05 August 2009

Going Downtown...

Downtown Surry Hills brought us landscaping, DJs and little a burlesque at Saturday in Design 2009.

Downtown Surry Hills was all a-swarm with enthusiastic party-hoppers. A smorgasbord of showrooms kept the crowds busy with KE-ZU, InterfaceFLOR and Café Culture leading the pack.

‘Make Sense’ was the main focus at KE-ZU, where Matthew Sheargold, David Caon, Group GSA and Good Manors Landscape Design brought the theme to sensory fruition. Guests were welcomed by a vine-entangled walkway, through which they walked in impressed silence.

Once inside, a series of installations brought guests into contact with encapsulating lighting, tactile textiles and engaging seating arrangements. Not to be forgotten was the fascinating display ‘Daylight’ chairs, constructed from recycled car batteries and seatbelts.

Whipping around the corner visitors found themselves walking through a red-hued doorway, and into the inner realms of Core Furniture and Light2. Here you could find a moment to relax on Core Furniture’s puffy sofas, set amongst ceiling-high punching bags – a surprisingly complementary combination!

And, while you weren’t staring up in wonder at the sculpturesque light fixtures, you were sidling up to the DJ’s desk to make a special request. Meanwhile, next door Chairbiz and Pelle Leathers were all ablaze with a huge range of freshly launched chairs and leathers.

Special Lights welcomed new ranges from Studio Italia Design as well as beautiful hand-blown glass chandeliers from Arte Di Murano as well as quirky Roger Pradier / RP Design lawn/path lights.

Reece presented their latest bathroom ware products, giving visitors some beautiful goodies to take home and supplying some lovely drinks, the whole showroom had a great buzz.

The tried and tested partnership of Poliform and Miele impressed once again, with the showroom absolutely packed, showing off their new products – including Miele’s the first six-star energy rated dryer – and providing some great food. Precision Flooring and Workspace shared, showing us their latest products and the oh-so-cute Kiddimoto bikes downstairs.

InterfaceFLOR once again welcomed design firms into their showroom for their fantastic interpretations for The Project, employing the company's customised carpet tiles to create worlds within their walls.

Taking a slightly darker, more burlesque approach to design were Café Culture in collaboration with Brintons Carpets. A short wander through the backstreets of Downtown Surry Hills took you through to Café Culture’s street level showroom, which was decked out with new products, direct from Milan.

These were complemented by a succulent spread of cheeses and fruit, champagne and the sultry sounds of jazz. And for those with a curiosity towards the future, a tarot reader was on hand to help out...

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