What changes when design leaves the screen

For a discipline grounded in material, weight and scale, much of contemporary design now reaches us first as an image.

A recent gathering hosted by Bankston in Sydney offered a different experience, bringing people together around objects that could be held, spaces that could be occupied and music heard live.

Hosted alongside Design Nature Agency (DNA), A Night of Jazz took place in an intimate audio post-production studio in Redfern, giving guests the chance to encounter design within a working interior rather than through the more familiar setting of a showroom.

There was no conventional product launch shaping the evening. Instead, the event brought architects, designers and other creative practitioners together around jazz, food and conversation, with a trio led by Sydney double bassist and composer Max Alduca providing the night's centre of gravity.

The setting made the approach particularly effective. Designed by Olivia Bossy, the studio is restrained rather than theatrical: white surfaces, high-level windows and suspended acoustic panels are balanced by a sunken lounge and sculptural wall lighting. Nothing competed for attention, allowing the music and the people within the room to carry the evening and take notice of products in a more natural setting.

Bankston's Casts collection, developed with architecture practice Edition Office, was already part of that interior. Lever 01 appears on the studio doors in aluminium, extending the project's quiet material language rather than interrupting it. Between performances, other Bankston pieces were placed within reach for guests to handle.

It is a simple distinction, but an important one. Architectural hardware is among the parts of an interior experienced most directly, even if it rarely commands much attention. Its proportion, weight and material character are understood differently in the hand than they are through a photograph.

For those considering how smaller details contribute to a finished interior, explore Bankston’s New Zealand profile on ArchiPro to see their architectural hardware collections, products and completed applications in one place. From there, browse the wider Window and Door Hardware category to compare how these details are being approached across different products, materials and projects.