11 August 2010

Seriously Southbound at SiD 2010

Jump on the bus and get the low down on the southside scene at this year's Saturday in Design in South Melbourne.

They said ‘See you on the Southside’... and we managed to catch all of them. It was the land of kitchens and bathrooms, with a occasional splashes of furniture in the mix as well.

We started at Abey Australia and took a peek at their new ranges – a Home Collection of towels, bathrobes etc., Goccia tapware by Gessi and the fantastic new B-Free stovetop range by Barazza.

gessi at SiD

Next stop was one of the curated spaces, ’57 South’, where visitors had plenty to see with 4 companies exhibiting in the large garage space.

Eastern Commercial Furniture (ECF) had their new products against a cool graffiti backdrop, which was installed perfectly on the grungy brick wall interior.

ecf SiD

Hettich had people pushing and clicking their mechanisms on their stand, as well as checking out their version of The Project – products designed in collaboration with graphics masterminds, Bleux. Victoria + Albert Volcanic Limestone Baths were so great-looking, we actually saw people climbing in to try them out.

The DQ Design Collective showed a top selection of local emerging design. For many of the group (made up of Yellow Diva, Nicholls Design and DesignByThem), it was a rare opportunity to have a full range of products on display.

nicholls SiD

Moving on to the hub around Moray St, I couldn’t resist checking in at Miele where Vue de monde personalities Andy Harmer (head chef) and Shannon Bennett (owner) were demonstrating their creative flair and mingling with visitors.

miele vie de monde

From there we wandered down to Argent and SICIS, checking out some beautiful baths and tapware and larger-than-life mosaic designs.

argent SiD

At Bathe there was a cool Melbourne vibe with live graffiti art, plus new bathroom collections by Philippe Starck and Patricia Urquiola. While Fashion Group was a one-stop shop for everything interior from floorboards to kitchen and bathroom products, including the stunning Versace Tile range.

melbourne graffiti SiD

Schiavello attracted a lot of attention, presenting a new approach to workplace systems – plus some big names collaborating as part of The Project. Guests jostled each other in the hopes of exchanging conversation (and ideas) with Akira Isogawa and Chris Bosse of LAVA, among others, in their eclectic installations within the showroom.