designEX Blog

DESIGN// Lee Broom at Salone del Mobile

Shortlisted for the inaugural FRAME / MOOOI award, Brit designer Lee Broom is set to launch his first collection at Salone del Mobile this week. Lee Broom Public House is showcasing much of Broom’s carpets, furniture & lighting, along with the global launch of Crystal Light Bulb.

Combining industrial influences with decorative qualities, Lee transforms the everyday light bulb into an ornamental fitting. Featuring a hand-blown, cut-crystal shell in the form of a giant light bulb, Crystal Light Bulb casts a beautiful shadow across a room.

Each piece is hand made in the UK – for more info head to Lee Broom.com // follow #pubmilan on twitter.

The Frame award will be announced next Wednesday by jurors Philippe Starck & Marcel Wanders – updates will be found at framemoooi.com

by Anne-Maree Sargeant  // The Snap Assembly blog // AMS-info

DESIGN // AUSTRALIAN INTERIOR DESIGN AWARDS – Short List announced!

The shortlist for the Australian Interior Design Awards has been revealed - collectively the stellar list of projects demonstrate that the Australian design industry is thriving, with the shortlisted design practices representing excellence across the many different spheres of interior design.

The judging process, conducted under the auspices of the Design Institute of Australia, also adhered to the protocols of the International Federation of Interior Architects/Interior Designers  - deeming a shortlist nomination to be acknowledgment that selected projects were executed to the highest level.

The eight-member jury included leading design professionals, among them Robert Backhouse, MD HASSELL, Rosina Di Maria, principal WOODS BAGOT SA, Nick Tobias, TOBIAS PARTNERS, and Kirsten Stanisich, director of SJB NSW.

With project categories spanning Public Space, Residential, Workplace, Retail, Hospitality, Commercial and Installation – today we take a look at a few of the interior design finalists – Robert Mills Architects, Smart Design Studio and Derlot / Alexander Lotersztain.

Sorrento House by Robert Mills Architects   [image Earl Carter]

Tusculum Street by Smart Design Studio [image Sharrin Rees]

Chester Street by DERLOT / Alexander Lotersztain   [image Florian Groehn]

designEX congratulates all finalists, and we look forward to the official awards ceremony on April 27^th held at a gala dinner at Doltone House, Jones Bay Wharf, in Sydney.

Over the coming weeks we will share more projects by this years finalists.

Read the full shortlist HERE.

australianinteriordesignawards.com

by Anne-Maree Sargeant  // The Snap Assembly blog // AMS-info

DESIGN // FRAME Moooi finalists announced – CONGRATULATIONS FACET STUDIO!

With the ultimate award to be presented during Salone del Mobile on April 18, ten finalists have been announced in the prestigious FRAME / Moooi interior-design award – among them Sydney based designers at FACET STUDIO for the ‘shoe box’ display system!

FACET STUDIO ‘Shoe Box’ – Australia

Entry criterion required submissions custom designed furnishings or lighting that have been launched in mid-2011. The jury included Philippe Starck, Marcel Wanders, and the founders of Frame Publishing, who collectively made their selections on an anonymous basis, freeing judges from being swayed by designer’s names, or country of origin.

‘I’m often invited to judge competitions,’ Starck says, ‘I’m happy to say that the level of this one is clearly higher than average, a very nice surprise.’ High praise indeed, from one of the most celebrated designers of the contemporary era!

LEE BROOM ‘Decanter Lights’ - UK

Launched in 2011, the award aims to unite innovative interiors with equally innovative furniture and lighting pieces that have been designed for a specific purpose. The initiative is intended to strengthen the bond between (interior) architects and product designers

References were Mies van der Rohe’s BARCELONA CHAIR, originally created for the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona or Arne Jacobson’s EGG CHAIR, designed in 1958 for the SAS Hotel in Copenhagen. // framemoooi.com

KEIKO + MANABU ‘ Mist of Arch’ -  Japan

The finalists are:

Ray – integrated ceiling light for an office, by Shl Design (Denmark)

What’s in your locker?– locker system for a school, by Lab 3 (Netherlands)

Caelum– LED table lamp for a bar, by Pablo Martinez Diez (Spain)

Kroon– chandelier for an office and apartment building, by ZMIK (Switzerland)

Shoe Box– display system for a sneaker shop, by Facet Studio (Australia)

Mist of Arch– furniture for public toilet in a department store, by Keiko + Manabu (Japan)

Sketch– display for a fashion shop, by Ypsilon Tasarım, Yesim Bakırküre (Turkey)

Stairway to Heaven– pendant light for a theater café, by Bertjan Pot (Netherlands)

Education Trestles and Easels– educational table system for an art museum, by Studio Makkink & Bey (Netherlands)

Decanterlight– pendant light for a bar, by Lee Broom (United Kingdom)

by Anne-Maree Sargeant  // The Snap Assembly blog // AMS-info

DESIGN Salone del Mobile preview Fornasetti

Barnaba Fornasetti will unveil new Fornasetti pieces at Fuori Salone de Mobile  2012, including a low buffet cabinet available in a range of finishes selected from the Fornasetti archive. ’Face and Stripes’ (above), an interpretation of the woman’s face taken from the Fornasetti series ‘Tema e Variazion’ (Theme & Variations), adds to the iconic collection of decorative objects, screens and furnishings created by his father thelate, great 20th century artist Piero Fornasetti.

Milanese painter, sculptor, interior decorator and book engraver Piero Fornasetti created more than 11,000 products, an output so prolific he remains one of the largest producers of 20th century decorative objects and furniture.  A creative visionary, his visual language remains unique; the pieces are whimsical, and witty, yet retain the timelessness of any modern classic.

With Fornasetti’s son Barnaba helming his father’s legacy into a new era with the addition of re-editions & limited editions continuing, with new products such as tables, cabinetsand vases. 

Featuring the now legendary face of Lina Cavalieri, Barnaba took inspiration from the chest of drawers ‘Leopard’, designed by his father in the ‘50s, replacing the feline animal with the woman’s face.  Made from printed, lacquered, and hand-painted timber, customised versions will also be available, the new pieces will exhibited in the Fornasetti showroom in Milan during Salone del Mobile next month.

www.fornasetti.com

by Anne-Maree Sargeant  // The Snap Assembly blog // AMS-info

Hotel Missoni Kuwait

Almost two years after unveiling Hotel Missoni Edinburgh, the long-awaited Hotel Missoni Kuwait opened the doors on February 29^th, a second collaboration with Rezidor Hotel Group.

Boasting breathtaking views across the Gulf, the iconic Italian fabric house stretches playful geometry and bolts of contrasting color throughout the interior, with the Hotel featuring key pieces from the MISSONI HOME COLLECTION, expertly melded with individual pieces personally selected by Rosita Missoni – iconic designs including the Hans Wagner-designed Wishbone Chair and Superarchimoon lamps by Philippe Starck.

Bold, passionate and fashionable, the interior fit-out is relaxed, and to quote Rosita Missoni “every piece of furniture is something I would choose for my home,” the resulting scheme awash with a beach-inspired palette and the brand’s trademark exuberant patterns, with rooms orientated to capitalise on the Salmiya seafront location, and the endless views of the Arabian coast.

Other MISSONI hotel sites are currently under construction include Oman, Brazil and the recently announced Antalya in Turkey, set to open in 2013 – where a 18-hole golf course to be designed by Swedish golf pro Annika Sorensta, the jewel in the Missoni Hotel Country Club club, to come complete with it’s own olive grove!

In the lead-up to the arrival of Hotel Missoni Kuwait, one of the regions most highly anticipated hotel developments in the Middle East, Missoni commissioned a series of five short films on YouTube, with the debut video appearing on Nowness.com. The film follows the many adventures of Missoni’s founders as they travel through famous sites across Europe and the Middle East, crossing land and sea aboard their Missoni hot air balloon.

The 18-storey hotel features 169 rooms and 63 suites, decked out with the latest Bang & Olufson, with guests able to convert their ‘magic mirror’ into a television at the flick of a switch! 

Stay tuned for exciting Missoni product launches at designEX, along with a special installation. MISSONI HOME is available in Australia exclusively from Spence & Lyda

by Anne-Maree Sargeant

The Snap Assembly blog // AMS-info

WELCOME to designEX BLOG!!

After 24 years designEX remains Australia’s most significant trade event for interior design and architectural professionals – and now with a new team at the helm, designEX is about to enter a new era!

Over the coming weeks we will introduce you to the people behind the brands, exhibitors and designers; the big-name internationals set to headline the seminar series, along with the inside word on a range of HOT pop-up events scheduled on-site at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, May 14-16th  2012.

I have been invited by Diversified Exhibitions, the management team who bring designEX to life, to undertake several projects that include – the BLOG, the NEST and the HIVES.

 Join us here on the blog as we step behind-the-scenes to engage with the people behind the brands, and other originators who will inspire us to new directions in design.

In the coming weeks we will introduce you to the creative talent behind this year’s dynamic event program – so please sign up for our updates – we’d love to stay connected!! 

by Anne-Maree Sargeant

The Snap Assembly blog // AMS-info

portrait (c) Sonny Vendevelde