AWARDS CEREMONY 19 September, 2019
TDF DESIGN AWARDS
AN AWARDS PROGRAM HOSTED BY THE DESIGN FILES Celebrating Australian Design & Creativity
Contents 3. Letter From The Editor 5. TDF Awards Trophies 7. ‘Why Design & Creativity Is Important’, by Mary Featherston 8. 2019 Judges 10. Residential Architecture 12. Interior Design 14. Landscape Design 17. Emerging Designer 19. Floral Design 20. Furniture Design 22. Styling & Art Direction 25. Textile Design 26. Sustainable Design 29. Lighting Design 31. Handcrafted 33. Collaboration 34. Winner Overview Editor Lucy Feagins Managing Editor Elle Murrell News Editor Sally Tabart Contributing Writers Miriam McGarry Amelia Barnes Branding & Art Direction Annie Portelli Graphic Design Sasha Aarons Sales & Partnerships Alice Johnson Chelsea Hall TDF Design Awards Photography Eve Wilson Special thanks Alice Johnson, Amanda Dziedzic, Amelia Barnes, Amelia Stanwix, Annie Portelli, Caitlin Mills, Chelsea Hall, Chrissie Feagins, Domenico Bartolo, Su Mei Chia and Chris More at 21-19, Elle Murrell, Esther Navarro Orejon of The Project Agency, Eve Wilson, Gordon Johnson, Line Paras, Mary Featherston, Melanie Stapleton of Cecilia Fox, Miriam McGarry, Paris Thomson and the team at SIRAP, Pete Brundle and James Sandri at PDA, Sally Tabart, Sasha Aarons and Sophie Storen of Cookes Food.
The Design Files is Australia’s most popular design blog, covering architecture, homes, gardens, art, craft, interior design, furniture, textiles, homewares, food and more. www.thedesignfiles.net Sponsors
Supporters
AN AWARDS PROGRAM HOSTED BY THE DESIGN FILES Celebrating Australian Design & Creativity
The Design Files Design Awards is the culmination of more than 10 years celebrating Australian design and creativity.
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Lucy Feagins, The Design Files
We’ve created this awards program to formally acknowledge the designers, architects & makers who contribute to Australia’s vibrant creative community. Having spent 11 years championing Australian design and creativity, we have to admit - the local design industry no longer lacks a platform. Truth be told, in 2019, design media is a cluttered, noisy place. There’s no shortage of publicity for architects, designers and makers. Finally, these disciplines are widely acknowleged and proudly celebrated, as they should be. But it seems to me what might be most valuable for Australian designers now, is not necessarily another cover story, blog post or Instagram shout out. Whilst media coverage is crucially important, it is also increasingly fleeting. To be celebrated by the media simply doesn’t mean what it did 10 years ago.
Photo – Eve Wilson Art Direction – Annie Portelli Production –The Design Files
The Design Files Design Awards aims to cultivate something altogether more meaningful, and longer lasting. This program is designed to bring the creative industries together (that’s why we have 31 judges, across 12 disciplines), to offer a robust, respected process for critique and acknowlegement of a wide range of projects and practices, and to elevate those rare, remarkable creative ideas that push culture forward. We recognise the diverse creative fields which make up modern Australia, from small scale, handcrafted practices, to complex, collaborative projects. That’s why this unique awards program celebrates the best in residential architecture and interior design, alongside innovative new work by Australia’s most talented landscape designers, furniture designers, craft practitioners, floral designers, textile designers, stylists, art directors and more. These awards offer creatives an opportunity to be acknowledged by peers and contemporaries, and be awarded for the real contribution they’ve made to Australian culture. This is an opportunity we hope will bring the best of the best together to uncover and properly acknowledge the most innovative creative happenings in Australia each year. Thank you for being part of it! Lucy Feagins Founder & Editor The Design Files 3.
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TDF AWARDS TROPHIES Sally Tabart, The Design Files
The story behind our one-of-a-kind awards trophies
The Design Files worked with Melbourne glass artist Amanda Dziedzic to create the spectacular trophies for each of our 12 award winners. Our working relationship with Amanda first started in 2011, when she contributed a sell-out series of her distinctive glass bonsai to our first ever TDF Open House event. Eight years later, we’ve come full circle, with Amanda crafting these exquisite keepsakes for the winners in our inaugural design awards program. Referencing the distinctive colour palettes associated with each of the award categories, Amanda designed these one-of-a-kind masterpieces in collaboration with our art director, Annie Portelli, and editor, Lucy Feagins.
Photo – Eve Wilson Art Direction – Annie Portelli Production –The Design Files
While Amanda has been honing her craft for almost a decade, the intensely layered, multicoloured effect presented a new challenge that took months of experimentation to perfect. ‘These pieces aren’t about form, they’re all about colour’, Amanda tells. ‘I wanted them to look sort of painterly’. Despite the extensive experimentation process, there’s still a high degree of chance left in the final forms. Amanda explains, ‘I had an idea of what I wanted them to be, but it’s a real surprise to get them out of the kiln the next day!’ The result is an exquisite series of bespoke glass forms that truly represents the talent, craftsmanship and collaborative spirit of Australian design.
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EDITORIAL Mary Featherston
Why Design & Creativity Is Important by Mary Featherston The Design Files are celebrating more than 10 years covering Australian design and creativity, and I have been asked, ‘why is design and creativity crucially important?’ Creativity is the process of bringing ideas/things into being that have not existed before; it may be a child’s sketch or a vastly complex particle accelerator. As Sir Ken Robinson, guru of creativity and education, says, ‘Creativity is at the very heart of society, it is what sets us apart from everything else on Earth’. Any process of creativity involves wondering, experimenting, and imagining. It also involves the pain of risk taking and failure. But as a long-practising designer, I know that to bring something into being that has not existed before is a source of personal development and great pleasure, especially when it involves collaborating with others. Where do we find creativity? In 1947, Robin Boyd, one of Australia’s most creative architects, established The Age Small Homes Service, a design solution to the challenge of providing affordable housing at the end of the second World War. For a payment of five pounds anyone visiting the service (in Myer Melbourne) could select from a variety of plans and specifications by local, ground-breaking architects. Many of these projects were built and have recently been exhibited as part of the Robin Boyd centenary celebrations. A more recent example was the fluorescent pink seesaws on the US-Mexico border created by Ronald Rael, a professor of architecture at the University of California, Berkeley, and Virginia San Fratello, an associate professor of design at San José State University. This was an act of protest, but one that brought children from both sides of the border together to play. It only lasted for 40 minutes before being removed by authorities, but, thanks to communication technology, images rapidly reached across the world and have left an enduring message about harmony and solidarity. For me, these two very different projects exemplify creativity in the service of people and society. Everyone is creative, from birth, and everyone has the right to be creative all through their lives. How can this be made a reality? How can creativity be nurtured? As a designer Photo – Amelia Stanwix
and activist specialising in design of learning environments, I have been privileged to spend hundreds of hours with young people of all ages, in situations where they were able to exercise and express their creative capabilities. Children constantly show us, if we allow them, the human capacity for wondering, imagining, experimenting and creating. For decades, luminary educators and young people themselves, have been calling for radical transformation of school education. They have recently been joined by industry leaders seeking graduates with different skills. Curiosity, creativity, lateral thinking and problem solving are understood to be the keys to developing a more entrepreneurial and productive economy. But mainstream education remains focused on sequential learning, right answers and narrow predictable outcomes that can be readily tested. Creativity is playful, dynamic, unpredictable and messy. Leading neuroscientists and educators believe there is a complementarity between intellectual capacities and creativity, not opposition. But school education typically separates academic and creative disciplines. This separation is enshrined in the ‘design’ of every element of schooling: curriculum, time management and organisation of the physical environment, separating general purpose classrooms and specialist areas.
connections. Here, learning is an active, creative process, and not simply a transmission of information. There are schools locally and systems in the USA and Europe which totally integrate creativity and design into every aspect of what they do; Specialist and generalist teachers work closely together to develop connections across disciplines and to teach knowledge and skills in context. Design of the physical environment (indoors and out) is purposefully intended to support a dynamic, democratic approach to learning and teaching, with access to diverse purposefully designed settings, as needed for developing long-term inquiry projects. The Victorian Department of Education is urgently constructing schools to meet the needs of our rapidly growing population. It is vital these new buildings do not set in concrete obsolete pedagogies but support contemporary creative approaches to learning and teaching to develop young people’s sense of identity, as well as their capacities for original ideas, creativity and action. Educational experiences that link head, hands and heart.
There is a rich legacy of progressive education, and some powerful contemporary examples where innovative educators have developed approaches to learning which have, as their starting point, a belief in children’s curiosity and capabilities. Creativity, as Sir Ken says, is at the very heart of what it is to be an educated person. Creativity is at the centre of all disciplines, and all disciplines are interconnected. Children often ask profound questions; what is beside the world? How do birds fly? How big was the largest dinosaur? These questions arise from their daily lived experience and can be the provocation for creative exploration and discovery in long-term inquiry projects, when teachers work alongside children to seek deeper understanding. As the educators in the schools of Reggio Emilia, in Northern Italy, say, ‘This approach to learning is open to that which has not yet been put into words; a pedagogy that finds joy in the unexpected, that dares to follow projects in motion without knowing where they may lead’. They also say that creativity should not be considered a separate mental activity but a characteristic of our way of thinking, knowing and making choices. This is why they consider the learning process to be a creative process – the ability to construct new connections between thoughts and objects that bring about innovation and change, taking known elements and constructing new
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AN AWARDS PROGRAM HOSTED BY THE DESIGN FILES Celebrating Australian Design & Creativity
Meet Our 2019 Judging Panel
RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE
INTERIOR DESIGN
EMERGING DESIGNER
FURNITURE DESIGN
Georgina Reid The Planthunter
Henry Wilson Studio Henry Wilson
Richard Munao CULT
Paul Bangay Paul Bangay Garden Design
Lucy Feagins The Design Files
LANDSCAPE DESIGN
STYLING & ART DIRECTION
Glen Proebstel
Clare Cousins Clare Cousins Architects
David Flack Flack Studio
Graham Burrows Jackson Clements Burrows Architects
Yasmine Ghoniem Amber Road
Albert Mo Architects EAT
Adriana Hanna Kennedy Nolan
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Megan Morton
Grazia Materia Grazia & Co.
Rick Eckersley Eckersley Garden Architecture
Anne-Maree Sargeant Authentic Design Alliance
Adam Goodrum Adam Goodrum Studio
JUDGES 2019
An awards program as diverse as the The Design Files Design Awards requires a panel of experts to represent the vast scope of projects across 12 categories. This panel represents the best in Australia within their given fields. Each of our 31 judges have individually assessed each shortlisted project, awarding a series of scores based on the award criteria, including originality, visual appeal, craftsmanship, functionality, sustainability, and visionary thinking.
TEXTILE DESIGN
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
FLORAL DESIGN
LIGHTING DESIGN
COLLABORATION
HANDCRAFTED
Jeremy Wortsman The Jacky Winter Group
ChloĂŤ Powell Craft Victoria
Ken Done
Louise Olsen Dinosaur Designs
Kate Stokes Coco Flip
Lisa Gorman Gorman
Abigail Forsyth KeepCup
Cherrie Miriklis-Pavlou Flowers Vasette
Joost Bakker
Bonnie Ashley Bonnie and Neil
Jeremy McLeod Breathe Architecture
Christopher Boots
Maree Clarke
Amanda Henderson Gloss Creative
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Photography: Christopher Frederick Jones / Tatjana Plitt / Christine Francis / Josh Robenstone / Ben Hosking / Martina Gemmola / Kasia Werstak / Derek Swalwell / Ben Hosking / Robert Walsh / Katherine Lu / Sharyn Cairns / Alex Chomicz
RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE
WINNER
THE RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE AWARD IS PRESENTED BY BRICKWORKS
Vokes & Peters Subiaco House
Located in a leafy Perth suburb, Vokes and Peters’ winning project is a home that blends indoor and outdoor, offering both privacy for the residents, and connection to the community. A series of discrete, interconnected rooms are arranged around a central courtyard, elegantly balancing private outdoor space with a connection to the street. Local planning controls (and neighbourhood conventions) preferenced a single storey design, which presented a challenge to the architects, as the concept was to prioritise private open space at ground level. Through inventive design measures, the architects used terracotta roof tiles to shroud the upper storey of the building, resulting in an appearance that was consistent with the neighbours. The architects explain that while the appearance of the home is relatively understated, ‘the site planning is a radical departure from the established norms of the area.’ This subtly rebellious design provides a secret garden for the residents, as well as an unexpected layout, where the kitchen is placed on the edge of the public footpath. The interplay between private and public provides unconventional moments of connection and engagement with the neighbourhood.
‘Fastidious detailing that celebrates the architect, while connecting & engaging with the streetscape. This house opens, retracts & layers, all at the same time.’ – Albert Mo Commendation
Finalists
MRTN Architects Dark Light House
This late 60s home is updated with a new pavilion for eating, living and cooking, continuing the Small Homes Service design spirit of the original residence.
‘A sensitivley crafted addition that punches well above its modest budget, breathing new life into this delightful home.’ – Clare Cousins
OLAVER ARCHITECTURE House 1602
EDITION OFFICE Hawthorn House
WOWOWA II Duomo
ARCHER OFFICE Camperdown Warehouse
AUSTIN MAYNARD ARCHITECTS Empire House
EDITION OFFICE Point Lonsdale House
MADELEINE BLANCHFIELD TRIBE STUDIO ARCHITECTS House in Darlinghurst Crescent Head House
HOGG & LAMB B&B Residence
Commendation
Sibling Architecture Hello Houses
Inspired by the verandah culture of Port Fairy, this home is a site of big open spaces, natural light, and connectivity.
‘This pair of new dwellings invigorates a traditional suburban block, exploring new models for consideration & development within a small regional town.’ – Graham Burrows SPLINTER SOCIETY ARCHITECTURE Cornerstone House
BLIGH GRAHAM ARCHITECTS Harriet House
PARTNERS HILL WITH HOGG & LAMB Mermaid Multi House
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Photography: Katherine Lu / Sean Fennessy / Tom Ross / Maree Homer / Derek Swalwell / Felix Forest / Sharyn Cairns
INTERIOR DESIGN
WINNER
THE INTERIOR DESIGN AWARD IS PRESENTED BY MIELE
Matt Woods Design Perfect Storm
Known as ‘the concrete bunker’ for its use of rendered finishes and rejection of ornamentation this sleek Camperdown apartment is both luxe and surprisingly utilitarian. Matt Woods redesigned the inner-city warehouse for a couple seeking a minimalist lifestyle, with an interior to match. Distancing itself from the classic ‘Sydney’ converted warehouse aesthetic, Perfect Storm is a unique design concept that strips the space back to its bare essentials. The space comprises a custom kitchen and a mezzanine bedroom, overlooking the living room space and a small terrace. Taking inspiration from Brutalist architecture, the backbone of this concept was to create a space that was completely free of clutter and unnecessary decoration. The streamlined space also celebrates the neighbourhood’s industrial heritage in its pared back, geometric interior. The mood is intentionally dark and brooding, balanced by ample natural light.
‘This project exemplified a strong & simple idea beautifully detailed into a small space within the means of a lean budget. A perfect inner-city escape.’ – David Flack
Commendation
Chelsea Hing Yarra Valley House
This sprawling rural residence with vineyard views was completely overhauled to create more space for a growing family.
‘This family home respectfully references the palette of its surrounding landscape. The spatial layout has been successfully rethought to respond to the family’s changing needs.’ – Adriana Hanna
Finalists
BRAMMAH INTERIOR DESIGN Ferndale House
STUDIO ESTETA Portsea Beach House
DOHERTY DESIGN STUDIO St Kilda Residence
DOHERTY DESIGN STUDIO Thornton Residence
SIMONE HAAG House Poynton
DYLAN FARRELL DESIGN Sydney Contemporary Perch
Commendation
Olivia Bossy Freshwater
GEORGINA JEFFRIES Victorian House
KATE CHALLIS INTERIORS Gertrude Street Residence
WORKROOM Huntingtower Residence
With all neutral tones and soft edges, this light-filled family home is both refined and relaxed, making the most of a tiny footprint.
‘Nostalgic. Youthful. Original. Championing all things simple, ‘Freshwater’ is fresh because it’s not loud, it’s not big, it showcases that small living can be just as beautiful.– Yasmine Ghoniem 13.
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Photography: Alex Reinders / Michael Wright / Peter Bennetts / Rachael Lenehan / Erik Holt / Rob Blackburn / Shannon McGrath / Erik Holt / Rob Frith / Amelia Stanwix
LANDSCAPE DESIGN
WINNER
THE LANDSCAPE DESIGN AWARD IS PRESENTED BY ECO OUTDOOR
Clapham Landscape Architecture The Enchanted Garden
The brief for this project was to provide an entry garden to gently invite visitors into the new display building for the Yarra Bend development in Alphington. The concept was to create a vibrant, welcoming and sustainable precinct that communicates the layered heritage of the site, and fosters an exciting space for diverse communities to live and visit. The design of the garden is informed by the surrounding bushland corridor, the flowing Yarra River, and local engagement with the walking and bicycle paths that weave through the landscape. The running water course in the garden echoes the Yarra, while the vertical elements are clad in reflective polished aluminium. While the garden takes many cues from the surrounding natural landscape, the designers have also introduced many contemporary elements to highlight the modern intents of the Yarra Bend development. The trees are all planted in a grid patterns, amidst a material palette of polished aluminium, concrete and rough cut porphyry stone. The landscape designers have also introduced a soundscape, that plays the sounds of local fauna and fauna activities recorded along the local river banks. This layering of frogs, insects and birds has welcomed local birdlife to the garden.
‘This is a space I want to be in. It feels very immersive & resolved. A sophisticated & elegant response to site & client.’ – Georgina Reid
Rush Wright Associates Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre
Finalists
ELIZABETH PRATER The Sir George
MUD OFFICE New Street, Brighton
Commendation
LISA ELLIS GARDENS The Eastern Terrace
A pocket of rainforest and calming breezy rest spaces reflect a new holistic approach to health care and design.
‘This design pushes the boundaries with the idea of the garden’s association with the hospital.’ – Rick Eckersley
KATE SEDDON LANDSCAPE DESIGN Pavilion Courtyard
MUD OFFICE Waterdale Road
Commendation
MUIR + OPENWORK Doubleground ALEXANDRA FARRINGTON & ALFALFA LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN, East Pilbara Arts Centre
PHILLIP WITHERS LANDSCAPE DESIGN Portsea Garden
A multi-disciplinary team takes on an ambitious brief from the NGV to create an intervention merging the lines between walls and gardens, inviting visitors to engage with the civic space.
‘Innovative & highly sculptural, very forward thinking.’ – Paul Bangay
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WINNER Edition Office
THE EMERGING DESIGNER AWARD IS PRESENTED BY PHOENIX TAPWARE
Photography: Ben Hosking / Michael Gordon Hill / Tony Gorsevski / Sarah Spilsbury / Rob Corica / Lillie Thompson / Alichia van Rhijn
EMERGING DESIGNER
Finalists
Founded in 2016 by architects Aaron Roberts and Kim Brigland, Edition Office has quickly cemented itself as one of Australia’s most dynamic new design studios. Approaching their work from a holistic perspective, Aaron and Kim have a keen interest in both the cultural narratives of architecture, and its experiential qualities. The firm has worked across an impressive breadth of projects, including single residential houses in both urban and remote locations, medium density housing projects, design studios, offices, art galleries, artist studios and archives including Station Gallery, Gertrude Contemporary and ArtBank, and recently the ‘For Our Country’ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island war memorial in collaboration with artist Daniel Boyd. Their award-winning residential project ‘Hawthorn House’ completed in 2018 has received widespread acclaim, with accolades from some of the most prestigious awards programs across the country.
APPARENTT
STUDIO EDWARDS
ZACHARY HANNA
TANTRI MUSTIKA
FOMU DESIGN
ALICHIA VAN RHIJN
‘Edition Office has quickly established itself as a leading Australian studio, with a distinct design approach & flawless execution.’ – Lucy Feagins
Take a fresh look. Visit interflora.com.au
FLORAL DESIGN
WINNER Melanie Stapleton & Katie Marx Flowering Now
THE FLORAL DESIGN AWARD IS PRESENTED BY INTERFLORA
Flowering Now was an ephemeral exhibition of innovative and abundant floral installations from 13 Melbourne florists. A personal project initiated by Melanie Stapleton of Cecilia Fox and Katie Marx, the collective show explored the interplay of transience and longevity. Radiant blooms were celebrated alongside the process of gentle decay. This collaborative project brought together Melbourne’s flower community to explore their practice, share a love of nature in ways that defy traditional understandings of floristry, and create a space for local florists to experiment with original ideas free from commercial demands. Each florist created a self-funded work of scale in their own style, creating a symphony of colours, textures and design in the shared space. Many of the florists chose to work primarily with local product, and to exclude floral foam and other plastics in their work. The first event of its kind in Melbourne, the immersive exhibition took place over a weekend in April 2018 at the Collingwood Arts Precinct and was open for members of the public to enjoy.
‘Credit to both Melanie Stapleton & Katie Marx in organising this event in such a short period of time & for bringing together the floral community. Bravo!’ – Cherrie Miriklis-Pavlou
Photography: Cassandra Tzortzoglou / Hattie Molloy / Kylie Zerbst / Juan Moley Fotologue / Bonjo Abadi / Pablo Veiga / Miranda Stokkel
Commendations
Hattie Molloy Soil
Pomp & Splendour, Way Of Flowers
Soil is installed in the floral artist’s shopfront to create an evolving sculptural form that is also a living, growing organism.
Modern sculptural arrangements created to complement the Obus Autumn 2018 collection, inspired by Ikebana.
‘LOVE this & the intention to gauge the surounding community. Soil is where everything starts & ends. I particularly like the patterns left on the wall & clover sprouting.’ – Joost Bakker
‘Great result, & brilliant complementary texture & colour in this work’ – Joost Bakker
Finalists
TWEED TWIGS A Study Of Beauty
CANDY MT Marigold Motel
BESS Wildflower Trolleys
GOOD GRACE & HUMOUR Lotus Leaf Lamp
WINNER Koskela Learn
Photography: Koskela / Jack Wallace / Bern Chandley / James Geer / Softer Studio / Lisa Cohen / Sean Fennessy / Tess Kelly / Jonathon Revill / Jessica Tremp
FURNITURE DESIGN
LEARN by Koskela is a new concept in primary classroom furniture that helps to create an interactive environment for learning for both students and educators. Over 12 months, the team at Koskela developed a range of easily adaptable, multi-use furniture for primary education classrooms, with high environmental and ergonomic performance. This collection is designed for both newly designed classrooms, and for established school environments that are unable to be upgraded. The range is comprised of three key components – desk, screens, ottomans – that can be configured in multiple ways to create spaces for collaboration, presentations, student break out and reflection. Each piece is lightweight and well-proportioned, making them easy to shift in a flexible teaching environment. The Yakka desk, Mudai ottoman and floor cushion, Yabber whiteboard and Bunji screen work together to create a range that aims to help students learn and grown, and cater to different needs and abilities. One percent of all sales of the Koskela LEARN range will go towards developing social enterprise products with Australian Indigenous communities.
‘This is a refreshing and new concept that is clever in its design, considerate to community & sustainability. The range is well thought through & the commitment to engaging children’s needs in schools is clearly evident.’ – Grazia Materia
THE FURNITURE DESIGN AWARD IS PRESENTED BY NAU
Finalists
CAMERON FOGGO Bureau Sofa
BERN CHANDLEY CoCo Armchair
JARDAN Arte Table Range
Commendation
Fomu Design Odie Chair SOFTER Clearer Coffee Table
DEAN NORTON Moodlum
With the look of a handcrafted piece, this stackable chair cleverly makes use of CNC technology to minimise timber wastage and maximise comfort and visual appeal.
‘The Odie chair with its handcrafted quality & unique form creates a chair to sit beautifully in any space.’– Adam Goodrum
NICK RENNIE STUDIO Wyrie Table
Commendation
Tom Fereday For King Living ETO Desk
ROSS THOMPSON Gentleman’s Wardrobe
DANIEL POOLE Freshwater Dining Table
POP & SCOTT The Lou Alto
This striking desk is a unified design that considers how people live and work today by integrating power, wireless lighting and charging.
‘A well-resolved desk for home office or shared workplace environments. The combination of timber & metal frame work well together.’ – Richard Munao 21.
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Photography: Tyrone Wright / Miguel Urbina Tan / Lauren Bamford / Ilona Savchenko / Lillie Thompson /Anthony Geernaert / Images That Sell / Dylan James.
STYLING & ART DIRECTION
WINNER Tyrone Wright & Carly Spooner RONE Empire
THE STYLING & ART DIRECTION CATEGORY IS PRESENTED BY CULT
Empire is a self-funded project initiated by Tyrone Wright, where the Melbourne artist’s engrossing murals combine with awe-inspiring sets, sculptures, cinematic lighting, scent design, augmented reality, and a thrilling soundtrack at one of Melbourne’s most iconic Art Deco mansions. The installation transports audiences back to the glamourous heyday of the 1930s property. The whole experience combines beauty with decay, and plays with the juxtaposition of a collapsed empire and a romantic past. The Burnham Beeches property takes on a film-set like quality, as interior stylist Carly Spooner furnished and styled fourteen of the estate’s empty spaces to create a distinct series of moods from room to room. Over a seven-week period, over 26,000 people visited this mind-blowing and immersive spectacle.
‘Atmospheric styling at its best – transformative & touching to see so much community heart behind this project, & that is was not invented purely for social sharing or public applause.’ – Megan Morton
Commendation
Jack Milenkovic Mistr Organics Finalists
Rugged yet refined, this campaign for a male personal care brand embraces a sense of nostalgia, and aims to feel simultaneously timeless and modern.
‘This is how to sell product, without a bottle in sight. Just high octane beautiful pictures that carry so much weight & defy season, age, status or need. I just want to buy all of it.’ – Megan Morton
BRIDGET WALD, ALICE HUTCHISON & ILONA SAVCHENKO Italian Tabletop
FIONA LYNCH Workshop
NATALIE TURNBULL Milou Milou
KELLY LARKIN Pepite
POLIFORM AUSTRALIA Art, Design, Arflex
Commendation
Stephanie Stamatis Real Living
LUCILLE RUEHLAND Bailey Nelson Titanium
SIMONE HAAG Art Of Dining
A visual story using classic motifs through a contemporary lens, based on the concept of styling a table with fruit.
‘Here is a perfect example of a symbiotic relationship between a photographer & stylist. This collection of images certainly takes my breath away.’– Glen Proebstel
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TEXTILE DESIGN
WINNER Georgina Whigham Woven Bag Series
These handwoven linen and cotton bags counteract the mass produced, monotonous and disposable nature of traditional shopping bags. Each bag is crafted in Canberra on a four-shaft floor loom with yarn sourced from a family-run Canadian mill. In order to produce as little waste as possible, the textile dimension is first meticulously calculated, right down to the width of the thread count and length required. The bags are then woven in one continuous piece before being folded like origami into their final form. This entire production process takes around eight hours. These bags are produced under the label name George, the brainchild of Georgina Whigham, an exhibition designer at the National Gallery of Australia. After studying a Bachelor of Industrial Design, Georgina was accepted into Kawashima Textiles School in Kyoto for a three-month intensive course. It was here she learned traditional and ancient Japanese dyeing techniques as well as how to weave on a six-shaft floor loom.
Photography: Victoria Zschommler / Jonathon Grigg / Sean Fennessey / Rod Pilbeam / Michaela Barca / Rachel Schurmann / Simon Upton / Pablo Viega / Lillie Thompson
By applying the ancient craft of handweaving, Georgina aims to restore people’s appreciation and perception of this everyday product. Each bag is created with longevity in mind, utilising a craftsmanship quality that encourages being valued and cherished.
‘Stunning colour palette & it’s so wonderful to see something completely handmade using traditional techniques!’ – Bonnie Ashley Commendations
Figgoscope Curates Prima Familia Totems
Sophie Matson Købn Summer
Traditional Portuguese burel (100 percent felted wool) fabrics in bold hues and 3D acoustic patterns adorn captivating humanscale sculptures and whimsical ottomans.
An unexpected twist on new season stripes, this towel collection draws on the colour play of Mexican architect Luis Barragán, high contrast metals, natural hues and chalky pastels.
‘I love the ability to bring traditions of your culture to the forefront in such beautiful product, especially the accidental discovery of your totem pole talents!’– Lisa Gorman
‘A really sophisticated take on towels. Top marks for researching & using sustainable production methods!’ – Bonnie Ashley
Finalists
CASSIE BYRNES Tourist
ESTHER SANDLER Land’s Edge
GEORGIA CANNON Style Revolutionary Rug Collection
JULIE WHITE & THE GHAN 90th Anniversary Scarf
NATALIE RYAN Meander Design Cushions
RACHEL CASTLE Sweet Pea Bed Linen
TERESA CEBEREK FOR TSAR CARPETS X-Materiality
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Photography: Jorge Serra / Gareth Sobey / Lillie Thompson / Tatjana Plitt / Albert Comper / Puzzle Placemats / Ben Guthrie / Ben Guthrie / Candice Choma / Benjamin Hosking.
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
WINNER
THE SUSTAINABLE DESIGN CATEGORY IS PRESENTED BY MERCEDES ME
Seljak Brand Closed Loop Merino Blanket
Seljak Brand’s Closed Loop, Merino Wool Blankets is made from off-cut materials otherwise bound for landfill. The blankets are created with the intent of using waste as a resource, thereby eliminating landfill and the extraction of new resources to reduce carbon emissions two-fold. Each blanket is crafted using a centuries old process at Tasmania’s Waverley Mills, Australia’s oldest and last fully-integrated wool mill. The production process utilises offcuts from the factory floor, which are shredded, spun into new yarn, then woven into beautiful, finished products. Every blanket is made from 70 percent recycled merino wool and a 30 percent recycled mohair, cashmere, cotton and polyester blend for strength. For every 10 blankets sold, one is donated to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. Seljak Brand was founded by sisters Karina and Sam Seljak in 2016. By pioneering a closed-loop production cycle, the label highlights waste as a design flaw that can be overcome.
‘Exemplary project. Leaders in a throw away industry. Incredible level of commitment to the production of a sustainable product.’ - Jeremy McLeod
Commendation
Contain Design Studio & Swear Words Milk In Glass
Bringing back the returnable one litre glass bottles of the past, this crowdfunded design encourages ‘drink, return, refill, repeat’. Ergonomic in form, it features an FSC recycled paper collar and incorporates a brand glass mould of the dairy’s logo.
‘Lovely design & detail around brand. If a bottle is used eight times instead of one, that’s a game changing contribution to waste reduction that can be applied across so many products.’– Abigail Forsyth Finalists
SOPHIE GANDAR Milou Milou
THE BETTER PACKAGING CO. comPOST Packs
NRN ARCHITECTS Walkerville POD House
CARTER WILLIAMSON ARCHITECTS GRID Education
BEETBOX Glass Lunch Bowl
SEED & SPROUT Fresh Food Storage Bundle
CHAMP DESIGN Puzzle Placements
CANDICE CHOMA Eyre Cup
TRIAS Three Piece House
Congratulations. Congratulations to all finalists within the Sustainable Design Category, and a special mention to Seljak Brand for their winning design, the Closed Loop Merino Blanket. The Design Files have been an integral collaborator and partner of Mercedes me Melbourne since we opened, and we are proud to support an initiative that showcases emerging and established talent in sustainable design. Ensuring a sustainable future is no doubt a great challenge of our time. This year, the first mass-produced Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle launched in Australia at Mercedes me Melbourne - and globally the brand revealed Ambition2039 - a global strategy where by 2030 at least 50 percent of new vehicles sold will be electrified, and the new passenger car fleet will be completely carbon neutral by 2039. Closer to home at Mercedes me Melbourne, we are also endeavouring to do our part. Achieving carboNZeroCertTM certification in our space and actively shining a light on innovative minds that champion sustainable
M - T 7:00am - 5:00pm • F 7:00am - 9:00pm 525 Collins Street, Melbourne 3000 mercedes me store melbourne
living through In Conversations with the likes of eco champion Joost Bakker and Jeremy McLeod from Breathe Architecture. ..... Mercedes me Melbourne is a hub of creativity where contemporary cafÊ culture meets Mercedes-Benz lifestyle. A vibrant concept space where art meets innovation, design meets entrepreneurship and sport meets community leadership. Come in store to enjoy Melbourne’s best coffee from concept partner ST. ALi and indulge in our ever-changing display of Mercedes-Benz vehicles; from timeless classics to the latest and sportiest designs. Created to connect, designed to share, made to inspire. This is Mercedes me Melbourne.
LIGHTING DESIGN
WINNER Zachary Hanna Trapeze Lamp
Trapeze is a multifunctional, suspended lighting piece able to function as both a sconce or a pendant. The creation of Trapeze was driven by experiments into mechanics and physics. The piece consists of two mounting plates, between which two wires are slung and stretched apart to mount the central lighting tube. It is primarily designed to be secured between two perpendicular surfaces in a corner between walls and ceilings or floors, although Trapeze can also be stretched between two parallel surfaces such as a hallway, or suspended from a ceiling as a pendant. The central light in Trapeze is designed to be manually rotated to change the intensity and direction as desired. It can be pointed into a room to provide direct illumination, or towards another surface to create a softer ambience. The minimal, utilitarian form is deliberate as to showcase the surrounding environment rather than drawing attention to itself. Our judges were impressed with the simple elements utilised by Zachary Hanna to create a clever, timeless and original piece honouring classic 20th century designs.
Photography: Sarah Spilsbury / Sean Fennessy / Lauren Bamford / Hayden Cattach / Qi Shen / Nathan Davis / Albert Comper / Robert Blackburn.
‘A great honouring of classic lighting designs from the 20th century, reimagined with a smart use of technology & a high regard of sensibility of the user experience.’ – Christopher Boots Commendations
Nick Rennie Sway Lamp
Ross Gardam Hemera Desk Lamp
An innovative cordless design, this interactive lamp is weighted and balanced to sway if knocked. Suitable for indoors or out, it offers a variety of light intensities & colours.
Fashioned in Elba marble, the design seeks to appear as if the stone is emitting light naturally. It references classical construction techniques while paying homage to Brutalist legacy.
‘An ambitious, highly resolved project that pushes boundaries & offers a joyful, interactive response to the brief.’ - Kate Stokes
‘Beautifully executed & elegant, a celebration of the material. Sensitively designed with an eye for detail. Fantastic work!’ – Christopher Boots
Finalists
SARAH NEDOVIC Ceramic Lamps
ROSS GARDAM Nebulae Chandelier Collection
JOSLIN KOOLEN Illuminated Lines
MILLIGRAM STUDIO & ONE DESIGN OFFICE Form
APPARENTT Esteem Floor Lamp
ANNA CHARLESWORTH Flower Arcs
2.
HANDCRAFTED
WINNER
THE HANDCRAFTED CATEGORY IS PRESENTED BY JANSZ TASMANIA
Nicolette Johnson Dark Tower
Dark Tower was designed to feel commanding and sculptural, while performing its essential functional purpose as a vessel. The preliminary sketches were designed to possess the classic characteristics of a vase - an open form, enveloping an empty void inside. They also capture a simultaneous sense of past and present, where antiquity and modernity mingle to create an object at once ancient, mythic, surreal and futuristic. The coiled stoneware vessel is made of two separate parts: an hourglass and an ovoid shape, joined together to create a single totem-like form. The intricate piece is finished with a metallic black oxide glaze. The arresting form of the work is created by Nicolette Johnson’s application of over 1000 spherical protrusions, all sculpted by hand and applied to the surface of the pot one by one. A modern realisation of the tradition of decorative pottery practice.
Photography: Nicolette Johnson / Adam Brady / Youmee Jeon / Emily Weaving / Dean Baird / Melissa Cowan / Geoff Sumner / Katherine Lu
‘With Nicolette’s works there is this wonderful sense of ancient antiquity, yet futuristic and dreamy.’ – Louise Olsen
Commendations
Asobimasu Clay Kaiketsu Vase
Kenny Yong-soo Son The Teapot Project
A wheel-thrown vase created to complement nature and shift the focus on how we interact with flowers. Its walls and curves invite a disordered organic arrangement.
A collaboration with a master silversmith, this brass piece evidences the importance of balancing warm, handcrafted detail with precision and functionality afforded by machining. It was perfected from 30 prototypes and is food-safe.
‘A simple yet imaginative idea, beautifully resolved. As an ex-florist I have a particular appreciation for their specific functionality & restrained beauty.’ – Chloë Powell
‘Beautifully crafted & beautiful patinas, the design is seamless.’ – Maree Clarke
Finalists
ALICHIA VAN RHIJN Small Spaces
ACV STUDIO Folded Vases
TAMMY KANAT Serenity
INTERIA Texture
TANTRI MUSTIKA Garnitures
LYNETTE SUMNER Subterrane Pods
NATALIE ROSIN Kirribilli Ceramic Tapestry
2.
COLLABORATION
WINNER Tyrone Wright & Carly Spooner RONE Empire
Initiated by artist Tyrone Wright, Empire is a temporary, self funded project bringing together multiple creative collaborators, to realise one impossibly ambitious immersive installation. In a careful balance of beauty and decay, the iconic Burnham Beeches property was reimagined as a grand, crumbling relic of an abandoned empire. The heritage 1930s mansion was brought to life with Tyrone ‘RONE’ Wright’s distinctive handpainted murals, alongside furnishings and decorative details sourced by stylist Carly Spooner, installations by Loose Leaf, bespoke scent by Kat Snowden, multi-channel sound design by Nick Batterham, and art by Callum Preston. A remarkable and visionary collaboration of epic proportions.
Photography: Rone / Josh Robenstone / Derek Swalwell / Lillie Thompson / Frances Normoyle / Peter Bennetts / Sean Fennessy / Jason Busch / Hayley Sparks / Dan Hocking
‘Being able to experience such a historic property in a dramatically new context is a truly once in a generation experience.’ – Jeremy Wortsman
Commendations
Friends & Associates Welcome To Wasteland
Kosloff Architecture & Callum Morton & Monash Arts Projects & Rush Wright Associates 18 Innovation Walk Revitalisation Project.
Industrial design meets waste management in this boundary pushing experimental exhibition, with over 50 collaborators and 31 project outcomes.
A reskinning of an existing university building, this project sees a strategic alignment between art and architecture to create an innovative new project, and incredible new entrance for students and staff.
‘A visionary & meaningful collaboration.Thoughtful design can change environmental outcomes & we need more of this inspired thinking. Brilliant!’ - Amanda Henderson
‘Innovative, exciting & inviting. What more could you ask of a university building?’– Ken Done
Finalists
TSAR CARPETS, BYZANTINE DESIGN AND LUKE FURNITURE X-Materiality
CINDY-LEE DAVIES & DUSTIN FRITSCHE NWAY
MUIR + OPENWORK Doubleground
THOMAS COWARD & ARTEDOMUS New Volumes
TOM FEREDAY & EARP BROS OMNI Breeze Block
PAIGE ANDERSON, HAYLEY SPARKS AND EMMA LEONARD The Dreamers
CANTILEVER INTERIORS & DESIGNOFFICE Tableau
The Design Files Design Awards 2019 Winners Emerging Designer – Edition Office
Residential Architecture – Vokes & Peters, Subiaco House
Handcrafted – Nicolette Johnson, Dark Tower
Furniture Design – Koskela, Learn
Interior Design – Matt Woods Design, Perfect Storm Styling & Art Direction – Tyrone Wright & Carly Spooner, RONE Empire
Landscape Design – Clapham Landscape Architecture, The Enchanted Garden
Lighting Design – Zachary Hanna, Trapeze
Collaboration – Tyrone Wright & Carly Spooner, RONE Empire
Sustainable Design – Seljak Brand, Closed Loop Merino Blanket
Floral Design – Melanie Stapleton & Katie Marx, Flowering Now
Textile Design – Georgina Whigham, Woven Bag Series
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