We were delighted to attend the event this year, connecting with other store owners, designers and professionals for a day of inspiration. Each stand used colour, materials and typography in a considered and thoughtful way to present cutting edge products and ideas in a unique space.
Design directions and trends we noticed were a shift towards more colour compared with a few years ago when it was all about blush. Rich warm reds, greens and blues were popular choices. Some brands refused to give in to anything natural and neutral, like Seletti, the mad Italian design brand which is all about colour and camp.
The lines, proportions and materials of the 1970s and 80s are inspiring a lot of designers – this perforated metal white lamp certainly reminded us of that era. Arches from this period also featured strongly – we saw this in furniture with impressive French cane pieces with a double door opening as a contemporary, compact armoire.
You can see this direction in contemporary designs from our Scandinavian brand Warm Nordic, especially in the Be My Guest Bench Seat by Danish designer Charlotte Høncke
New Zealand design played a significant part in the event too with the Palisades, a collective space combining the work of Nathan Goldsworthy, Think + Shift and Tim Webber in an immersive space with materials from Autex Industries.
In the afternoon we attended a talk by two architects who had travelled from the UK to represent Zaha Hadid Design. The design house has collaborated with an impressive series of partner brands like Georg Jensen to create unique and timeless interior design objects, all pushing the boundaries of the material's capability and pursuing the vision of the late founder.
The event was an encouraging glimpse of where Australasian design is up to right now and where things are heading. We left exhausted and inspired, already thinking about how we can get back to it next year.
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