There are only nine more days to go until Denfair Melbourne 2018. On Thursday the 14th of June the doors of Melbourne Convention Centre will be thrown open for three days of design, with over 160 exhibitors showcasing their most exciting work.
Held annually in Sydney and Melbourne, Denfair is a chance to come and experience over 12,000 square metres of curated design, as well as the Denfair Speakers Series, specially commissioned installations and Front/Centre, the platform showcasing innovative work from emerging designers.
Denfair is the event in the design calendar when many designers choose to launch new products and work, so it is an opportunity for industry professionals and design lovers to get a first look at the most exciting new designs. This year, several designers will also be joining Denfair for the first time. Navi, Australia’s newest designer bathroom and kitchen showroom designed by Flack Studios, will be exhibiting for the first time, as will new UK chair designers Maker&Son.
Nicholas Fuller, who most recently showed his work at Milan Design Week’s Local Milan exhibition, will show two pieces at Denfair, including his Voyage Partitions which were well-received in Milan. Also bringing designs from Milan Design Week are Cult, who along with their Nau collection will be showing the Montana storage system, which was awarded the Salone del Mobile FRAME award for best use of colour.
King Living will be showing new collections from their collaborations with independent designers Charles Wilson and Tom Fereday, among many other exciting names in the Australian design community. rD by Ross Didier, Innate by Jon Goulder for Spence & Lyda, Obodo, Schiavello, Rakumba, ISM Objects, Halcyon Lake, Modern Times, Tait, Zuster, Rhys Cooper, Limited Contemporary Editions, Artedomus, David Trubridge, Remodern, Apparentt and more will all be showing at Denfair, bringing together the best of Australian design over the three days.
International design will also be well-represented with Established & Sons (UK), Muuto (Denmark), DWC (France), Skargaarden (Sweden), Maker & Son (UK), DEDON (Germany), Fermob (France), Montana (Denmark), HOUE (Denmark), Marmo (China), Janus et Cie (US) and many more all exhibiting. Along with such local and international big names and established designers in the industry, Denfair’s Front/Centre will be a chance to catch up with work by emerging local designers. The initiative provides pathways for young designers, with the winner of the FRONT/CENTRE Emerging Design Award receiving a 2019 Exhibitor Package including press coverage, as well as their own stand.
The Speaker Series will tackle some big ideas and thought-provoking topics such as Sex & Politics: Talking Taboos in Design, Religion: Designing Spiritual Experiences, Rebellion: Beaking the Golden Rules of Design. Curated by former editor of Habitus Magazine, Nicky Lobo, the Speaker Series runs for the full three days and is free to attend. This year’s Denfair installations will also tackle topical material. 10.10.1 presented by the DIA takes as its objective promoting the impact of timber on wellness in the workplace, while Replaced by The American Hardwood Export Council and eight of Australia’s most revered designers explore one of each of the designers’ most well-known pieces, reimagined in American tulipwood. Calculating the precise environmental impact of each piece, the installation demonstrates that sustainability and beautiful design go hand in hand.
‘We are overwhelmed once again to see the interest from leading Australian and international design brands coming together at Denfair to show their latest collections but most of all to celebrate design with industry peers.’ said Thibaud.
Denfair 2018 is sure to be a stimulating, thought-provoking and inspiring three days. Bringing together local and international, established and emerging design, it is an event the entire design community will be eagerly anticipating.
