designEX Blog

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

The NEST – An Australian Design Showcase

In support of Australian furniture, lighting and object design talent, designEX NEST will showcase the BEST in works from independent Australian designers and design collectives.

Observing that there are several platforms that promote new works by emerging designers, along with supportive mentor programs showing product at a prototype stage; designEX identified an opportunity to support local design talent within a commercial environment.

An invited group of 20 independent Australian designers and design collectives will showcase new product, granting exposure to 15,000 design industry professionals expected to attend the exhibition in Sydney this May.

Design duo Ben Blakebrough and Sarah King // Blakebrough+King work from their studio in the highlands outside Sydney, and are presently consolidating 6 years of design practice together into a strong collection destined for the Australian retail market.

King says “after launching prototype works several years consecutively at the Salone del Mobile in Milan, we are focusing on expanding our local presence as wholesalers through design-EX.  We also hope to engage new collaborations with architects and interior designers.”

Sarah curated The Other Hemisphere, an Australian design collective that exhibited in Milan at Salone del Mobile.  Read the profile in INSIDE by Domingo Robledo - HERE

Sydney-based industrial designer David Knott established his design studio in 2002 to manufacture and distribute a range of lighting, furniture and products. Consulting to both national and international design offices and manufacturers, David’s keen to showcase a new body of work explaining that ‘the ability to connect with specifying interior designers and architects will ideally lead to ongoing project work,’ reflecting on his decision to participate.

036 Pendant Light by David Knott c. 2007

Stay tuned for upcoming profiles on all NEST participants, and discover why Australian design is firmly on the radar of key players in the international design scene!!

Blakebrough+King-http://www.blakebroughking.com/

David Knott- http://www.knott.com.au/

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