Among a range of events, forums and exhibitions and talks, Melbourne International Design Week (held last week) was a melting pot of ideas, celebrating local and international design excellence. Here are a few highlights from the week.
May 21st, 2015
Above: Green School by 3XN.
DEN
Sweeney Chair from Jardan
A curated three-day event offering a fine selection of contemporary furniture, lighting, textile & soft furnishing and object design, DEN 2015 saw a strong focus on local emerging and established brands, such as CULT, Jardan, Tait, AJar, Amadillo & co. Interstudio and , as well as international original designer brands. Good engagement with the public and a satisfying mix of residential deign products and homewares were the stand out features.
Well done to CULT for winning the award for best stand at the event this year.
Australian Interior Design Awards
DUST by SIBLING
Held at The Grand Ballroom, Sofitel, the 2015 Australian Interior Design Awards showcased Australia’s best interior design projects. The Premier Award for Interior Design Excellence and Innovation went to young Melbourne practice SIBLING, for the fitout DUST, which also received the Retail Design Award and a Best of State Award (Victoria).
The inaugural Award for Interior Design Impact: BVN for Ravenswood School for Girls, Mabel Fidler Building.
Sustainability Advancement Awards: Bates Smart for TransGrid Sydney Office
Carr Design Group for Australia Post, StarTrack House Sydney
Risk 2015
Risk creative directors, from left to right: Hamish Lyon, Andrew Mackenzie and Donald Bates
Featuring over twenty local and international speakers, the 2015 National Architecture Conference focused around the theme: RISK. The speakers interrogated the theme by exploring “the troubled nexus between the architectural necessity of risk-taking and a building environment predicated by risk minimisation,” as creative directors Hamish Lyon, Andrew Mackenzie and Donald Bates put it.
Headlining the conference was David Gianotten (OMA Asia), Caroline Bos (UNStudio), Kasper Jensen (3XN) and Gregg Pasquarelli (ShoP Architects).
Melbourne International Design Week
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At the Munarra Centre for Regional Excellence on Yorta Yorta Country in Victoria, ARM Architecture and Milliken use PrintWorks™ technology to translate First Nations narratives into a layered, community-led floorscape.
Sydney’s newest design concept store, HOW WE LIVE, explores the overlap between home and workplace – with a Surry Hills pop-up from Friday 28th November.
In an industry where design intent is often diluted by value management and procurement pressures, Klaro Industrial Design positions manufacturing as a creative ally – allowing commercial interior designers to deliver unique pieces aligned to the project’s original vision.
Merging two hotel identities in one landmark development, Hotel Indigo and Holiday Inn Little Collins capture the spirit of Melbourne through Buchan’s narrative-driven design – elevated by GROHE’s signature craftsmanship.
CHROFI has been making exemplary design for decades, and now in its 21st year, the practice is stronger and more successful than ever before. Jan Henderson recounts some of CHROFI’s key projects over the past two decades.
The University of Sydney explores ’digital design’ with this student installation.

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Arranged with the assistance of Cult, Marie Kristine Schmidt joins Timothy Alouani-Roby at The Commons in Sydney.