The Denfair-est of them all

Aloha there, sorry its been a while between musings. I have no excuses…well, good ones anyway. Life has just been rolly polly-ing at a slightly faster rate recently than before. And like in one of those dreams when you realise you have left the car running and the handbrake off, I have been blindly chasing behind.

So we went to Denfair. Which handily is in Melbourne which is a superb place to eat and walk and shop, so everyone wins. No, it is not a new adventure park or mall or something else amusementy. Denfair is an annual trade show of some pretty awesome furniture and lighting and textiles and other random bits that are coming out of Australia at the moment, and I think, probably the best compliment I can share is from my husband, the not really a design geek who said (I paraphrase) “Huh…..that was a lot less boring than I thought it was going to be and actually some of it was really pretty cool.” After admitting to me that he had quietly written the whole thing off before we got there as a really dull day where he gets dragged around the shops. Plus there were food and coffee stands everywhere.

Some of my favourite stands…well there was a lot actually but some standouts for me

TAIT

Ah my favouritest of outdoor furniture and accessories company. Is there nothing you create that doesn’t look super slick and sexy? Sigh, the freight costs would probably be a killer getting them to NZ but I can still dream. Tait were launching a new collection of outdoor couches and accoutrement called Trace which quite frankly would look right at home in my lounge. They also do some stunners of outdoor tables and these really cool planter things and the fabrics are just so on trend it makes your eyes water just looking at them, but what with it being outdoor fabric the couches are safe and sound.

SHIBORI

Textile company based in Sydney, Shibori do dip and kind of tie-dyed  – very organic patterned fabrics, wallpapers and leathers. Oh my goodness, the leathers were just out of control they were so amazing. And one of the best things was they could colour match to any Dulux colour so you can customise to your requirements. They showed me some massive bed headwalls that had recently been completed for a resort and it was overwhelmingly beautiful.

PORECLAIN BEAR

Tiles that can curve around walls and edges of vanities and whatever else you can imagine, and you don’t have to import from Denmark. Textured wavy wall bricks that create curve and sculpture and so much gravitas. Definitely the way of the future. And they have awesome lighting too. It was interesting as there weren’t that many tile studios at the fair but the ones that were amazing and quite groundbreaking in their innovation for this part of the world

DANIEL.EMMA

A super stylish studio who do collaborations with design powerhouses like Petite Friture and Tait, these guys were showing their new chair design which came in a rainbow of colourways and for which the catchphrase of the day was…”huh…they are surprisingly comfortable”

LOST PROFILE STUDIO

A very new lighting company, who started up only 6 months ago; these guys are going to be ones to watch. Their lighting is innovative, polarising and very beautiful. It all seems to be brass too…what a surprise…and largely ambient rather than task but I am already hunting for a project I can get the Colossal into!

VOLKER HAUG

One of my favourite Aussie lighting companies, these guys did not disappoint. Beautiful architectural shapes and materials. I want I want, especially the O, but I am a sucker for a beautiful wall sconce. Especially a classy brassy one…Their pendants are beautiful too, kind of like magnificent minimalist earrings.

MARZ

This mob is worth a  mention because they do actual real life cool sculptural outdoor wall lights. Controversial I know. My favourite collection was the Furl Sconces that come in a couple of colourways and three different geometric shapes that can be hung in different ways. Already looking at ordering some of these bad boys for an upcoming project.

BONNIE AND NEIL

A really cool textile design studio who have recently colab-ed with a tile crew called Byzantine Design to create some excellent floor and wall tiles in fabulouso patterns. They are also doing lino floor mats which can be custom sized….and apparently could be rolled out as an entire floor, which is what made me the most fizzy with excitement. Cool patterned lino, hell yes!

STEM AND STAMEN

Incredible green wall panels and canopy things, which can also be used as room dividers or for whatever you need. Somehow they have figured out how to preserve the moss and plants so that as long as the temperature is stable…ideally air-conditioned commercial spaces, the plants last for a long time and not require water or soil. The moss feels and looks amazing and the combinations they have created are just stunning.