Australian design has never seemed more lively. The blogosphere is abuzz with the creations of designer-makers and reality TV shows have us glued to our screens. And yet, there seems to be something missing. It's as if we have no sense of history, no understanding of the context in which we create.

Our colonial history is short, of course, but that ignoble narrative just happens to coincide with one of most gloriously precise, even austere periods in Western architecture, the Georgian.

Old Government House at Parramatta, Sydney, is our oldest surviving public building, dated to 1815. It is also an outstanding example of Georgian design, sited above the Parramatta River. A genteel manor, it was the country retreat of the first 10 governors of NSW, and the preferred seat of Governor and Mrs Macquarie.

Right now, it's home to an extraordinary collection of contemporary Australian design, some 60 or so objects which tell the tale of our culture now.

Curated by former Vogue Living editor, David Clark, At Home: Modern Australian Design is intended, he says, to "demonstrate the more refined, expressive, eccentric, even quirky side of Australian design, in a historical context. This was a home, a very historic dwelling, and I was curious to see how contemporary Australian design would fit within it."

And so a skeletal Ribb bench by Stefan Lie from 1998 sits opposite a heavily worked antique sofa. An end table in resin by Dinosaur Designs' Louise Olsen and Stephen Ormandy holds pride of place in a hallway, beneath a foxed, wood-framed looking glass. Lucy McRae's Prickly lamp – some 20,000 fine pieces of hand-dyed wood – sits in dialogue with a vintage engraving of an emu, its crooked neck echoing that of the bird's.

Extremely appealing

There's an ease to the installation, a light-heartedness that is extremely appealing.

"I was wary not to impose a narrative where there was none, preferring instead to let the objects speak for themselves," says Clark. "There are some things that draw out a narrative and others that draw out a counterpoint."

Marc Newson's iconic Embryo chair of 1998 is here covered in a soft paisley, a wink to the textiles of colonial India, and placed in front of a fireplace in a bedroom.

"One of the goals of this exhibition for us," says Roxanne Fea, regional manager of the National Trust of Australia (NSW) for Western Sydney, "is to look at the permanent collection in a new way."

At the same time, by placing contemporary creations in a historical context, a dialogue opens up. Adam Goodrum's Birdsmouth table for Broached Commissions (2011), for instance, takes on a new allure in the governors' dining room, its brightly coloured legs jibing nicely with the red plush of the period upholstery.

Clark's background is in textiles and his fine eye for colour, contrast and tactility is evident throughout the show.

"For me, the selection of objects is an intuitive decision," he says. "I haven't over-intellectualised it."

Reaching for broader audience

Perhaps not, but At Home is very clever in the way it presents contemporary Australian design in such an intriguing manner. Hanging pendant lights by Melbourne studio Porcelain Bear inside the canopy of a four-poster bed is, according to Clark, "a suggestion of the modern-day reading light. Placing Trent Jansen's Pregnant chair (a baby chair is encased within a larger one, and can be pulled out to sit alongside the parent) in the nursery is an inspired move.

According to Fae, At Home is part of move by the National Trust to reach out to a broader audience. "Historic properties are like cornucopia of stories and themes that connect the past with the present. As you walk through and explore every room, you might discover unexpected and resonant connections between the modern and the historic."

"I haven't tried too hard to make the links," says Clark. "For me it was an opportunity to curate a show of contemporary Australian design within a historical context. I was always mindful of the history of the house, the usage of the rooms."

NEED TO KNOW

At home: Modern Australian Design Old Government House, Parramatta. Until January 22. Open Tuesdays to Sundays 10am to 4pm. For more information, tel: (02) 9635 8149.