Wilson founded Laker, an Australian manufacturer of design editions, furniture, home accessories, and architectural fittings.282930315

In 2024 Caon and creative director Paulina Paige Ortega founded a graphic design practice called Actuel Studio.323334

In 2025 he was invited to Japan to take part in the Tokai Project, the second edition of the Craft x Tech initiative.3536 The programme is an exploration of how traditional "aesthetic sensibilities embedded in Japanese craft can be reimagined through a thoughtful and skillful creative process" reinterpreted through the lens of contemporary design and technology.373839

Personal life

Caon lives and works in Sydney, Australia. He is married to Jeramie Hotz, an Australian businesswoman. They have two children.91

Notes

Notes

  1. Qantas press release claims an annual fuel savings of over 535,000 kilogrammes.
References

References

  1. Souter, Fenella (25 August 2017). "Coming soon: Perth-London direct flights. This man will make them more bearable". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 22 May 2026. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  2. Tucker, Ashley (7 August 2015). "Five minutes with David Caon". Indesign Live: Interior Design and Architecture. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  3. Stahl, Michael (14 August 2019). "David Caon profile: from classic car worship to Dreamliner design". Executive Traveller. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  4. "The sky's the limit – making fabulous functional". University of South Australia. May 29, 2023. Archived from the original on 10 July 2023. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  5. "David Caon". Sparkkle. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  6. "David Caon biography". Design & Art Australia Online (DAAO). Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  7. Bell, Jonathan (22 May 2024). "Caon Design Office and Woolmark reshape the form and feel of airline seats". Wallpaper. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  8. "Good Design Ambassadors – David Caon". Australian Good Design Awards. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  9. "Jeramie Hotz & David Caon, Edgecliff". IN BED Store. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  10. Glies, Nolan. "Radical departure gallery – Issue 114 – Magazine". Monocle. pp. 78–79. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  11. "Good Weekend Magazine — Caon Design Office — A multi-disciplinary creative practice headed by Australian Industrial Designer, David Caon". Official Site. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  12. "David Caon on Transport's New Frontier". Semi Permanent. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  13. "David Caon, Yves Béhar, Passivhaus and Omniyat, Monocle on Design 638 - Radio". Monocle. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  14. "The 44 People Changing the Way We Travel". Condé Nast Traveler. 2019-02-08. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  15. Noble, Dimity (2017-07-24). "Qantas takes high design to the skies with new tableware range". Wallpaper. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  16. Arlidge, John (16 June 2023). "Inside the new 21-hour flight to Australia with £20,000 suites". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  17. Ilic, Nikolina (2 October 2019). "Qantas' Fully Refreshed A380 Cabin Has Arrived Complete With A Lush Business Lounge". GQ Australia. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  18. Arlidge, John (21 May 2023). "Qantas' Airbus A350 cabins make non-stop to Australia a dream ticket". Wallpaper. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  19. Khalil, Shireen (24 February 2023). "Inside Qantas First and Business cabins for A350s". news.com.au. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  20. Dominguez, Lorena (2020-02-10). "New David Caon by Noritake!". Noritake Australia Pty Ltd. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  21. "Qantas has launched a new designer tableware collection". Vogue Australia. July 21, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  22. Booth, James (1 February 2020). "Qantas Cutlery: The One Thing In Qantas Business Class I Will Never Understand". DMARGE. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  23. Nunes, Ashley. "How long-haul travel will change post-Covid". BBC News. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  24. Pascual, Levy (10 April 2022). "Margaret by CAON Studio and ACME – The Commercial Project Feature". The Local Project. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  25. Nash, Brad (5 November 2019). "Take A Tour Of Qantas' Sleek New Singapore First Class Lounge". GQ Australia. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  26. Huynh, Mike (7 March 2019). "Difference Between Business & First Class Lounges". DMARGE. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  27. Jen, Virginia (26 October 2022). "VL50: Australia's top 50 interior designers, architects, product designers and artists". Vogue Living. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  28. "About Laker". Laker Studio. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  29. "David Caon and Henry Wilson debut jointly designed storage system under Laker brand". Daily Architecture News. 30 November 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  30. "David Caon Archives". Daily Architecture News. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  31. Tomic Hughes, Dana (5 October 2022). "Laneway Glass House: The project hidden in an unloved Darlinghurst street". www.domain.com.au. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  32. Basu, Ritupriya (18 March 2025). "Paulina Paige Ortega and David Caon's diverse backgrounds give Actuel Studio its creative fluency". The Brand Identity. Archived from the original on 18 March 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  33. Estrada, Olivia Sylvia. "Fascinating Women 2024: Creative Director Paulina Paige Ortega". ABS-CBN Lifestyle. Archived from the original on 15 February 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  34. Bhopti, Nikita (31 January 2024). "Profile: Caon Design Office / Laker". Architecture, Au (Australian Institute of Architects). Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  35. Craft x Tech 第⼆弾『東海プロジェクト』ティザ [Craft x Tech Tokai Project – Second Edition] (in Japanese). 17 October 2025. Retrieved 9 February 2026 – via YouTube.
  36. "Why you're about to fall in love with Japanese design all over again". ELLE Decoration. 24 February 2025. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  37. "Craft x Tech – Unifying Japanese Craft and Contemporary Technology". Craft x Tech. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  38. "Craft x Tech Announces Collaborating Creators for its 2ND Edition 'Craft x Tech Tokai Project'". Craft x Tech. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  39. Aprile, Nicola (18 May 2026). "The future of design? Leading designers are finding it in Japan's artisan workshops". Domus. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
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