New design products, stimulating discussions, interior design trends, interior architecture directions, emerging designers, and elaborate product displays have featured at designEX 2006 . More than 22,000 trade visitors attended the visually appealing three day exhibition, held at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre from Thursday 6th to Saturday 8th April.
New interior design products are highlights of the event, and the designEX New Product Awards recognise the most exciting and innovative interior architecture and building design products available in Australia. The awards are judged on excellence in design and manufacture, innovative features, ergonomic design, functionality, aesthetics, durability, versatility, safety features, commercial viability and environmental sensitivity.
The awards, supported by Axolotl Group and infolink, were judged by an independent panel including Nicole Bearman (Powerhouse Museum), Sharon Campbell (Whitehouse Institute of Design), Brook Turner (Australian Financial Review Magazine), Eva-Marie Prineas (Prineas Architects), Gerard Rheinmuth (Terroir) and Kate St James (Universal Magazines). The 2006 winners are:
· LIGHTING - Baresque: Architectural Finishes, MGX
· BATHROOMWARE – Kohler, Purist Hatbox Toilet
· FURNITURE – Axolotl Group, Signature Doors
· FABRIC - Salu Art, Textile Screen Print Collection, ‘Seeds’
· HARDWARE - Silent Gliss, Silent Gliss Skylight
· KITCHEN APPLIANCES – Pyrolave, Pyrolave Induction
· SURFACE FINISHES - Trend Windows & Doors, Xtreme Bushfire Protection Windows & Doors
· FLOORING - Bamboo Australia, Peerless Bamboo
The designEX Best Stand Awards are another highlight of designEX and this year’s stands were judged on visual impact and design innovation, lighting, flooring and wall finishes, signage, stand layout and product/space ratio, visitor enticement (competitions, special offers, attention gatherers, hospitality on stand) and staff presentation (enthusiasm, available to visitors, identifiable). Janice Cameron from Nexus, Zoe Sabados from Home Beautiful and architect Josh Morrin judged these awards.
The Best Stand Awards for designEX 2006 are:
· Less than 20sqm - Birk
· 21sqm - 70sqm - Mei & Picchi
· More than 70sqm - Omega Smeg
Latitude, sponsored by Monument and Home Beautiful gave young dynamic designers an opportunity to present their work to the industry at designEX.
The designEX International Seminar Series was an inspiring collection of ideas and updates from industry leaders including the Keynote Speaker Michael McDonough, who spoke about his experience of building a house in New York State that challenges our ideas of green building techniques. Architect Henry Feiner remembered the work of Harry Seidler, innovative designer Luke Everingham explained how he has built a house that rotates 360 degrees and visitors also heard about the latest colour trends from the International School of Colour and Design’s Prue Royle.
The Interior Trends Market Week Fashion Café gave visitors a chance to see the latest patterns, textures and colours in the world of fabrics as part of dynamic fashion parades styled by The Whitehouse Institute of Design. This was one of the visual highlights of designEX.
designEX incorporates Interior Trends Market Week, the official trade exhibition of the Textile Distributors Association and lightEX, the official trade exhibition of IES: The Lighting Society. designEX is co-located with Form & Function, an event featuring products and services for the external architectural, building and construction industries and the 2006 National Conference of The Royal Australian Institute of Architects.
The Interior Design Awards, where Australia’s leading interior experts are acknowledged, was held to coincide with designEX on Friday 7th April. Winners included John Henry Architects, which won the Residential Interior Design Award for Research House (VIC). The Spatial Research Group from Monash University’s Faculty of Arts won the Hospitality Interior Design Award and the Award for Interior Design Excellence and Innovation for its Solivoid Project.