From the first croissants and coffee to the final notes of live music, Richmond thrummed with energy during Saturday Indesign 2025. The precinct became a stage where design was not only displayed but experienced through taste, touch, sound and conversation. Attendees drifted from one showroom to the next, gathering inspiration in the form of new collections, unexpected collaborations and moments of pure creativity.

The day opened with the warmth of shared rituals. At King Living, buttery Lune croissants paired with conversation about the future of furniture in Brahman Perera’s forward-looking installation. Baya matched the morning mood with coffee and pastries before shifting into tactile rhythm as a live rug craft unfolded, drawing a crowd that leaned in close to watch materials transformed by hand. Just across the way, Hali Rugs brought indulgence and play into the mix, enticing early visitors with their Wool You Hit It? giveaway and the unexpected pairing of rugs with Tarts Anon pastries – proof that texture can be savoured as well as seen.

As the morning gathered pace, talk turned to colour, culture and connection. Arthur G’s Storytelling in Colour explored how palette underpins narrative, while Designer Rugs unpacked the power of hue to transform space. In Design Precinct, colour and materiality reigned supreme – DECO’s palettes, Klaro’s Midnight Bloom project and Havwoods’ tactile timber surfaces created a sensory playground, framed by installations from Nathalie Du Pasquier and the Bouroullec brothers. Here, one of the day’s liveliest debates unfolded as designers from both sides of the border tackled the perennial question: Melbourne or Sydney—where is the true design capital of Australia? The conversation spilled into the showroom’s generous hospitality moments, where a melting-pot lunch and later a Spanish-inspired affair kept the crowd buzzing.

Showrooms buzzed with discovery. At top3 by design, guests wandered through an expanded space that revealed the German Masters Collective alongside beloved names like Muuto, Tom Dixon and &Tradition. Here, colour again took centre stage with the unveiling of the Pigment Revolution, a launch that framed natural colour as both protector and storyteller. Meanwhile, Living Edge created a festival of its own, with coffee, gelato and aperitivo installations that asked us to imagine the Future of Work and celebrated emerging talent through the Unleashed Potential showcase.

Richmond’s rooftops and laneways provided their own moments of theatre. Cosh Living’s Kett Outdoor launch unfolded in the open air, a summer-ready collection revealed against the Melbourne skyline. At Tongue & Groove, Raw Edges transformed the ground itself into a playground. Attendees kneeled, rearranged and experimented with flooring patterns before witnessing the unveiling of Wall to Wall, their striking new collaboration with Established & Sons. The crowd lingered with aperitivo and charcuterie in hand, the atmosphere equal parts celebration and conversation.

Throughout the afternoon, design and hospitality blurred. Jardan’s thoughtful talk Why We Go to Work gave way to DJ sets and snacks; Harbro paired its new Custom Comfort collection with a gin-soaked social; and LightCo marked the day’s turning points with coffee at first light and golden-hour gatherings later on. Across the road, V-ZUG partnered with Whitehouse Institute of Design for The Project, a collaboration that bridged education and innovation, giving students a platform to test ideas in a real-world design context.

Winnings drew crowds with its sheer generosity. From gift bags and fresh tulips for early visitors to oysters, cocktails, Italian alfresco dining and a live artist at midday, the showroom became a precinct within the precinct. Its design discussion on the new language of hospitality connected neatly with the experiences unfolding around the room, before the atmosphere lifted again with an afternoon block party and a surprise Sneaky Sounds concert that left the precinct closing on a high.

By the end of the day, Richmond had delivered more than a series of launches and installations – it offered a tapestry of experiences woven together by creativity and connection. There was a common thread of materiality and colour, a shared interest in the ways design shapes how we live and work and an openness to collaboration that crossed brands, disciplines and even cities.

Walking back through the streets as dusk settled, what lingered was not just the memory of beautiful objects but the sense of a design community gathering to celebrate its present and imagine its future. Richmond proved itself unmissable, a precinct that transformed Saturday Indesign into an experience as textured, layered and alive as the designs it showcased.