Table of contents for No. 102 (July/August) in (inside) interior design review

Welcome to the third issue of inside for 2018. So much has been happening this year it has been challenging to keep up with events both here and overseas, but life is certainly not dull in the world of designers and architects. Issue 102 is a testament to the extraordinary talent inherent to practitioners across Australia. For your reading pleasure, we present a multitude of exciting projects that stretch the limits of fine design and encapsulate the word ‘comfort’ both practically and visually. Of course, luxury abounds with each project designed to optimally express site, client needs and end user. In Sydney, Woods Bagot’s West Hotel (p59) is the embodiment of style, presenting inner city accommodation for an ever-demanding public, while in Tasmania the new five-star pavilions at Freycinet Lodge…

It is a rare thing to walk into a commercial exhibition and find most of the work already sold, and sold well before the official opening. This, however, has become par for the course with the works of Giles Alexander – hitting a note with art collectors, museums and anyone who has ever spent an evening gazing at the stars. The title of the work, Turtles all the way down, is telling. It’s the kind of geeky anecdote that many don’t get, but those who do, love. “A well-known scientist (some say it was Bertrand Russell) once gave a public lecture on astronomy. He described how the earth orbits around the sun and how the sun, in turn, orbits around the centre of a vast collection of stars called our…

inside: How long have you lived here and what drew you to the property? Kerry Phelan and Stephen Javens: We’ve lived here for three years. Jolimont is a beautiful pocket of East Melbourne, super quiet, and the parks are a delight. When did you produce this design? I think it’s a lifetime of training the eye. And we’re happy nothing is really set in stone; if we see a better opportunity we’re happy to move everything around again. It’s good to refresh. What was the thinking behind the design? It’s really just a gradual curation of pieces we’ve collected over the years. The house has high ceilings and the windows overlook parks on both sides, so the light quality is amazing. So really, it’s a matter of arranging objects to…

With the continual blurring of the lines between work and home life, it makes sense that companies are increasingly investing in workspaces that mirror our own homes. What was once a rarity, it’s now commonplace to find relaxing armchairs and living room-like breakout spaces in today’s offices. As part of Zenith’s mission to create more eclectic, comfortable spaces in which to work, the company decided in 2009 to invest more heavily in its in-house research and development (R&D) department, and consequently the Zenith Design Studio. The studio’s designers are focused on creating environments that inspire people to excel, by designing furniture that fosters an inviting atmosphere. Fresh out of the studio is the Platforma range. Drawing its name from the solid ash base on which it sits, Platforma showcases clean…

For the past 21 years CULT has forged a reputation as a supplier of outstanding furniture, lighting and object collections to a discerning market of Australian architects and designers. Coupled with its outstanding service throughout Australia and New Zealand, CULT’s offering remains the crème de la crème of product design, with some 34 brands that include Cappellini, Carl Hansen + Son, Friꜩ Hansen, Hay, Lightyears, &tradition, Louis Poulsen, Gubi and Magis and lately the outstanding new collection, NAU, which presents the very best in Australian design. CULT’s brands and collections showcase exemplary products that are iconic, innovative and authentic. To reinforce this commitment to fine design Karakter has now joined the fold and is available in Australia. Established in 2008, Karakter is a Danish brand, the collection of which encapsulates…

1– Sharyn Cairns Sharyn Cairns is at the forefront of commercial photography in Australia with a specialist portfolio spanning interiors, food, travel and lifestyle. She is committed to creating beautiful images that capture a mood and an emotion, playing with light and shadows to create levels of depth and distinctive memorable scenes. Her work is featured in international and local magazines such as Gourmet Traveller, Vogue Living, Belle, Elle Decoration UK and Dwell, and she has photographed numerous cookbooks for well-known chefs such as Maggie Beer and Guy Grossi. Sharyn is also co-author and photographer of the book Perfect Imperfect. 2– Michelle Bailey Michelle Bailey is a Brisbane-based writer and graduate of architecture from the University of Queensland. She writes regularly for local and national publications about architecture and 3–…

Each year at the end of April in San Francisco a special event is held that presents the work of the very best designers and design practices from the local area. This unusual and innovative event is the San Francisco Decorator Showcase and it has become one of the major happenings on the US design calendar. As an outstanding vehicle to support designers and raise money, the San Francisco Decorator Showcase is in a class of its own. The concept for the Showcase came about 41 years ago as an original idea from Nan Rosenblatt, an accomplished interior designer. Rosenblatt was also the mother of a student who attended the highly regarded University High School (UHS) and she was passionate about organising an event that would raise money for scholarships…

These days collaboration in design is approached as a meaningful and rewarding endeavour. Going solo can be a lonely existence, but working alongside like-minded colleagues who inhabit the same multifaceted world lightens the load and shares the challenges. In Melbourne’s northern suburbs there are three such designers who have singularly established themselves in very different areas of product design, but together they work and support each other reaping the rewards of their partnership. Michael Gittings, Jonathan Ben-Tovim and Makiko Ryujin share a studio and workspace in Fawkner alongside a variety of panel beaters and paint shops. They moved to the area as it could offer a larger and more affordable space for their labours and in doing so they have found strength and gained knowledge from each other. Gittings is…

inside: Since inception, March Studio has been renowned for understanding what a brand is and representing it through design. What is the process and how do you drill down into a client brief and then translate this to an interior? Rodney Eggleston and Anne-Laure Cavigneaux: We often look to cinematography for inspiration when designing for brands. From [Jacques] Tati, [Peter] Sellers, [Georges] Mélies to [Stanley] Kubrick, via [François] Truffault, [Wong Kar] Wai and [Terry] Gilliam... In many ways what we do for these projects is like creating a short film. First we need to believe in the brand story. We conceive the dialogue with our client, imagining different scenarios and how these might play out in the space. Then, we translate the narrative into a physical environment through lighting, ambience,…

“Biophilic design, which integrates architecture and nature – in this instance, urban nature – is increasingly supported by research findings on its well-being benefits.” DOMINIC ALVARO Within the striking lines of Fitzpatrick + Partners’ geometric architecture resides an echo of line, form and connectivity. Hemmed in, rather than on the edge as most of our hotels tend to be, the site’s view is canyoned and city centric, and it is this aspect that Wood’s Bagot’s design has superbly exploited. Featuring outwards angled windows, the guest room experience is one of leaning into space, rendering the connection to the city palpable. Concurrently, the interior view is cloistered to a deep cool green atrium spanning the entire eight floors. Open to both sun and rain, a key aspect of this space…

Nestled among the sprawling vines of the Willow Creek Vineyard on the Mornington Peninsula sits the ultimate in luxurious and glamorous experiences, the Jackalope Hotel. Named after the giant horned jackrabbit or antelope of North American folklore, and further realised in the form of a seven-metre tall sculpture at the entranceway by artist Emily Floyd, the landmark hotel has reimagined the role architecture, design, art and storytelling can play in creating a transformative guest experience. Innovative hospitality projects, whether hotels, restaurants, bars or cafés, are maximising the importance of storytelling through design. Site-inspired integration, biophilic principles, the use of organic, sustainable materials and integrated technology to augment the user experience are at the forefront. More and more people are expecting personalised, genuine experiences, a connection to place and the utmost…

1- Kink oil bottle by Deb Jones for the JamFactory. Being of Italian heritage, olive oil is pretty special to us and so a mouth blown glass bottle made by a wonderful female designer at the JamFactory is fit to hold it! The Kink oil bottle is in my opinion a design classic of the future and proudly made only a short distance away. The bottle itself sits in our kitchen and is a joy to use. The perfect moulded grip is comfortable to hold and it has a tilted head to pour with control. Image: JamFactory. 2- Artemide Alfa table lamp. A classic object – beautifully crafted with marble, ribbed glass and perfectly spun nickel – diffusing the most perfect light to read by. We have a pair as…

Bohemian Residence Luscious and eclectic, patterned, opulent and artisan, every project in this book is exceptional. Saffron walls, teal velvet, art galore and texture absolutely everywhere. Yet, none of these highly decorative flights of the imagination is executed in a cliché of excess. Rather, it is the incredible eye for weighing up detail and space that allows each of these homes to triumph. Hubert Zandberg’s apartment is a lavish discourse in texture and tone. Still in London, Tamara and Natasha Surguladze display everything at once, with Murano chandeliers lighting Memphis sculptures and a simply extraordinary marble and onyx screen. And, while the rooms have an eccentric air, there is also a minimalist sensibility at play in the precise arrangement of objects with materiality very much at the heart. Yellow sofas…

Kuwaii Fitzroy Drawing Room Architecture The original store was built in 1852 and, along with its neighbours, is thought to be one of the oldest group of retail buildings in Melbourne. With this renovation, the interior of the building has been given a new lease of life as the latest flagship store for Melbourne fashion brand Kuwaii. The brief to Imogen Pullar of Drawing Room Architecture was to create a light-filled, bright modern space with clean lines, but also include a touch of romance, warmth and richness. In essence, the idea was to create an inviting and comfortable retail experience to reflect the values of the brand. Kuwaii is an independent Melbourne-based fashion label esteemed for making beautiful, intelligently designed clothing and providing an alternative to mass-produced fashion. Its core…

Starting her own business in 2012, Adele Bates has established her practice relatively quickly. Refusing to be pigeonholed to any particular aesthetic, she shows a consistency of materiality evident in her projects – from the plush layers of Stokes Street to the stark stone expanses of Q le Baker. “How the light makes you feel in a space is a key touch point. I like the fact that we create a sensitive design that is timeless in nature and never a transient selection. Natural materials, such as stone for example, are hand selected and it’s important for us to understand the variation in material and what that will bring to the project,” says Bates, who completed a diploma of arts in interior design at Holmesglen Institute of TAFE, subsequently adding…

ILVE Black Glass Gas Cooktop ILVE’s latest elegant and stylish black glass, gas cooktop collection is a dream for the passionate home cook. Evolving from the traditional stainless steel, ILVE’s latest black glass range is bringing the future of design into the kitchen. RRP: From $1299 ilve.com.au ARREDORAMA CONNEX2 MANAGEMENT / CONFERENCE CHAIR Connex2 designed by Jörg Bernauer for Klöber Germany The Connex2 chair automatically puts users in dynamic positions, while setting new standards in management, meeting and conference furniture with its clear-cut design and perfect craftsmanship. High-quality materials and a simple operation concept: this is Connex2, the Klöber chair that allows users to move intelligently. The design is unique and uncomplicated thanks to its fully-automated function response. It features just three settings for complete adjustment and a three-dimensional seat…