Design Quarterly Issue 39 Preview

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gloss creative pumping up the retail artek artistic past, radical future Saturday in Design the official debrief

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SPECIAL FEATURE design for the next decade

design quarterly issue 39 spring 2010

inside word DQ Editor Alice Blackwood dq@indesign.com.au Art Direction

Deputy Art Director Bronwyn Aalders bronwyn@indesign.com.au Senior Designer Lauren Mickan lauren@indesign.com.au Junior Designer Morgan Coyle morgan@indesign.com.au Production Manager Sarah Djemal sarah@indesign.com.au

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he last six months at DQ have been a concentrated period of productivity and growth, and we’re pleased to meet you at (what I’m creatively thinking of as) the summit of an exhilarating uphill climb!

This ‘summit’ symbolises three new directions of development and refinement for us, the first being our very new look. We’ve spent quite a bit of time exploring and analysing what we do, to ensure we continue to bring you the things you like best (People, Products and Parties!), and present it in a way that reflects DQ’s unique persona, while also allowing it the space to grow.

We’re particularly proud of our new logo, which taps in to DQ’s conversational personality while reflecting its new visual persona. It was conceived in a humorous, experimental fashion in the space of a morning and, like the final piece of a puzzle, it fell perfectly into place for us.

Echoing the development of DQ magazine, is the inception of its online alter ego Designquarterly.com.au. The website is in the format of a blog and keeps the conversation running between quarterly installments of the magazine. Here we capture all the latest in people, products and events happening in the industry, while following up on subjects and stories from previous DQs, and hinting at what’s to come in future issues. In addition to this, the blog is a quick reference to all things DQ related, from subscriptions to past issues, new submissions and more. We’d love your input and if you have a few leads to share, then we’re all ears!

Unique to DQ and the Indesign Group is our in-house design event, Saturday in Design. This year’s edition in Melbourne (6 – 7 August) brought a tornado of activity to the local design scene, in the form of installations, collaborations, product launches and new networks. The event was of blockbuster proportions, attracting around 6,500 visitors to 49 locations. You will find all our post-event coverage on pages 47 and 89.

With the eighth Saturday in Design now under our belt we’re thinking about the future, and forming new ties between existing design networks – and we’ve already put this into action with the launch of Saturday in Design Singapore. It’s set for May 2011 and it’s going to be big! We’re fostering new connections and collaborations and invite you to join us in exploring the possibilities!

On a final and important note, we welcome Object: Australian Centre for Craft and Design who has contributed a really great feature for this issue of DQ, sharing with us the potential for Australian design to impact people’s lives as we move into the next decade. It’s definitely worth exploring, on page 77.

And on that point I’ll finish, after all this is just the start – and there’s a whole new magazine to explore!

Alice

Advertising Traffic Administrator Hannah Kurzke hannah@indesign.com.au Online Communications Rish Raghu rish@indesign.com.au Simon Layfield simon@indesign.com.au Online Account Manager Eunice Ku eunice@indesign.com.au Advertising Enquiries / Online Advertising Enquiries Marie Jakubowicz (61 2) 9368 0150 marie@indesign.com.au – Southern States Richard Burne (61) 423 774 126 richard@indesign.com.au Contributing Writers Andrea Lunt, Collette Swindells, Elana Castle, Francesca Unsworth, Hande Renshaw, Kristian Aus, Lisa Kappel, Mandi Keighran, Marg Hearn, Mark Watson, Nicky Lobo, Peter Sackett, Rachel Barnard, Sam Eichblatt, Stephen Crafti, Toby Horrocks.

Publisher/ Managing Director Raj Nandan raj@indesign.com.au PA to Publisher Colleen Black colleen@indesign.com.au Editorial Director Paul McGillick editor@indesign.com.au

Cover Image: The Project installation by housemouse for InterfaceFLOR, Saturday in Design, Photo: Mark Gambino, timewaster2000.com Alice portrait photo: Rodel Cachuela

Published under licence by Indesign Publishing Pty Ltd ABN 96 101 789 262 Sydney Head Office L1, 50 Marshall Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010 (61 2) 9368 0150, (61 2) 9368 0289 (fax) info@indesign.com.au indesignlive.com Subscriptions subscriptions@indesign.com.au AUSTRALIA $25 (inc GST) 1 year / $50 (inc GST) 2 years INTERNATIONAL $50AUD 1 year / $100AUD 2 years DQ is a wholly owned Australian publication, which is designed and published quarterly in Australia. DQ is available through subscription, at major newsagencies and bookshops nationally.

Subscriptions – never miss an issue by subscribing online at indesignlive.com, faxing us at (61 2) 9368 0289, or emailing subscriptions@indesign.com.au. Design Quarterly is a quarterly publication fed by who is doing what in the design industry, championing the personality behind design. It aims to promote and create the next generation of design as well as supporting those designers who are more established. The Editor accepts submissions from writers/photographers/illustrators for editorial consideration. We encourage those working in the design industry to submit news and announcements, so we can keep readers abreast of your new developments. Editorial submissions should be made out to the Editor at the Sydney Head Office. Any digital images should be supplied on CD at 300dpi with a minimum width of 15cm. Please also supply full contact details and captions with images. Contributions are submitted at the sender’s risk, and DQ cannot accept any loss or damage. Please retain duplicates of text and images. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any other means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise. The publishers assume no responsibility for errors or omissions or any consequences of reliance on this publication. The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the views of the editor, the publisher or the publication. Magazine Stock At Indesign Publishing we are aware of our responsibility to the environment. When designing DQ, we selected a paper stock produced by Nordland Papier, a company certified under ISO14001 environmental management systems. The paper used to print this publication is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Our printers also adhere to strict policies to prevent unnecessary harm to the environment – including the use of soy-based inks.

Print

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Online

Events

Operations Manager Adele Troeger adele@indesign.com.au Financial Director Kavita Lala kavita@indesign.com.au Accounts Department Gabrielle Regan & Irina Davydova gabrielle@indesign.com.au irina@indesign.com.au Online Editor Ben Morgan ben@indesign.com.au Marketing & Events Kylie Turner kylie@indesign.com.au Angela Raven angela@indesign.com.au Grace Hall grace@indesign.com.au Laura Sue-San laura@indesign.com.au

design quarterly issue 39 spring 2010

contents

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89

regulars 10 12 14 18 24

industry

open forum NEWS NEWS BITEs PRODUCTS EMERGING TALENT

PARTIES

Saturday in Design 89

Anibou Space Classique AIDA Bathe Zenith Kohler Whitecliffe DIA

ON THE MOVE (OTM) 110 112

42 features

“ It was The Project and other major installations that really wowed the crowds” For full SiD coverage go to page 47, and party pics, page 89

29 PEOPLE Cecilie Manz Gloss Creative Ngahuia Damerell Alex Earl Artek Jessica Hische Homeswork

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47 EVENTS Saturday in Design Launch Pad State of Design Festival ICFF TechnoCRAFT 65 BUSINESS Business Mentoring Bathe Baxter Chairbiz

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Object: Design for 78 the Next Decade

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Bridging Disciplines

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DIARY

PRODUCTS

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28 BomBala Melbourne designer Ross Didier has added to his ‘Bombala’ seating range with a four-legged stackable chair. Paddings are available in any specified fabrics or leathers.

29 Small TaBlE ‘46 ’ Known as Small Table ‘46’, this occasional table by Gianluigi Landoni for Vibieffe has a raw and natural appeal, constructed from solid Canaletto Walnut.

Ross DiDieR (61 3) 9383 3444 rossdidier.com

Milk FuRnituRe (61 3) 8598 9900 milkfurniture.com

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33 30 lacE lighT ‘Lace Light’ by Australian designer bernabeifreeman is available in black and white powdercoat finish, through ISM Objects. isM objects 1300 888 646 ismobjects.com.au

31 lED miniSTar Ideal for those smaller spaces, the ‘LED MiniStar’ has an ultra low power consumption of 3 watts/unit, and ultra slim dimensions.

Hot beaM (61 3) 9899 9411 hotbeam.com

32 ovo Minosa’s ‘Ovo’ washbasin is made from 13% recycled Corian content, and is the result of extensive research into enviro-conscious materials and manufacturing processes.

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Minosa (61 2) 8090 9039 minosa.com.au

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37 38 36 40 BalTic & carnaBy These two fabrics have been specially treated to reduce the development of bacteria, fungi and dust mites.

Manufactured in blinds and available in 10 colourways.

HunteR Douglas coMMeRcial 1300 651 968 hunterdouglascommercial.com.au

41 TEnUp ‘TenUp’ has been created with variety and customisation in mind. Heightadjustable tops enable ergonomic sitting, with spacious workstations and versatile dividing screens.

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kubis (61 2) 9700 9231 kubis.com.au

33 royal oak These ‘Royal Oak’ wide board floors transform interiors with their luxurious warmth and lustre. Prefinished in natural colours, here we see ‘Aged Smoked & Limed’.

36 cUrva This striking sculpture reveals the complexity of simplicity, exploring the dynamics of curves through pure lines and simple forms. Made from fiberglass and 2-pak polyurethane.

HaRpeR & sanDilanDs (61 3) 9826 3611 harper-sandilands.com.au

belinDa WinkleR (61) 412 073 822 belindawinkler.com.au

34 SUB-zEro & wolf Sub-Zero focusses on making the best refrigeration possible, while Wolf offers the latest in cooking appliances and equipment, catering for chefs and cooks alike.

37 viEnETTa Construction and contrast are the keys to this comfortable chair by designer Floris Wubben. Here Wubben combines white polypropene with steel chromed pipe.

MultyFlex (61 3) 9421 0232 multyflex.com.au

FloRis Wubben (31) 6467 11392 floriswubben.nl

35 coco ShaDE ‘Coco’ is locally produced from turned Victorian Ash timber and spun aluminium. Designer Kate Stokes worked with Victorian manufacturers to produce the shade, which celebrates the interplay of materials.

38 Spock The ‘Spock’ from Modular generates a luminous intensity up to 1,000 lumens, with a consumption of just 22 watts.

‘Spock’ also burns for no fewer than 50,000 hours.

coco Flip (61) 412 292 990 cocoflip.com.au

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jsb ligHting (61 3) 9827 9888 jsblighting.com.au

39 BriccolE Made from Oak mooring posts found in Venetian lagoons, Matteo Thun’s ‘Briccole’ table varies in size, shape and form, dependant on material availability.

Fy2k (61 2) 8399 1644 fy2k.com.au

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designquarterly.com.au

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PEOPLE cecilie manz

PRACTICALLY BEAUTIFUL

Few high-calibre international designers have the poise and experience you might expect, without the entourage and ego. Nicky Lobo meets the incredibly nice, normal and talented Cecilie Manz.

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anish-born and the daughter of two potters, Cecilie Manz has put her creative lineage to good use. Since earning her first wage – finishing off the edges of cups crafted by her parents as a young girl, she has designed a number of beautiful, functional pieces and collaborated with both prestigious and emerging manufacturers including Fritz Hansen, PP Møbler and Nils Holger Moormann. From tables to glassware and lighting, her products have garnered international acclaim and are permanently represented in museum collections around the world.

But there is a refreshing reality behind this fairy-tale creative existence. It seems there is a down side to the Danish design heritage (insert shocked expression), or at least this designer thinks so.

Manz freely admits the positives of coming from such a strong tradition, such as the quality of education.

“We had to learn these ‘abilities’ and really traditional drawing,” she says.

“Basic stuff to look at: proportions, small details, picking the right materials, digging into this very old knowledge. Looking back, I’m really glad I got this education from the masters.”

But with this comes a sense of ‘burden’ as she describes it, the conservatism of the Danish design culture. At the time she was defining herself as a designer, Manz says there was a sense in the greater design community of “if it works, let’s just keep it that way”. “There weren’t too many chances taken, we needed to fight to get attention, all the time.”

But she concedes that perhaps it is this struggle that enabled designers of her generation to form strong, unique design identities.

In terms of Manz’s own aesthetic, common elements are not so much visual details, as they are feelings which are evoked. The reach towards quality, in terms of both materials and concept is one constant. Texture is something else she feels strongly

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about, where you can “feel the grain... the material can still be worked with or adapted”. Another must is that each project should be interesting or challenging – Manz would never design something just to make money.

There is an intriguingly contradictory balance to her approach. Her business decisions are often determined by intuition, while her creative approach is pure pragmatism. In terms of who she collaborates with, it’s about “the gut instinct”. “You need to be on the same level, the chemistry needs to be nice.”

But her design process is singularly practical, and sometimes a simple brief is her inspiration. “I minimise it to one sentence, you really need to boil it down and say, okay, what is the essence of this?” It may seem prosaic, but “it’s quite important for me to have this very clear sentence in the beginning. It’s really nice to have those very first sketches or sentence saying, ‘this is what we are doing’.”

Similarly, Manz’s designs respond to basic questions, rather than trying to layer a particular design philosophy

“Her business decisions are determined by intuition, while her creative approach is pure pragmatism”

onto them. “Does this work, or not?

Is it disturbing my eye, or not?” This is one reason she finds ‘universal objects’ so inspiring. “A ladder, a wooden spoon, a basket... all these kinds of things that you see in all cultures in all ages, all time periods.

You can’t say someone invented it because it’s something you use – tools are not designed, but are universal. I think that’s the most beautiful.”

It’s a fitting response for someone who combines the practicality of Bauhaus with the warmth of Danish materials. And it’s this balance that makes Manz’s own work so universally appealing.

Manz was in Sydney to promote her work with Corporate Culture.

Clockwise from top left » Cecilie Manz » ‘Minima’ glass » ‘Caravaggio’ light » ‘Ladder’

CeCilie Manz (45) 2625 1034 ceciliemanz.com CORPORaTe CUlTURe (61 2) 9690 0077 corporateculture.com.au

designquarterly.com.au

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EVENTS launch pad

LAUNCH PAD 2010 Launch Pad Judge Mark Watson offers this year’s entrants his congratulations, encouragement and a little advice.

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LAUNCH PAD What: Exhibition & program When: 6 – 20 August 2010 Where: Living Edge showroom, Richmond, Melbourne Contact: (61 2) 9368 0150 » launch-pad.com.au

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irstly, let me say well done to all designers who entered Launch Pad 2010. You have all won some level of knowledge and understanding in the process of realising your vision.

It takes a good deal of time, effort and energy to come under public scrutiny – as well as that of the Launch Pad judges – and survive.

And to the entrants who did not make it into the Finalists Exhibition, my advice is to stay attuned to the process, undertake a period of self analysis, and build a program into your practice to ensure a well considered submission for next time – there will be a next time!

To this year’s finalists, congratulations for getting this far, your work is of a marketable standard, and has been identified by established practitioners as being on the ‘playing field’. We really felt the products, as presented, would all stand well in an international market.

However, the hard work is just beginning; you must maintain your presence, and don’t assume that a manufacturer/distributor/reseller is going to make it all happen for you.

Engage in the process of development, refinement and promotion, and make yourself (within reason) a pest.

To the three winners, Josh Carmody with ‘Legless’ stool (Maurice

Lacroix Award), Pheonix D with ‘designer.line’ (Indesign Award), and Karen Cunningham and Mandi King with ‘Illumini’ decanter (Indesign Award): may your products meet with success and gain industry recognition.

And while it’s important to recognise you won’t make a living with just one product, enjoy your moment, savour it, become addicted and want more!

For those entering future Launch Pads, what follows is a series of tips, based on the Judging Criteria.

Authenticity/originality of design The judges have a collective (though not exhaustive) knowledge of what has come and gone before. Do your research to ensure you haven’t subliminally appropriated someone else’s work. It is hard to be original, but such is (a designer’s) life.

Performance and user-friendliness We can’t emphasise enough the importance of user functionality and ergonomics.

Ecological and economic impact Triple bottom line is a key social issue, an indication of your awareness and response is appreciated.

Innovation As a designer I really dislike this word, it seems a poor substitute for ‘creativity’. Consider the ways in which your design incrementally improves

the chair/desk/table (for example), thus bringing value to society.

Quality of prototype It is nice to produce ideas, but in order to convince stakeholders to support your concept, a prototype is a recognised tool (and skill). It is important to do it well.

Future potential This is a tough one. What do you know of your piece’s future potential? To close the loop, my advice would be research. Know what is on the market, understand consumer demand, identify the gaps and apply your creativity.

Competition participation is a standard part of practicing design.

Success in competitions not only builds your CV, it establishes you amongst your peers, your profession and the community. You do have to be in it to win it, but you can also win simply by participating. So pick yourself up, dust yourself off and see you at Launch Pad 2011.

Launch Pad is an annual program focussing on the support and development of Australian product design. Special thanks to Launch Pad 2010 Judges Norman Johnson, Erna Walsh, Kate Hannaford, Mark Watson and Brodie Neill.

Text by Mark Watson

10/9/10 11:12:42 AM

Clockwise from top left » ‘Dinosaur’ chair

by Jaime Sanchez » ‘Filament’ table

by David Pidcock » ‘Lady Elizabeth Standard’ lamp by Alex Zander Lee » ‘Spli’ stool by Tom Fereday » ‘Grandson’ clock

by Rowen Wagner

“ We really felt the products, as presented, would stand well in an international market”

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EVENTS ICFF

creative exchange T

Clockwise from top left » ‘Oshibe’ light by Tomomi Sayuda » ‘Flax’ pendant by Jeremy Cole » ‘Loto’ pendant by Eugenio Menjivar

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he International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York city ran 15 – 18 May this year, assembling over 500 exhibitors in a bustling global design bazaar.

International designers’ spots were filled with everything from the classic to the cutting edge; from the glamorous to the grotesque. Hopeful young designers showcasing prototypes eagerly talked up their work to one and all, while representatives of the more established design houses wheeledand-dealed with wholesalers and potential business partners.

Jeremy Cole, a self taught designer from New Zealand, showed what was arguably the stand out piece for 2010.

His latest high precision ceramic ‘Flax’ pendant is comprised of over 368 white handcrafted bone china leaves.

Inspired by the Flax plant, the leaves of the pendant are elegantly arranged in a spherical volume and subtly diffuse light from the central bulb.

Low tech and dynamic were the lamps by the young el Salvadorian designer Eugenio Menjivar, whose pendants are assembled from salvaged plastic bottles. These are hand cut, folded and pinned to form organic geometries.

Australia’s Jason Bird of Luxxbox showed one of the stronger collections with pieces born out of a playful utility. Luxxbox’s new, recycled polyethene stools, entitled ‘Tingle’, stack to form banded columns of multiple colours. Other Australians included duo Iris Saar Isaacs and Jane Barwick of in-sync design who had been invited by Designboom, Europe’s foremost design e-zine, to sell their graphic inspired stainless steel and rubber jewellery. They proved a big hit on the floor.

Eight-month-old Brazilian design house, doïz, showed a diverse hitand-miss collection that reflected the pluralist approach of many up-and-coming designers. Perhaps

their wittiest piece was the ‘Moeda’ (Portuguese for coin) armchair, which is formed out of perforated stainless steel sheets salvaged from the coin stamping process of Brazil’s 50-cent pieces.

A London based Japanese designer, Tomomi Sayuda, showed her ethereal, interactive, lighting sculpture. ‘Oshibe’ (Japanese for sternum) is a small biotic-like form, constructed from green and white yarn, that emits ambient sound. Its five arms (which vary in size) cup glowing resin eggs, the arrangement of which affects the rhythms and melodies of the ambient sound.

On the fourth and final day of ICFF a happy fatigue set in amongst those chaperoning the booths. As the trade fair came to a close they began to call out to each other across the aisles.

There was a relaxed and collaborative atmosphere among the international design community reflecting the creative exchanges that had taken place as well as those of business.

Text by Rachel Barnard

ICFF What: Trade fair When: 15 – 18 May 2010 Where: Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York Contact: (1) 800 272 7469 » icff.com

feature

bridging disciplines

Toby Horrocks investigates the bonds and breakages which form when we fuse art, design and architecture.

W » ‘Polytopia’ seating system by Lucas Chirnside

ho are you designing for? Who is your audience? These questions are not often asked when approaching architectural design projects.

According to architect and product designer Lucas Chirnside of Smlwrld, a cross-disciplinary practice he runs with visual artist Bianca Looney: “The most important thing is the audience interaction with the work.

It’s really important that a bond is formed by the people that experience it as owners or visitors, or experience the space where it’s installed. That’s where the dialogue takes root outside of our studio, like passing on a baton.

And that’s where we get feedback.”

This is not the way an architect may normally talk about their work.

Anonymous audiences are not an issue for architects designing houses for clients, for instance. But public projects, like the infrastructure work Smlwrld has been involved in, are a different matter. And in the fine art world, works are rarely created to be viewed by a known audience or specific user.

Taking this all into account, there is one place where fine art, architecture and product design overlap, and this is within the public realm.

designquarterly.com.au

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feature

Chirnside describes the concept of Smlwrld as a cohesive front for a “diverse, rich and loose” practice in the background. “It is sometimes hard to pin down what we do.” The practice has three strands – architecture and interiors, product design, and public art. And while they are constantly collaborating, Chirnside says, “I will always be a designer and Bianca will always be an artist. It’s like a valency – the more you combine them, the more you get that energy. It’s like we’re on separate rivers, they come close, but they don’t actually cross.”

Architect and artist duo, Bellemo & Cat, believe there is little difference between good architecture and fine art. Their own practice combines public sculpture commissions and more conventional architectural work. “It’s an issue that’s been discussed since the 1400s,” says artist Cat McLeod. “Art and architecture are always going to be conjoined activities.”

“The most interesting thing for us is the stuff that fits into both categories,” says architect Michael Bellemo. He also acknowledges that the moment architecture crosses the

T 07 3876 4422 E info@blokfurniture.com.au

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Clockwise from top left » ‘Cairo’ table by An0therArchitect » ‘jumble #7’ by Alex Selenitsch (2007) » ‘Screens’ by Alex Selenitsch, with ‘Off Centre‘ by Hamish Hill

“I’m interested in using furniture so it becomes the architecture, not for furnishing but something else”

boundary into art, is also the point at which a project gets “risky”. McLeod and Bellemo’s self-designed house is a perfect example with its white translucent skin printed with organic arcs of green. “If we took the graphics off this house it would be seen as good architecture. Put it on and it is a statement about the neighbourhood, it becomes something else. It transcends to another level, because of the abstraction.”

Their ‘Sidle’ project also demonstrates just how risky working in the public sphere can be. It was Bellemo & Cat’s ideal commission: the client, the City of Manningham, didn’t just want a functional pavilion, they wanted art. ‘Sidle’ is comprised of steel slippery slides removed by the City to improve playground safety standards. The sculpture/pavilion was designed for a playground and is seemingly well suited to its environment, cleverly blurring the distinction between art and architecture. However it divided the local community, labelled by some as the “pink peril”, and has now been moved to a less controversial location. Imagine moving a piece of

architecture to a different site? The work immediately loses its original power and meaning.

“I’m interested in using furniture so it becomes the architecture, not really for furnishing but for something else,” says Alex Selenitsch. Selenitsch’s long career starts with concrete poetry, exhibited at Strines Gallery in 1969.

“The broad concerns of my work are very architectural. Not in the sense of looking like a building, but the kind of issues that inform architecture, which is institutions, gravity, space; these things form the subject matter,” he says. “You could see me as a poet who has moved into all the other realms, but you could also drift back through all the things I do, right through to the literature, and say it’s essentially a spatial thing.”

Selenitsch’s practice encompasses sculpture, furniture, collage, drawing, models and poetry. He works primarily with found objects, preferring not to alter them. “It’s to do with an interest in unique circumstances.

There’s generally a unique site in architecture,” he explains. To listen to him speak is to be reminded of the degree to which architecture as

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SPACES BAXTER

warehouse style

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axter is a contemporary Italian luxury brand devoted to the highest level of detail and craftsmanship. Their products are the result of a traditional approach to all aspects of the design and manufacturing process, with a particular focus on leather. The Baxter range is now available for the first time from a dedicated location in Alexandria, in Sydney.

Alexandria may seem like an odd place for a luxury furniture destination, but the new showroom location was selected for its space and for the opportunity to create something a little different, to push the boundaries beyond what is typical.

The interior of the space is at first glance rough and warehouse-like, but as you move through the showroom it becomes clear just how well the exposed and raw interior contrasts with the flawless leather on display.

The attention to detail in the products is second to none and seems to inject any space with an element of luxury.

Furniture in the Baxter range includes many classic sofa and accessory designs as well as several new, modern approaches to classic styles, such as the ‘Chester Moon’ sofa and the ‘Sellerina’ aluminium armchair.

Attention to detail is emphasised through every aspect of the Baxter brand. The Baxter Shop’s Steve Drake says the brand prides itself on using only European bull and calf leather to achieve a “thickness standard of between 2.2mm and 3.8mm”. This, combined with a craft-like approach to production, creates “materials whose natural properties, beauty and quality are absolutely unique”.

Baxter’s wide, unique colour range is also a point of pride for the company.

Designed in-house by Steve and Sylviane Drake the new space succeeds in creating a “warehouse look” to offset the furniture on display.

Here we see the old combined with the new, and the classic contrasted against the worn. Classic cars such as a 1972 Renault Alpine sit sideby-side with luxury furniture and faded concrete. Stage lighting and art directed product arrangements highlight the many possibilities of the products on display. And, as Drake says, the new showroom makes the Baxter brand available to Sydney’s designers and architects “who are looking for that point of difference for their clients”.

Text by Kristian Aus

BAXTER Address: 2 – 6 Birmingham Street, Alexandria NSW 2015 Phone: (61 2) 8339 1500 Showroom Opened: June 2010 Designer: Steve & Sylviane Drake Size: 1,200m 2 » baxtershop.com.au

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