Many people have suggested that ‘Eco Luxury’ is an oxymoron, that true luxury is about being unconcerned with environmental responsibility. It seems the new mission of design and architecture firms to prove that the two can go hand in hand without compromising either.

At next week’s Decoration + Design Sydney, six architects and interior designers will present their unique interpretations of the notion of Eco Luxury.

Each participant has been given a small space (3m x 3m) to develop a room design that balances style and sustainability to show that the two ideas are not mutually exclusive.

Each of the mini projects plays with the now old adage, ‘reduce, re-use and recycle’ – from the male icon, the back shed, to a room with a ‘living wall’ each one explores, not just sustainability, but what ‘luxury’ actually means.

The firms involved are Alena Smith – Smith Design Studio, Matthew Chan – Scale Architecture, Juliette Arent & Sarah-Jane Pyke – Arent & Pyke, Mia Feasey – Siren Design Group, Eva-Maree Prineas, Helen Stumbaum & Laura Antiohos – Architect Prineas and Robbie Nicol – Robbie Nicol.

Stay tuned for images of the 2009 event on indesignlive, or drop by and check them out yourself at the Decoration + Design exhibition at the Sydney Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour, from 4 – 6 February.

www.decorationdesign.com.au

Hero Image: Environa Studio Sustainable Style 2008

Jackie Foti-Lowe Hub Furniture Sustainable Style 2008

Mackenzie Pronk Architects Sustainable Style 2008