12 August 2010

A foray into Flinders and the CBD

Flinders Lane is always a designer hive of activity, says Mandi Keighran. Never more so than during Saturday in Design and this year the streets were buzzing...

We started our foray into the lively laneway at Chapter House, a shared ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’-themed space. Bravo Print + Design showcased their graphic skills on the screens and banners that divided the stunning foliage-filled space.

beanstalk SiD

Form + Function launched the much-anticipated Movisi ‘Tears Off’ wallpaper, and CBS gave SiD-goers the opportunity to interact with London designers all day via live video conferencing.

bravo print SiD

Finding a seat in Chapter House wasn’t a problem, with SBS / DAL Seating and special guests Emilio Marisei from Norway and Ulf Magnusson from Sweden, and Konfurb’s ‘Bodyflex’ range of commercial seating. Also sharing the space were Signature Floorcoverings and Warwick Fabrics, both launching new products.

It might not have been on Flinders Lane, but the buzz was no less palpable at Teknion@Fifteenth Landing. These self-described ‘new kids on the block’ showcased their innovative ‘WorkplaceOne’ concept.

Heading back to Flinders Lane, the Zenith showroom was the place to be – literally! Zenith (launching Formway’s ‘BE’ chair) and Bolon teamed up with Woodhead for The Project, which saw all three levels of the showroom decked out with all variety of B’s – think Bolon and ‘Be’.

You didn’t have to go far to find the well-deserving winner of The Project at InterfaceFLOR in the Zambesi showroom. The fashion-focus of the space and The Project certainly drew the crowds – and my prediction is that we’ll be seeing more creative interpretation of product at next year's SiD. Read more about the winning Project here.

Euroluce’s take on The Project was a paperphile’s paradise. Tim Fleming of Flatland OK created an all-paper fit-out depicting the most ordinary of objects in the most creative of ways – the colourful ‘Jielde’ lights in particular popped against the white backdrop.

euroluce SiD

The paper theme continued at Stylecraft, where RMIT Interior Design students got into The Project, with an installation that brought back memories of childhood. The popular all-day breakfast provided the much-needed fuel to continue down Flinders Lane.

Down the road, at Iken, we found dessert (breakfast dessert?) in the form of decadent sweets to celebrate the launch of their Melbourne showroom.

iken SiD

Around the corner on Oliver Lane, the Burgtec showroom was transformed into a ‘backyard in the city’ as part of The Project. Complete with colourful clotheslines and a woodfired pizza oven, it was the perfect ‘backyard’ to spend time checking out newly launched products from Burgtec and CSM (CSM’s ‘Esseesis’ modular garden wall at the entrance brought some greenery into the ‘backyard’) complemented by Macquarie textiles.

Nexus Interiors set up in the Kimberly Art Gallery to showcase ergonomic seating and commercial furniture that could be considered works of art themselves.

caricature SiD

The Innerspace showroom was crowded with people celebrating the merge of Methis with Innerspace, checking out the newly-launched ARA chair from Orangebox and lining up to have their caricature drawn by three Melbourne artists.

thonet SiD

We finished up Flinders Lane and CBD precinct at Thonet, whose showroom celebrated their classic design heritage and showed their support of the recently formed Authentic Design Alliance. With so many newly launched products, and so much original, creative design on display, it was certainly a fitting end.