There are plenty of Aussie’s whose work is making a splash outside of our shores. Even at the Salone del Mobile Milan, which feels like a saturated market, these Australian designers stand out from the crowd.
April 18th, 2018
Australians are a travelling bunch. Being on the bottom-side of the world can have its advantages – our isolation from the rest of the design world can create a feeling of freedom as we sit outside the regular ebbs and flows of the European market. On the flip side to that, sometimes the rest of the world thinks we’re too far away to make an impact or cater to modern demands.
But even in a highly saturated and overflowing event such as the Salone, Australian design can hold its own.
One initiative that seems set on raising the profile of Australian design internationally is Local Milan. Now in its third iteration, the project coordinated by Emma Elizabeth included some 25 designers all exhibited as part of the FuoriSalone.
Each year Local Milan has continued to grow in scale, bringing in a mix of up-and-comers and well-established names. Working off the collective power of a group, the Local Milan exhibition this year in most instances showcased multiple designers in each space, and all spaces were meticulously styled to work as a cohesive whole.
A standout in the show was Jon Goulder’s new range called Innate for Spence&Lyda, as well as Daniel Emma’s bold geometries and Adam Goodrum’s collaboration with Arthur Seiguer.
Taking a different scale and tone, fellow Aussie (now via the UK) Brodie Niell’s exhibition Focus is set-up adjacent to Vitra’s Typecasting exhibition. Focus is an exhibition that showcases craftsmanship through Brodie’s furniture brand Made in Ratio. The exhibition recreates a working studio – putting the techniques and processes of making on show, while the products themselves explore natural materials.
But it’s not just about full-scale exhibitions. Smaller brands have found a way to get involved in the Salone del Mobile Milan, and thus getting product in front of thousands of international creatives.
One brand that has done this in a clever way, which also shows the value in collaborating, is Porcelain Bear. The Melbourne brand is exhibiting as part of a group show titled Meet My Project. The show includes 30 brands from countries as far-reaching as Iceland, Romania and Lebanon.
Want to see more happenings from this year’s Salone? Follow @indesignlive and #milanindesign on Instagram for regular Milan Furniture Fair updates.
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Savage Design’s approach to understanding the relationship between design concepts and user experience, particularly with metalwork, transcends traditional boundaries, blending timeless craftsmanship with digital innovation to create enduring elegance in objects, furnishings, and door furniture.
The Sub-Zero Wolf showrooms in Sydney and Melbourne provide a creative experience unlike any other. Now showcasing all-new product ranges, the showrooms present a unique perspective on the future of kitchens, homes and lifestyles.
From the dawn of time the chair has been an integral part of furniture history. The shapes and styles are multifarious however, a chair sets the scene wherever it is positioned. And so, the backdrop is set at Craft Victoria, with an exhibition of chairs that affords a bird’s eye view of some of the many interpretations and concepts that have been developed into a chair.
Brodie Neill is making waves – that is ocean waves – with a new exhibition in London. He’s creating products from ocean plastics, reclaimed timbers and circular metals, to raise awareness of re-use through great design.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
In Malaysia Spacemen has created a world of perfumed wonder with their latest project, Trove, where treasures abound.
We spoke with Jeffrey Wilkes of WILKESDESIGN about the John Portman-designed building, which has been infused with touches of local culture and colour.