British designer Lee Broom is skipping Milan this year. The reason? He would like to show more of his work on this side of the globe.

Last week Broom was in Singapore right in the thick of Singapore Design Week to promote his largest exhibition in Australia. Taking inspiration from London’s eighteenth-century pleasure garden, the 4,000-sqft exhibition, which opened to the public yesterday, takes guests on a journey through hidden passageways, decked with tableaus and vignettes showcasing the brand’s offering. 

Those familiar with Broom’s presentations would remember his past Milan showcases because of the product and the venue, which included a cargo truck and an abandoned vault filled with decked with a merry-go-round. This time he has chosen an underground car park right below Space Furniture’s Sydney flagship, which Broom has transformed into a contemporary rendition of a pleasure garden. 

Broom’s pit stop in Space Furniture Singapore showcased a glimpse of the garden – a polished, monochromatic setting with white gravels populated with classic statues and Lee Broom’s latest and greatest. This installation served as a stage on which Kelley Cheng, founder and Creative Director of The Press Room, interviewed him in front of an audience comprising designers, architects and who’s who in Singapore’s creative scene.   

“I am not afraid of the word ‘commercial’,” said Broom about his brand and business. “But also, my advice for designers would be to find someone who is really good at business to take care of the business side of your design.”

Broom shared many interesting tidbits from his creative career, which started with acting at the age of seven, then a pivot and an education in fashion design, before yet another pivot to interior design, and finally, a shift to product and lighting design his eponymous brand is famous for. 

“I think we drove the price of the decanters way up on eBay at the time,” he recalled the time his Decanterlight reach its peak popularity. This prompted Broom to began the production of the decanters in the Czech Republic to fulfil the demand. “I was so happy to not spend that much time sourcing decanters anymore,” he said. 

Among the lightings displayed in the installation was the Eclipse lighting in gold finish, which made its international debut at the event. 

Eclipse in gold finish

“I don’t agree with that,” Broom said when asked by Chen what’s his thoughts on one of the magazine calling his products ‘rock glam’. “Can we use polished?” he playfully suggested. 

The evening was capped with a merry drinking and networking session. Were you there with us? Find more images in the gallery below!

Stay tuned for our report on Broom’s Australia tour. And look out for an in-depth profile piece in Cubes July issue!

Images courtesy of Space Furniture Singapore.