Melbourne will host the first edition of the DEN Furniture and Design Fair in 2015.

The brainchild of Thibaud Cau-Cecile, the founder of Life Instyle and The Wearer’s Right, DEN is a new design trade fair committed to promoting original Australian and international design. The exhibition aims to place Australian design firmly on the international map.

DEN Furniture and Design Fair will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from May 14 to May 16 as part of the 2015 Design Matters: Melbourne International Design Week. The first two days of the trade fair will be dedicated to trade only while the third day will also open to a limited number of non-professional design enthusiasts. Exhibitors must apply to be selected to show at DEN.

Thibaud explains that DEN will showcase well-known original designers and also provide a platform for emerging designers from all over Australia and beyond.

An Advisory Board has been established to assist in the selection of exhibitors, formulation of collaborations and creative execution of the show. Board Members include: Barbara Hermon and John Hermon, Founders and Directors, Hermon&Hermon; Richard Munao, Founder and Director, Cult Furniture; Fleur Sibbel and Wilhelmina McCarroll, Founders and Directors, Zuster Furniture; Miriam Fanning, Founder and Director, Mim Design; Gordon Tait, Founder and Director, Tait; and Anton Assaad, Founder and Director, Great Dane Furniture.

A juried event, DEN will only showcase the best of original Australian design in addition to key international designers. Some of the exhibition categories include furniture, soft furnishings, textile, lighting, outdoors, home designer products and home wares.

Interested exhibitors must send in their applications to [email protected]. One can also nominate a design business by sending an email to [email protected].