What an amazing two months! I want to kick this letter off by just saying congratulations. We truly have a passionate and hard-working community of designers across the Asia Pacific region, and the second INDE.Awards Gala is just one example of that in action. More on that later, first I want to acknowledge some of the amazing events that have happened in the last two months from across the industry.

In May I was in Melbourne for the official opening of Gaggenau’s new showroom in South Melbourne. What an incredible space. Well done to the team at Gaggenau, and of course the designer’s behind it too – Carr Design. And if you haven’t had a chance to experience it yet, do yourself a favour and take some time to check it out. It shows just how special a physical space can be as an extension to a brand.

Another congrats goes out to Schiavello. The guys have been working super hard to launch the brand new ColourLab, a new palette created in collaboration with Giulio Ridolfo. The Good Design Awards Australia also brought a thousand people together to celebrate 60 years in the iconic Sydney Opera House, with longevity and design purpose coming out as a key takeaway.

There has also been plenty of other events worth mentioning – a networking night by Cottee Parker, Reece hosted a dinner with Grohe and the company’s VP of design, Luchetti Krelle threw a studio party and Haworth had a night of design in Sydney. In June, Workshopped 18 saw the latest in Australian furniture, lighting and object design take centre stage. Denfair took over Melbourne in early June, with lots of the design crowd coming together to see the latest pieces. Meanwhile, Stylecraft launched a beautiful new showroom in Melbourne, coinciding with a brand-new space for StylecraftHOME. And Christopher Boots brought out a discerning design crowd to launch a new range of lights.

I’m still buzzing from the INDE.Awards Gala. With architects and designers all coming together from across Asia Pac, the genuine feeling of community cannot be understated. Australia, Singapore, India, Vietnam and Sri Lanka – business cards were swapped, friendships were forged and among it all, outstanding design was celebrated up on the big stage. There was a special kind of magic that makes the INDE’s completely unique in its approach to unite our region. If you’ve (somehow) missed our coverage, have a read on Indesignlive now. And start getting your entries ready for 2019!

Off the back of that, we’re ALL systems go for FRONT. In less than a month Carriageworks will be an epicentre for designers, property developers and consultants, facility managers, and the top design brands. Registrations are now open, and the insightful speaker series has been released. If you’ve got a question about FRONT or want to know more, drop Colleen a line at colleen@indesign.com.au.

What has been a stand out for you over the last two months? What is the feeling in the industry? I’d love to hear your thoughts, reach out at any time.