SHOWcase 2015

 Trelise Cooper and ES Design

This weekend, I had a very interesting evening on Saturday night. Several days ago via email, I was asked to be at a particular bus stop in the city at a certain time. I didn't have many details apart from the email, which came from a source called SHOWcase and the various sponsors that were attached. I recognised many well known brands and Wellington businesses. Intrigued.
When I arrived at the allocated location, there were several buses waiting with their windows blocked out - we were off to a mystery site for a special event. By the end of the evening, I learnt that SHOWcase 2015 was Wellington's new premier design show and that they "believe Design is something you feel and fashion is the way we live."
So there I was along with over a hundred people exploring SHOWcase in a isolated building in Shelley Bay, looking at a series of conceptual exhibits with a focus on designer collaboration and creative community. This event was followed by a fashion runway experience by Zambesi. What a great way to spend Saturday night! This is the first time SHOWcase was exposed and it was a memorable evening.  I look forward to seeing how this event expands in the future. It's a true celebration of professionals who bring the standard of art, design and fashion in Wellington and it can only get better.

Skandi

Empire of Genius and HMS Design.

Ziggurat

Highnoontea and Freedom Furniture

Mandatory and Bo Concept

Zambesi show in action

Photographs by Charlotte Minty.

Resene Film Festival 2015

Stills from the movie, Maker

Last night I attended a screening of a movie that will be playing in the Resene Film Festival at the end of next month. It is called Maker, a feature length documentary about the current 'Maker Movement' in America - showing the new wave of DIY and do-it-together culture. It showed an insight to the trend of open source, crowd funding, local manufacturing and digital fabrication, as well as what it takes to design and manufacture in the Internet era we live in. The movie gave food for thought - it will be interesting to see how this Maker Movement fares further down the line, if it really is, as they say, the 'Third Industrial Revolution' and will the large corporate companies who rely on mass production be affected? Like I said, food for thought.
You can depend on the Resene Film Festival to screen films that are thought provoking and celebratory. There are 22 films to see and there is something for everyone. I'm booked in for the double feature of 'Brooklyn Farmer/Diller Scofidio + Renfro: Reimagining the Lincoln Centre and the High Line' to get my  NYC kicks as well as seeing how two important urban projects came about. The festival is also hosting an In Memoriam event for Ian Athfield who passed earlier this year. These films are playing in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin so I suggest you check out the sessions here and book yourself in.

Photographs via Maker

House Boat

Check out the stunning interiors on this house boat - yes, house boat! Spotted on Est, this three level, four bedroom, two bathroom and two galley kitchen house boat was custom-fit by Melbourne design duo, Pipkorn & Kilpatrick. The design team, Jane Kilpatrick and Anna Pipkorn (who had formed their design firm after working together at previous design companies and this project was their first design commission) worked hard to create 'generous' spaces, something that boats often lack. The results are stunning. The interiors are clean, innovative and timeless, and for the multi-generation family that use this boat for their holidays, these interiors will not date. Read more about the project from a Vogue Living article here.

Photographs by Christine Francis

Colour from Inside Out

The cover of the April issue of Inside Out caught my eye the other day and it was because of the lovely colours I could see popping out. Inside was this feature by stylist, Julia Green sharing her tips and advice to incorporate colour in the home with paint. I like that she keeps a predominate neutral scheme with shots of colours coming through in furnishings and details. "Think about how colours make you feel and paint accordingly - I'm soothed by soft colour, and introduce  bright tones in measured pops only." Great advice! Read more about each room here or even better find the magazine. Have a great weekend all.

Photographs via Inside Out.

Nomad Collection from Mokum Textiles

Last week I was presented the latest collection from Mokum called Nomad, which was inspired by the diverse cultures of Africa, a continent rich in nomadic tribes. The collection has "an eclectic blend of luxury textiles, reflecting our love of indigenous cultures and extensive history of adornment".
I've been a fan of Mokum over the years as I enjoy using their fresh and original designs. They create modern and sophisticated palettes for each collection - and all the fabrics from different collections over time work with each other so well so you don't have to be dedicated to one 'look'. Mokum went quiet for a few years as they went through changes, however I am happy to see that they're back on board again and creating what they do best - enduring and beautiful textiles.

Photographs via James Dunlop.