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The showrooms and designers really stepped it up a notch in 2010, with some of the most creative and immersive installations we’ve ever seen. All the installations responded in some way to the theme of ’Motion’.

We’ve put together a rundown of each showroom and their entries into The Project. A lot of the installations will remain at the permanent showroom locations in the weeks to come, so make sure you get along to check them out minus the huge crowds.

Burgtec

Burgtec, Macquarie Textiles and CSM joined forces with SKM to create ’Backyard in the City’. ’Clothes’ made from Macquarie Textiles were blowing in the breeze, while the outdoors were brought indoors with plants and Astroturf outside with fresh Pizza being served straight from the oven (tasty and hot!)

Dexion Office

Sharing with three other companies in the clean white environment upstairs at 370 Swan, it would have been easy for Dexion Office to blend in to the background. But with a little help from DesignInc, this specialist storage supplier was no shrinking violet at Saturday in Design. In the latest vibrant colours and complemented by beds of tulips, visitors saw a new, exciting side to Dexion Office products.

Euroluce

Euroluce collaborated with Tim Fleming of Flatland OK to demonstrate the transformative power of light. Fleming’s life-size figures of people and objects were brought to life with the creative use of architectural lighting.

Eurowalls

You would have spotted some famous faces at Eurowalls on Church Street with their Designer Faces installation. Collaborating with Studio Equator, Eurowalls designed a number of huge faces made from their latest wallpaper ranges and hung around their showroom space.

But they also let visitors get hands on, with touchscreen kiosks inviting you to make your own wallpaper portrait. If you made your own, it should get emailed to you soon!

Fitzroy Design Studio

The Fitzroy Design Studio (CSR) captured the elements – fire, water, earth, wood and metal – to show the cycle of sustainability with their installation in conjunction with Piranha Designs.

The installation explored the cycle of life that goes into making their range of products, with large sweeping curves and pictorial representations offering an immersive experience for visitors.

Hettich

Collaborating with Bleux, Hettich introduced their range of graphic designs accompanying their products, with exciting new prints in their cupboards and their unique DesignSide systems.

Insitu

Insitu got knitting as part of The Project 2010, launching the new Granny lamp from Casamania. A long yellow scarf was knitted throughout +Friday and Saturday. The ’knitting machine’ drew wool threads from each of the newest ranges of furniture from across the globe. The collaboration with Bryn Holton of A Life Less Ordinary, represents a shared philosophy between the designers and Insitu.

Tait

Our good friends at Studio one8one7 took to Tait’s warehouse space with a bunch of yellow string, and a heap of expertly folded paper planes helping them to launch the new Air-liner by Adam Goodrum. The series geometric lines led visitors up past the workshop and into the showroom space above.

InterfaceFLOR

The winner of the inaugural ’Fridcorp Award’ for The Project 2010, InterfaceFLOR asked designers to ’Dekonstrukt’ and ’Rekonstrukt’ their carpet tiles to ’inspire emotion’.

Each design studio and student group – including Geyer, Gray Puksand, Housemouse, Moth Design, Spaceleft, Trout Creative, Whitehouse, Woodhead, Woods Bagot and Y2 Architects – were asked to turn InterfaceFLOR’s yarn, carpet topcloth and tiles and a white mannequin into an installation which inspired emotion.

The results were extremely imaginative, some turning floor into fashion with amazing outfits, while others were more introspective, evoking emotion through confrontational displays.

Jardan

Jardan collaborated with SJB to turn their temporary space on Balmain Street into an urban oasis. The ’chill out zones’ and vibrant pink detailing (including the neon Jardan sign) created a relaxed party atmosphere in the historic building (which will unfortunately meet with the wrecking ball in a few months time).

Maxton Fox

Bellwood Design stepped in to welcome Maxton Fox to their new showroom, featuring the new Beta system and the notion of ’reshape’ ’adapt’ ’evolve’ – creating workplaces around people, not fitting people into standardised workspaces. Hundreds of green balloons, Astroturf and putt putt golf kept the crowds entertained.

MultyFlex

MultyFlex, Sub-zero & Wolf Appliances and Gunnersen with Royston Wilson Design created a working kitchen for The Project, featuring integrated refrigeration, working gas appliances and Gunnersen laminates and becnhtops.

Nexus Interiors

Vrooom! Nexus Interiors had an actual Formula One car on show outside their showroom, to celebrate the launch of the new XTEN task chair in the Mechanics Garage. The link: XTEN is by Italian design house Pininfarina, famous for their work with Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche and Peugeot).

Schiavello

The Project at Schiavello was linked to the launch of their new workstation system, ’Climate’. Schiavello collaborated with a variety of well-known creative types on accessories and other elements for ’Climate’, and on Saturday these designers brought their creations to life with live installations. Fashion designers Akira Isogawa and S!X, Chris Bosse from architectural firm LAVA and Italian colour master Giulio Ridolfo were all part of the genre-bending entertainment.

Stylecraft

Stylecraft enlisted the design assistance of RMIT Interior Design students to create ’Floating Form’ – a collection of suspended paper origami sculpture hung above their central atrium space, complementing their latest ranges.

Zenith Bolon

Woodhead design collaborated with Zenith and Bolon in the launch of the new BE chair. The theme? ’BE’ of course. AN array of letter Bs where strung throughout the showroom while the 7 deadly sins Pride (Be Confident), Lust ( Be Sexy), Sloth ( Be Relaxed), Greed ( Be Greedy), Gluttony ( Be Hungry), Envy ( Be Desirable), Wrath ( Be Angry), encouraged us to BE ourselves!

57 South

Woodhead also helped bring out Melbourne’s street culture, bringing a bit of laneways street art into the shared space at 57 South. By capturing images of street art and creating life-sized prints, the space was temporarily transformed and given a grungy edge to showcase the array of products on show, from workstations to the latest in contemporary Australian furniture.

Photos by John Doughty, Spy Photography and Morgan Coyle, Indesign