We went along to Melbourne’s Denfair and saw some pretty cool stuff. Here, we’re pleased to present…
PALISADES
Designed by James McNab of Auckland studio Think & Shift and sponsored by the Designers Institute of New Zealand, the Palisades stand featured furniture and lighting by a host of Kiwi cohorts, among them Alex Buckman, Nathan Goldsworthy and Tim Webber. Textural tubing by Autex Industries formed curved walls that led viewers through the immersive installation and referenced the defences seen on early Aotearoa hillsides.
alexbuckman.com; goldsworthystudio.com; thinkandshift.co.nz; timwebberdesign.com
NAU
Cult presented multiple pieces from their local brand Nau, for which a collective of renowned Australian designers creates furniture, lighting and accessories in pared-back shapes and honest materials inspired by nature. Pictured here are the Chameleon table and Molloy chairs by Adam Goodrum, beneath a Jolly pendant by Kate Stokes.
naudesign.com
CHI DANG
Denfair marked the launch of industrial designer Chi Dang’s first collection of furniture and lighting, and each piece was a sight to behold. This occasional chair has a clever twist: you can join a couple together to create a two-seater. Fabric table lamps are having a bit of a renaissance, and Chi’s renditions in cotton and silk wrapped around a wire frame cast a striking silhouette.
chidang.com.au
NIGHTWORKS
Returning to Christchurch after living in Sydney, New Zealand duo Kiri and Ben Wahrlich have rebranded their lighting studio Anaesthetic as Nightworks. We were struck by the sculptural forms of their criss-cross Petrine pendant, which blends extruded brass with LED tech, and their modular Code system made of hand-blown spheres and solid brass informed by the dots and dashes of Morse code.
nightworksstudio.com
SOFTER DESIGN STUDIO
Dustin Fritsche of Softer is known for making magic with timber, but at Denfair he introduced his Clearer coffee table, which also incorporates tinted glass. Its base calls to mind steel tubing but is actually made of solid, stained American oak. Stay tuned for more of its ilk from Dustin, who uses sustainable materials whenever he can.
softerstudio.com
MAKIKO RYUJIN
Artist Makiko Ryujin blew us away with her skills with a blowtorch. Exploring the sacred rituals of her native Japan, for her Burning series the woodturner transforms solid wood into bowls and urns based on the forms of temple vessels. Once the timber is shaped, she sets it alight, allowing the fire to produce a dramatic charred finish.
makikoryujin.com
KING LIVING
King Living created true-to-life environments for its new hero products, displaying them across four colour-coded sets. In this scene, the Luna chair by lauded Sydney designer Charles Wilson is paired with the Max sofa designed by King Living’s in-house team. In a range of fabrics and with movable back cushions, this modular sofa is one of the most flexible we’ve found.
kingliving.co.nz
COCO FLIP
Fresh off the drawing board at Coco Flip’s Melbourne HQ, the Sequence range of coffee tables and bench seats is all in good fun. The pieces can fly solo or be combined in configurations of your choosing, the exaggerated scale of the spun-steel legs adding character to the otherwise simple structures that allow for the seamless customisation of height and length.
cocoflip.com
THE WOOD ROOM
The Wood Room’s Bell table was a hot favourite at Denfair, impressing attendees with its take on the almost primal act of gathering together to eat. Designed in collaboration with Sydney interior architecture practice Richards Stanisich, its circular top and turned-timber plinth are solid yet soft and entirely inviting, especially with the base allowing unimpeded legroom.
thewoodroom.com.au
TRIT HOUSE
The appeal of cane shows no sign of abating and this rattan and ash single-seater sofa is one of the more refined interpretations we’ve seen. Trit showed it as part of a new collection from Bangkok studio Atelier2+, one of several brands in their stable. Atelier2+ weave Southeast Asia’s colonial period into their aesthetic, giving their items an interesting elegance.
trithouse.com.au
ROBERT GORDON
These Australian potters have been in the business for decades, but in the past two years they’ve been working on a special new project, trialling and tinkering to create a range of beautiful vitrified stoneware basins. Three shapes and six colours make up the range handcrafted in their Pakenham factory.
robertgordonaustralia.com
Words Alice Lines