Table of contents for Issue 68 September 2019 in Artichoke

After a busy few months attending design awards and events, I’ve been reflecting on the rapport and closeness among our design community. In Australia, we are part of a relatively small community of designers and the degrees of separation are few. You attend the same events, have worked at the same practices, have caught the same red eye to Milan, and cut a rug at the same after parties. The chances are that if you don’t know each other, you know of each other. You’ve spent time together, had similar experiences, formed bonds and, with the help of social media, learned more about each other than just the work you do – you know about one another’s personal lives, interests and struggles. Like anything, though, you only get out what…

T Model lamp from Fred International Designed by Arash Nourinejad and meticulously crafted in Denmark, Anour’s T Model reimagines the classic table lamp with a minimal form and distinctive finish. It features a tilting lamp shade with an integrated touch dimmer and a warm LED light source. Anour lamps are individually surface treated, which results in a finely structured surface. The T Model lamp is available through Fred International in three different brass finishes: polished, brushed and browned. Fred International — fredinternational.com.au The Esteem chair by Apparentt The Esteem chair by Apparentt is both graceful and comfortable, with a backrest made from a solid piece of steam-bent timber forming a seamless, flowing curve. Developed and refined over several years, the Esteem chair is made locally in Melbourne and is available…

How do you draw complexity from a twenty-millimetre thickness of skin, with little recourse to three dimensions? This is the question that Rachel Nolan, principal at Kennedy Nolan, posed on our visit to Melbourne Central. It was one of the challenges faced by the practice in its design response to the vibrant shopping hub’s arcades, the lower levels of which it had previously worked on. The site itself supports enormous streams of pedestrians, and the masses of people walking through it bring vibrancy and life. The flow is constant; the centre is anchored at one end by a busy railway station deep in the basement, and at the other by the elevated and ground-level links to another shopping hub, Emporium Melbourne. From that point, pedestrians can continue south down the…

Over the past almost two years, I have had the privilege of writing to (and for) Artichoke readers and DIA members in this column, sharing my thoughts and opinions about themes that affect all of us in the design community. During this time, I’ve asked you to consider how you talk to a wider audience about what it is that you do, to further build awareness of just what professional design is, to celebrate the wins in whatever form they come, and to know the real value of design and the importance of making a real contribution to solving the complex problems faced in our shared future. And that is what I want to explore here: the idea that we all have a share in shaping the future – and…

Authenticity is a word often trumpeted as an essential goal we should all strive for in our digital and physical lives. In the built world, and in hospitality design in particular, authenticity in the user experience is something we all strive to achieve – but what does that realistically mean in a world where there is an expectation for the user experience to be constantly updated, on trend and consistently relevant? Authenticity in interior design, particularly in the world of hospitality, means providing environments that are genuine and relevant to the people who experience them by providing a meaningful connection to the people, the place and the products served. The Hotel Rose Bay, built in 1929 in an interwar Art Deco style, has seen a number of interiors refits during…

The UNSW Bookshop by SJB SJB’s revitalization of the University of New South Wales campus bookshop into a dynamic retail space distils qualities from some of the world’s best-loved bookstores into a unique design vision that celebrates the book. Designed in close collaboration with the development team at UNSW Sydney, the bookshop provides a transparent link between the formal and social circulation spines of the campus, engaging passersby with an active retail shopfront. The internal space hosts a large, versatile central zone, which can be used for events and book launches. Designed around the concept of three distinct rooms lined by bookshelves, the shop also houses intimate spaces that hug the edges and can be used for individual study or small meetings. Carved spaces and details explored at a micro…

Marcus Baumgart is a designer and writer, and a founding director of Baumgart Clark Architects with long-time collaborator John A. Clark. You can read about their adventures at www.help.design. Melbourne Central Arcade (page 108) Claire Beale is executive director at Design Tasmania. Her aim is to change the conversation around design in the wider community and create opportunities to showcase the value design brings to our economic and cultural capital. She is also the current national president of the DIA. Comment (page 12) Sharyn Cairns is at the forefront of commercial photography in Australia, with a portfolio spanning interiors, food, travel and lifestyle. She creates beautiful images that capture moods and emotions, playing with light and shadows to create depth and memorable scenes. Prince Dining Room (page 32) Peter Clarke…

The Prince of Wales Hotel has been an integral part of St Kilda’s cultural identity since as far back as 1863. When it came to transforming what was once Circa, the exclusive fine dining restaurant on the first floor, IF Architecture was brought on board to turn it into a casual dining experience. While striving to reinvent and recharge the space, IF has made reference to the site’s long history and reassembled these ideas into an experience that serves the new direction for the dining space. Iva Foschia of IF Architecture describes both St Kilda and the Prince Hotel (as it is now known), as places of polarity. Over the years, the Prince Hotel has embraced both the glamorous and the gritty – its colourful history is arguably a mirror…

For close to a decade, King Living has worked with eminent contemporary designer Charles Wilson to produce a suite of outstanding and original design pieces that include beautifully bespoke sofas, armchairs, ottomans, side tables and lighting. The journey started in 2013 with the launch of the iconic Seymour chair. Inspired by style legend Tom Ford’s directorial debut The Single Man, the Seymour chair exudes a classic opulence, offering incredible flexibility in its generous seat design. It is a statement piece that has stood the test of time and is still as popular today as it was at its conception. In 2016, combining Wilson’s visionary approach to creating design solutions and King Living’s history of innovation in modular sofa technology, the Zaza was born. The Zaza is a supremely elegant design…

The Colour Collection by Laminex Laminex has launched an updated collection of colourful decorative surfaces that includes forty-one new designs. The Colour Collection has been inspired by the natural landscape and ranges from muted, organic greens such as Green Slate (pictured) to sophisticated and textural metallic finishes. The collection also includes a wide range of true-to-life woodgrains, whites, neutrals and rich blues such as the French Navy finish. Laminex — laminex.com.au Matt porcelain objects by Mud Australia Mud Australia launched a minimalist collection of handmade porcelain ceramics at the 2019 Milan International Furniture Fair, displaying it as part of an interactive installation. The Still / Life exhibition featured sensory vignettes that weaved natural materials with original design works. Taking centrestage was a new series of matt porcelain objects with an…

Balgowlah Substation has been a well known civic brick landmark almost since it was built in 1928 in a wide suburban street in Sydney’s Northern Beaches. It was one of three similar Interwar Stripped Classical-style substation structures (the others were to serve the growing and then “far-reaching” suburbs of Pymble and Randwick). The Balgowlah Substation was decommissioned in 2011 and was sold by the New South Wales government in 2015. The clients, at the time of purchase, had two other childcare businesses but had a passion for the building. Its location, opposite the local public school and firmly in the centre of a residential area, meant it had great potential as a community-serving building. Andrew Daly of architecture firm Supercontext was asked to provide architectural services for the project. While…

Stamford Park by Brahman Perera Built in 1882 and located twenty-eight kilometres south-east of Melbourne’s CBD, Stamford Park Homestead has been uninhabited since 1987. Seasoned restaurateur Jason Jones and interior designer and partner Brahman Perera have lovingly restored the homestead over the past three years into a cafe, restaurant and grounds. Playing on the tradition of early Australian homesteads, the design team has used lush upholsteries, mixed solid timbers, honed marble and natural rattan to give Stamford Park a classic yet modern design that reflects its incredible history and evolution. The venue features an assemblage of historic furnishings spanning multiple eras, collected by the couple over many years. The interiors borrow from the tonality and moving textures of the surrounding gardens and wetlands, combining elegant statement pieces typical of the…