Table of contents for July - August 2016 in (inside) interior design review

Heavy Artillery is the latest exhibition showcasing the impressive collection of contemporary Chinese art that Judith Neilson has been amassing since 2001. If you haven’t been to White Rabbit yet, it is worth it just to see the transformation, by Smart Design Studio, of this former Rolls-Royce service depot into a gleaming contemporary gallery, complete with a teahouse and gift shop. For the work that best interacts with the exhibition title, Heavy Artillery, catch the lift to the top floor to see Tank Project by He Xiangyu. Slumped on a shiny, reflective black floor is a full-scale military tank, composed entirely of luxury handbag leather. Its main gun barrel, rather than protruding menacingly, is laid out along the ground, saggy and flaccid. Military power has been replaced by a new…

Raw Trader is a speciality raw dessert bar in Melbourne’s CBD specialising in all things vegan, organic, paleo, gluten free, dairy free and sugar free. Studio Y’s design for Raw Trader complements the name of the project with a raw and contemporary style that stimulates the senses and showcases the produce. Studio Y has crafted a layered design with many tactile elements; the space has an industrial, raw look and feel. Textural wallpaper has been used over black wall panels and a timber crate wall doubles as shelving for fish bowl plants. Pendant lights, made from a material that consists of used and compacted coffee beans, hang from shelves and the tables set between stools have been upholstered from coffee bean sacks. The man-made blue trees with communal seating are…

When it comes to Australians doing well overseas, mainstream thinking seems to stop at the mega-stardom of Marc Newson. The product design sector is, however, alive with a swathe of Australian designers who have their eye set on the prize, including a reputed 11 Australians with Alessi products to their credit. The likes of Helen Kontouris, Adam Goodrum, Adam Cornish and David Knott are now names the design industry freely associates with international brands. Compounding this is a rising sea of talent – some with surprising international clout, others with stardom borne of their product. And while each has hit on a product that sells and sells well, the commonality is a handcrafted unique quality. Indeed, Australians are getting much better at not mucking this element up. Edges are messy,…

In the world of design Italy is a major contributor, a leader of innovative product and outstanding workmanship. This year, Arper, one of the great Italian furniture companies, has introduced a plethora of new products into its ranges that include office chairs, sofas, tables and even an acoustic system for work and home. Anticipating the needs and desires of designers and architects is what Arper does best and these new products exemplify design that is modern, clean, practical and beautiful, each product manufactured with integrity and quintessential attention to detail. One of the most exciting new products is Kinesit, Arper’s first office chair, designed by Lievore Altherr Molina. Kinesit is the embodiment of style and functionality, and has the ability to be customised to suit every body shape. It is…

Japan is a country that applauds creativity and embraces design. Reverence for the past permeates the present and the Japanese aesthetic of beauty and subtlety is the continuum that joins the two. To be a successful designer in Japan, among so many creatives in this cultured country, takes a special talent. This is a country of artisans where only the best survive and shine, so meeting with Jin Kuramoto was indeed auspicious. As product designers go there are many that have an international profile; take Oki Sato of Nendo or Tokujin Yoshioka for example, but now is the time for Jin Kuramoto. His practice was established eight years ago in Tokyo and it has been running at full capacity ever since. Kuramoto commenced his designing life as a carpenter and…

Milan, the word on everyone’s lips each April, as the design community asks that question… Are you going this year? At the beginning of each year we may be just thinking about attending Salone del Mobile, but the Italians are already working frantically to accommodate the annual influx of designers, architects, manufacturers and buyers that inundate the northern Italian city for that one special week in April. When that week arrives, the weather can be warm and sunny, or grey and rainy but never boring. The city is alive with installations, openings, gatherings and happenings, while FieraMilano at Rho, the ‘just out of town’ fairground, and the heart of Salone del Mobile, is in preparation for the crowds. This year Salone del Mobile accommodated 2407 exhibitors over 207,000 square metres…

An elegant and refined colour palette and customised material finishes give The Refectory at Werribee Mansion a new lease of life. Doherty Design Studio was tasked with restoring The Refectory ballroom to its former glory. The hall stairwell and bridal styling room upstairs were also in need of an upgrade. It was important that the refurbishment meld the building’s gracious 1870s heritage with a thoroughly contemporary aesthetic. The interior of the main ballroom was stripped of the previous 1980s refurbishment. A sensitive approach to the restoration was required, so the original features of this room (and the hall, stairwell and bridal styling room upstairs) could once again shine. The walls, ceiling and skirting boards were painted a soft grey colour that highlighted the grandeur of the former ballroom and provided…

CULT DESIGN AG X CULT 2016 COLLECTION Cult proudly presents the Adam Goodrum x Cult 2016 Collection with the introduction of four new product families and exciting product updates, using new materials and techniques. Designed in response to the blurring lines between work and home, this democratic range of furniture is reductive in form, honest in materiality and timeless in style. www.cultdesign.com.au HUMANSCALE DIFFRIENT SMART CHAIR Diffrient Smart chair, designed by Niels Diffrient for Humanscale, is an intelligent mesh task chair with a striking linear aesthetic. With a unique U-shaped back and minimal lines, Diffrient Smart also features armrests that are attached to the back of the chair, moving with the user. Diffrient Smart’s revolutionary tri-panel mesh backrest offers instant support and allows the user to engage in healthy,…

A mid-century aesthetic, augmented by luxurious nuances. DISGRACED SET DESIGNER: ELIZABETH GADSBY (STC RESIDENT DESIGNER) LIGHTING DESIGNER: DAMIEN COOPER HAY FEVER SET DESIGNER: ALICIA CLEMENTS LIGHTING DESIGNER: TRENT SUIDGEEST Playing simultaneously at The Sydney Theatre’s Wharf venue and the Opera House’s Drama Theatre, Disgraced and Hay Fever each have a design that presents a visual echo of the play’s written setting and creates the physical constraints and apertures, blind corners and offstage spaces for the actors to expand and use as needed. The skill of each of these sets, however, lies in their ability to support the emotional setting of the unfolding tale. Effectively layering and un-layering racial tolerance through the intimacy of a mixed Muslim/Christian marriage, “Disgraced is a theatrical bombshell that doesn’t let anyone off the hook,” as…

Inside an unassuming 1960s modernist building in Sydney’s Surry Hills lies a world of luxe, sophisticated glamour, exquisite craftsmanship and elegant touches of Hollywood Regency. Discreet ‘Greg Natale’ gold lettering, set against the pale grey façade, is the only signal that this is the interior design firm’s new headquarters. Established in 2001, Greg Natale’s eponymous company works predominantly in high end residential. Inspired by the fusion of public and private spaces within the late American fashion designer Halston’s East 63rd Street, Manhattan townhouse, twice designed by architect Paul Rudolph in the 1960s and 1970s, Natale undertook the construction of his headquarters as architect, interior designer and, of course, client. He notes, “The project uniquely enabled me to really do what I want; I was the client, it was my brief.”…

Fabrics offer luxury and decoration, warmth and acoustic properties. Textiles are a part of life and living. We wear them, sleep on them, sit on them and admire them. Fabrics stand the text of time although applications change. Over the last decade we have seen a shift from blinds and bare windows to projects featuring curtains, sheers and side curtains. Leather on furniture is wonderful, but the textures and patterns of upholstery fabrics make velvets and linens must-have products on a designer’s shopping list. Technology has also made an impact through the use of photo imagery on fabrics, while modern fibres and weaving techniques provide more and more options creating new and renewed textiles. Of course a range is not a range unless it is available in dozens of colours…

It is with delight that this spotlight focuses on one of the most successful architectural products of our era: Maximum porcelain panels. Revolutionary, award-winning and always beautiful, this unique product, developed and made in Italy by Graniti Fiandre, has been constantly finessed and expanded. Through steadfast attention to making the panels more beautiful, more ecofriendly, more robust and more user friendly, the Maximum range embodies a perfect suite of architectural and interior solutions. Using ANAB (ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board) and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified materials such as sand, quartz, clay, feldspar and recycled content, without the addition of agglomerates or chemical binders, Maximum porcelain panels are a handsome and ecofriendly solution. One hundred percent natural, Maximum’s green credentials have recently been tested, confirmed and certified by…

There is the perception of legal rooms of old with brown leather chesterfields and dark wood panelling, and the omnipresent piles of journals and legal books. Design can change the way people live and work, how they feel and the way they go about their daily routines. Take the legal fraternity, and barristers in particular, and the workplaces they inhabit. There is the perception of legal rooms of old with brown leather chesterfields and dark wood panelling, and the omnipresent piles of journals and legal books. At Castan Chambers, however, the barristers that make up this group have rethought their environment and agreed upon an offi ce interior that embraces a sophisticated and contemporary style more suited to 2016. These new chambers are located in the legal precinct spread over…

They engaged Gayfer to design a highly flexible, highly functional space that aided social interaction and made the most of every centimetre. High House by Dan Gayfer Design is a home with two faces. While the classic Victorian façade is of little surprise in a terrace-lined street of Melbourne’s North Fitzroy, the soaring gabled extension, accessed via a cobbled laneway at the rear, is anything but expected. Gayfer’s clients set high demands for the renovation from the start. The house is located on a narrow plot just five metres wide, so the only way was up. They engaged Gayfer to design a highly flexible, highly functional space that aided social interaction and made the most of every centimetre. They wanted a second storey that felt like a natural extension of…