Reimagined as Furnitex Connect, the new look show now presented by the Australian Furniture Association, aims to bring together over 200,000 Australians in the industry.
Held from 9 – 12 of July at Melbourne’s historic Royal Exhibition Building, the event will include entry access for trade only exhibitors for three days on the upper level, and a combination package of two days trade only, followed by two days open to the public, on the lower level.
The relaunched Furnitex will connect the industry under one roof, in a precinct reminiscent of international furniture festivals. Attendees will stay abreast of the latest products and trends with exhibits from industry leaders that represent the entire furnishing offer, lighting, floor covering and design elements.
Educational institutions are also encouraged to exhibit, to promote their courses and offer career advice to attendees. In addition to this, students can be involved with ACE – the Australian Contemporary Emerging design competition – to support up and coming designers. Students can present their work in a design competition, which will form a feature display to promote the student and the educational facility they attend, at the event.
The winners of leading design competition VIVID, were announced yesterday at the opening of Furnitex and Decor + Design in Melbourne.
Fabio Biavaschi, with Mek_ac0 chairs
Renowned for unearthing the next generation of furniture designers, 50 finalists were whittled down to five, with awards given in student, commercial, concept, lighting and green categories. Italian designer Fabio Biavasch took out the commercial award for his MEK_ac0 chairs, inspired by kids building blocks Meccano. Young product and furniture designer Yulia Holil received the green award for her Sandwiched Shelf (below), a modular and adjustable freestanding shelving system.
Design student Jeewon Choi won the student award for her innovative Flowlight, which is made out of a veneer sheet that has been laminated to cardboard then bent. Architect and furniture designer Adam Raphael Markowitz came home with the concept award for Fred, a Danish-inspired, sustainably sourced, timber table (both below).
Rowan Page, Marinos Drake and Ilya Fridman from Studio Batch were presented with the lighting award (sponsored by Beacon Lighting) for their 3D printed Diagrid Pendant (below), a light that is created through computerised code and generated in a unique form each time it is printed.
The winners and all finalists will be showcased at Decor + Design, part of Furnitex, until this Sunday 13 July at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.
A self-claimed tree hugger from Colorado USA, Kari Whitman is an interior designer who puts the environment above all else, but that doesn’t mean she lets style fall by the wayside! Kari is so in-demand that she has gained the title of Designer to the Stars, designing the homes of Jessica Alba, Emelio Esteves, Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffiths, and the list goes on.
Kari Whitman
Yet for Kari, being a designer was a career that nearly never happened, with her first love actually being acting. “When I was a broke actress, my very successful actor friends would come over to my modest apartment to see what I had done in such a small space,” explains Kari. “They saw my potential and then started hitting me up to do big places in LA County, like Hollywood, Malibu etc.”
A home Kari designed on Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles, for a Royal family
Since then, Kari’s never looked back, with her projects taking her all over the world, including this month, Australia, where she will be headlining the International Seminar Series at Decor + Design and Furnitex in Melbourne. “I will be discussing the process of green design, star clients, and pet-friendly collaborations,” says Kari. “I will be giving everyone my secrets for making green, earth-friendly design tangible for any style and I will also be sharing my experience and findings for creative, innovative products, art and expressionism through design!”
A home Kari designed on Mulholland Drive in Los Angeles for a Royal familyA home Kari designed on Mulholland Drive in Los Angeles for a Royal family
Kari isn’t afraid of stepping outside of the box, believing green design can fit any style. “We do tons of different things to make our designs eco-friendly and creative. From old blue jeans used as insulation to existing furniture being completely stripped down, reformed and modernised, all the way to adding a rescue pet at the end for an overall “good vibe” in the home!”
Kari’s own Colorado home
As an animal lover as well, Kari has a great interest in pet-friendly design, leading her to start her own eco-friendly dog bed company greenerpup.com. “Animals should always be a part of the family and sleeping inside with their owners. I also believe in having beautiful dog beds with covers that match the room. It will always make your doggy or kitty’s sleeping area vibe with the space.”
Kari’s Colorado homeKari’s Colorado home
With a style that is very eclectic, funky and fun-yet-elegant, Kari’s work life isn’t just meeting with celebs and playing with pets! “An average day for me is work, work, work,” says Kari. “Constantly dealing with installations, clients and products. I’m also actively creating my paint mixing kit Wall Makeup and my furniture line. Because my clients are all over the world, I’m on a plane more than I’m at home.”
Decor + Design and Furnitex will be held at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre from next Thursday 10 July to Sunday 13 July. For the seminar schedule and to purchase tickets to hear Kari speak, visit Decor + Design here.
The International Seminar Series at next month’s Decor + Design in Melbourne is set to be a highlight, with celebrity interior designer Kari Whitman (USA), interior designer Kishani Perera (USA) and leading trend forecaster Victoria Redshaw (UK) all signed on to headline the series.
Kari Whitman
Kari, who will be discussing her collaborations with star clients, has worked with the likes of Jessica Alba, Don Johnson and Antonia Banderas. Her trademark style of ‘eclectic self-expressionism’ is all about incorporating both the latest interior styles with salvaged artifacts, while also having a great focus on being green and pet-friendly.
Kishani, who will be talking about the fine art of mixing high and low pieces and old and new pieces, is known for her ability to blend the reclaimed with the refined. Sourcing products from a vast array of sources, she has that magic touch that sees her incorporate pieces from the finest showrooms in Paris to the hidden gems of eBay!
Kishani Perera
Victoria, who will explore the key design trends for interiors in 2015 and beyond, is a leading trend forecaster. Founder of Scarlet Opus, an interiors trend-forecasting consultancy, she has advised clients for more than a decade on the future of consumer and design trends.
Also taking part in the seminar series are some of Australia’s very own talented designers including: founder and creative director of Shareen Joel Design and Share Design, Shareen Joel; directors of architecture studio Edwards Moore, Ben Edwards and Juliet Moore; and director of design agency Nexus Designs, Sonia Simpfendorfer.
Decor + Design and Furnitex will be held at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre from Thursday 10 July – Sunday 13 July. For the seminar schedule and to purchase tickets visit Decor + Design here.
For your chance to win tickets to hear the speaker of your choice, simply complete the form below by midnight on Wednesday 25 June 2014.
With Australia’s largest furniture and furnishings trade fair coming to Melbourne in July, Decor + Design at Furnitex 2014 will offer visitors a must-see opportunity to preview the latest trends for the Australian market.
Open from 10-13 July at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, there are a large variety of attractions to keep you entertained, including: the International Seminar Series; VIVID, one of Australia’s leading design competitions; Design: Made: Trade, a curated collection of work by leading art and design studios; and an extensive range of exhibitors and products.
A highlight for me when I visited Decor + Design in Sydney earlier this year, was Design: Made: Trade, which features products from a diverse range of design disciplines, anything from lighting, furniture, ceramics and textiles. Some of the designers featured this month will include Ute Design, who will be showcasing their new letterbox and garden screens and Nooko & Co who will present their made to order furniture range made from oak and metal.
Ute Design’s Letterbox
Also of note is VIVID, a furniture and lighting competition for new and emerging designers. With categories of Student, Concept, Commercial and for the most sustainable product (Green) across all entries, VIVID is the place to see new and original work at Decor + Design.
Decor + Design also has some renowned designers locked in to speak, with the International Seminar Series including talks from American celebrity stylist Kari Whitman and interior designer Kishani Perera, as well as local talents designer Shareen Joel and architect Ben Edwards.
After ten years of success as Decoration + Design, the leading design event is having a transformation, unveiling its new look and name — Decor + Design — at this year’s Furnitex.
The event, which attracts thousands of local and international visitors each year, will be held at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre from 10-13 July.
“Our industry is all about the latest trends and new products, and we are all constantly reinventing ourselves to ensure that we are current and relevant to our audiences,” explains Joel Cooper, Group Exhibition Director of organiser Informa Exhibitions. “Decor + Design has been renamed to acknowledge the show’s wide appeal to a market that includes interior design, architecture, trend experts and stylists, with diverse exhibitors across the furniture, furnishings and design world.”
One of the biggest highlights of the events will be VIVID – Vibrant Visions in Design — a competition offering aspiring designers a unique launching pad into the furniture industry. Emerging designers will present work in Commercial, Concept, Student and Green categories, with awards being announced on opening day.
Kathryn Bamford headed to Decoration + Design to report on her favourites for us.
The Designer Boys with Shaynna Blaze
Thank goodness Decoration & Design + Furnitex co-exist in the same location! It was a crazy 4 days at Melbourne’s Exhibition Centre which brought together some of my favourite brands and suppliers in the one place. There was a real emphasis on up and coming Australian designers which was great to see!
Some of Australia’s boldest and brightest young designers will unveil the furniture of the future when the VIVID (Vibrant Visions in Design) competition returns to FURNITEX next week.
Held from 18-21 July and co-located with DECORATION + DESIGN at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, VIVID will see almost 50 of our most promising emerging furniture designers compete for awards in Student, Concept, Commercial and Green categories.
The Decoration + Design Melbourne trade fair is fast approaching and I have some tickets to give away to the international industry seminar series. Would you like to hear Melbourne interior designer Chelsea Hing speak? Or maybe American designer Lori Weitzner?
Chelsea Hing
Chelsea will tall about designing from the heart, keeping it personal and bringing her rule-bending approach to crafting beautiful spaces packed with personality. She’ll share insights into her work, her business journey and the lessons she’s learnt along the way.
FURNITEX and DECORATION + DESIGN have confirmed a stellar line-up for the 2011 International Industry Seminar Series, coming up this Thursday and Friday at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre. Sponsored by Home Beautiful, eight leading design experts from across the globe will inspire interior enthusiasts as they discuss the hot trends for future seasons and influences driving the interiors industry.
World renowned designer Abigail Ahern (UK), famous for her cutting edge designs and magical interiors, will open the series with her Creating Feeling and Emotion in an Interior seminar. Focusing on her trademark attention to detail, Abigail will discuss the use of tactile, visual and multi-layered interiors to convey mood and emotion. Joining Abigail will be multi-award winning interior and product designer Lee Broom (UK). After initially specialising in interior design for bars, restaurants and entertainment venues, Lee has branched into furniture design, with stockists in New York, London, Paris and the Middle East. In February 2011 Lee launched his first store within London’s leading lifestyle destination, The Shop at Bluebird, whilst in 2010 his interior design for London’s Coquine restaurant was awarded Best New Interior in the British Design Awards. With a fanbase including Kanye West and fashion designer Matthew Williamson, the A Conversation with Lee Broom Q&A-style seminar is not to be missed.
Also representing the UK will be award-winning textile designer Erica Wakerly. As a specialist in the design of modern wallpapers, Erica’s seminar on Creating Modern Interiors with the return of wallpaper will look at the current appetite for both classic and modern interiors and the role of wallpaper today. Industry favourite Milou Ket (NL) will offer an inspiring presentation on the emerging themes in colour, style and design. Milou’s Trend Forecast seminar will look at inspirations for the home in 2012/2013. Emerging themes for bedding, bath, ceramics and paper will be unveiled, in addition to the materials, structures and designs influencing product development. For the first time, the International Seminar Series panel will host two lighting experts presented by the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES). David Bird (AUS) will look at how integrating interior design and lighting can be used to create the ultimate ambience within a hospitality space in his Lighting for Hospitality seminar. John Ford’s (AUS) seminar Creative Lighting Design will address the challenge of lighting in designed interiors and how to get the right lighting for a particular setting. One of Australia’s pre-eminent urban designers and retail architects, Roger Nelson, will share his architectural perspective on making retail design unique in his New Ideas and Creative Solutions for Constantly Changing Consumer Trends and Demands seminar. Roger will refer to his re-development of the MYER store in Melbourne, looking at how his vision has supported commercial outcomes.
For those keen to stay ahead of the game, Australian trend forecaster Genty Marshall’s seminar Alone, Together will be a hot ticket. Genty will look at how designers are striking the balance between public and private spaces when technology allows us to be constantly connected. Alone, Together will also be the inspiration for Design Futures, the inspirational trend feature at the heart of DECORATION + DESIGN. Shared living, work, social and virtual spaces will be explored through colour, style and product inspirations curated by Genty in this area.
FURNITEX and DECORATION + DESIGN Melbourne are once again major event partners of the State of Design Festival (20 – 31 July 2011).
