Design School goes to… Design Show!
Attending trade events is one of our favourite ways for our DSO educators to stay connected to the industry.
We visited Design Show in Sydney last week and left feeling sooooo inspired.
Hands down, this event featured some of the most refreshing designs we’ve seen in recent years.
Looks like designers currently aren’t afraid to play with colour, pattern and form - some of our fave elements!
Here are some of the top trends we noticed from the trade fair:
1. PLAYFUL SHAPES
Calling it now - Scandi is over. Goodbye straight-legged designs. Designers are now looking for any excuse to infuse different, customised shapes into their furniture pieces. In particular, console tables with stacked spheres for legs from FForm, plus a primitive looking carved table base from Calce Company (executed in one of their divine microcement textures) caught our eye.
3. GEOMETRIC TEXTILES
As interior decorators, we were thrilled to see the event organisers had dedicated an entire aisle for displaying textiles. It was a laneway awash with glorious patterns, created by Australian designers. We couldn't help but notice a distinct geometric trend, blending almost art deco with aztec influences to create something entirely new. The hand-painted designs of Berny Bacic and Anna Sassi reminded us about the power of pattern when applied to a space.
Patterns also appeared across products, executed into striking cone-shaped shades from Mayfield Lighting (yes, they can be customised - you're welcome), and distinctive rug designs mixing organic shapes in pop-hued colourways from Hali Rugs.
mayfieldlighting.com.au
hali.com.au
4. SCULPTURAL LIGHTING
That neo-art-deco (did we just invent a term?) style continued across statement lighting pieces from Transmitt and Mayfield Lighting. Featuring tiered-format shapes in block colours and striking metallics, that appear as much like pieces of art than functional lighting. At the other end of the spectrum, more organic, hand-sculpted table lamps confirmed the attraction to one-off pieces with a nostalgic vibe. The latest releases from Robert Gordon featured mushroom-like creations in their signature pottery glazes.
transmitt.co
robertgordonaustralia.com
5. BOUCLE? ...HERE TO STAY!
Maybe it was the fact that this was a mid-winter event, but we were fine with the fact that cosy textured textiles across upholstery like boucle are still evident. Block hues in warm tones, plus shades of green from emerald to sage, combined with the fuzzy fabrics themselves were seen in organic-shaped upholstered sofas and seating. Like these modular beauties on display from E9 Design.
6. BOLD STONES
Expect kitchens to be coming to life in the future, with the introduction of bold marble-look surfaces at the forefront. It was so nice to see many more options (than white!) coming through for benchtops and splash backs. Mamo wrapped their space in large format slabs in distinctive colourways including travertines and greens. The word on the street? Designers are scooping up richly veined viola marbles for use in their projects, like the Calcutta Viola from Smartstone.
smartstone.com.au
mamoliving.com.au
SPECIAL MENTION: 'CHEEKY' STOOL BY MARYAM MOGHADAM
We think you can see why this little stool was a show stopper at the event! Melbourne-based industrial designer Maryam Moghadam took out the title of 'Australia's Next Top Designer' for her playful piece. Simple in form, on first glance the stool's shape bares a resemblance to certain curvy body parts. Besides the obvious, we also adore its use of simple materials, and colour blocking in warm tones.
Attending the educational sessions throughout the event helped us stay up to the date - including the latest trend reports from Milan, plus a fab seminar by Adele from Mint Lighting.
It was a kaleidoscope of inspiration! If this is what’s coming our way for interiors in Australia = the future looks bright...
Find out more about this event:
https://www.designshow.com.au/
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