Supergraph 2015
More than just an art fair Supergraph is a three-day fiesta of graphic art, illustration and design at the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton, Melbourne. The fair features leading graphic artists alongside our brightest emerging talent ensuring that there are original and limited edition artworks available for every taste and every budget starting at just $30. And, with creative workshops, artist led masterclasses, family-fun events and an opening night party (that I am so excited to be going to!) Supergraph is where you can be inspired or just enjoy the beautiful creativity of others.
I'm particularly looking forward to attending the 'Felt-tastic' masterclass with a gorgeous friend for a well-deserved stitch-and-bitch sesh. Well, maybe it should be glue-and-boo? Smatter-and-chatter? Cut-and-tut?
Also hoping I win one of the ballot-allocated sessions with Face-o-mat!
{Masterclass: Felt-tastic with Kitiya Palaskas}
Sustainable House Day 2014
By partaking in Sustainable House Day you can tap into local knowledge to learn how to successfully integrate renewable energy, recycling, and other sustainable practices into your home and lifestyle. This unique event is a valuable resource for anyone looking for inspiration, ideas and the key to sustainable living.
Homeowners, sponsors and local sustainable groups look forward to sharing their knowledge with you, plus I'll be volunteering at the Harrisdale home in WA for the day. There are homes and gardens open to the public throughout Australia. You can find more information about each house and its features on the webpage. This is a national event, but since I'm volunteering here in Perth, I've just highlighted a few WA ones below.
{Carla and Ben’s House, 128A Roseberry St, Bedford WA}
Off to Melbourne I go
{Sorrento Beach house Interiors by Shareen Joel of Shareen Joel Design (SJD) and Share Design}
{Design by Sonia Simpfendorfer of Nexus}
{Interiors by architecture studio Edwards Moore}
D+D Melbourne less than a week away
However, the highlight of my conference visit always seems to be the VIVID (Vibrant Visions in Design) competition. Now in it's 12th year, the talent in both the professional and student arenas never fail to amaze and inspire. It's almost a given that most of the designs seen at a VIVID competition will be featured in an abundance of mags and interiors by the end of the year. Looking forward to the return of a few previous highlights, especially Lab De Stu, Inkster Maken, Paul Townsin, Dezion Studio and Ben-Tovim Design. Just a taste below.
{Cup by Andre Hnatojko of Lab De Stu comes in all manner of luxe finishes, including 24k gold or rose gold, brass, copper as well as classic white and matte black}
Melbourne Life Instyle 2013
Last week’s Melbourne Life Instyle event was set inside Melbourne’s beautiful Royal Exhibition building. I had been to events here before but never have I seen it so crammed full of designer goodies. I swear they somehow increased it to twice the size than the last time I was there - and I had the blisters and aching calves to prove it!
Unfortunately, my BFF and I were so caught up dragging each other between stands, squealing (yes, big girl squealing!) and jumping on the spot in excitement that I completely forgot to take any onsite pix. No excuse, but, well, we were basically sprinting between stands since they were all so beautiful and we only had a few hours away from kids in which to see it all. Although if you ask our wonderful husbands, we were gone much longer than anticipated! I may have to do another post on some of the best designs because we saw them pre-release and I prefer to let the actual designers launch their products (and not get in any trouble - no-one likes a PO’d artist!)
Here are some of my favourite stands from the show and their pretty pretty wares.
{Cloud coat hangers, Pom Pom garland and furry animals by Down to the Woods. Who wouldn’t want this entire setup for a cute little girls room?}
{Hello sign in limited edition Gold by Down to the Woods for some fun glamour}
Melbourne Decoration + Design 2013
{Paul Townsin’s Me + Me Too Lamps, made of moulded concrete and so, so beautiful in person}
DesignEX 13
The Hives exhibition was the stand-out for me with its gorgeous collaborative pieces. “When designers, interdisciplinary practitioners and leading industrial enterprises put their heads together, the results can be exciting, unexpected and intriguing. Curator Anne Maree-Sargeant returns the popular Hives exhibit to designEX 2013 with a highly considered display of products that bring together covetable objects from visionaries and brands under the themes of Innovation and Collaboration”.
My favourite for years has been the WebLight by Design By Them (along with everything else they do!). I fell in love with the gentle image of the aptly-named wispy-looking light set amongst a bright green forrest on their webpage years ago. “WebLight is the result of an exploration into the potential possibilities of reusing plastic bags. Made from recycled content, each WebLight is individually hand made and features an intricate pattern of texture and holes that are the direct result of its unique forming process.”
{Weblight by Design By Them}
Another creation I was looking forward to seeing in person was the precise Hoshigame by Artemide. Developed with Japanese fashion designer, Issey Miyake, the sustainably designed, foldable lampshade explores the intersection of creativity and mathematics. Made from fabric derived from recycled PET bottles, “Miyake's unique folding technology allows a single piece of fabric in a flat 2D shape to be unfolded into a 3D shade of statuesque form. The structure of the recycled material, together with an additional surface treatment allows 'Hoshigame' to perfectly keep its shape without the need for an internal frame, and to be stored flat when not in use and then re-shaped when needed.” Although smaller than I expected, it was still a thing of beauty.
{Hoshigame by Artemide + Issey Miyake}
Here are a few other highlights from the Hives exhibition and lots more from the show.