CREATE-A-DATE: TIME OF YOUR LIFE

For this issue of Monument, we asked architect Anthony Clarke and furniture and lighting designer Alex Earl to create a timepiece. Here's what they came up with... [Read more]

ZENTA TANAKA'S CIBI

We visited Zenta Tanaka in his CIBI cafe/creative space in Collingwood. See more pics here... [Read more]

Melbourne's State of Design kicks off on July 20 with their theme Design that Moves. Forums and workshops look into the impact design has on the psyche of society and various ways that design can create more active cities. The Festival will be featuring stand out events such a Melbourne Open House, which allows you to meander through the new Triptych apartment building by Nettleton Tribe and Carr Design and the tunnels beneath the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Also try not to miss Mappin’ the Burbs – a bicycle-based event that takes you around the city’s architectural wonders. Click here to check out more of the events popping up around Melbourne. 

Incidental Data, 'Felt tip print' by Daniel Eatock, UTS Gallery, 2 August – 2 September                                                                                                                            

Sydney Design 2011 will be featuring a plethora of events that pose the question: "Is Old New Again"? Don't miss the Incidental Data exhibition, featuring the above work by Daniel Eatock, or the Australian International Design Awards exhibition on display at the Powerhouse Museum. Q&A(rchitect) is another highlight, where the winner of this year's NSW Emerging Architect Prize winner, Matt Chan, talks about the importance of mentorship and fields questions from the crowd on his professional journey. There will be myriad other events around Sydney, so for more information click here. From 30 July to 14 August.

Cornish's sustainable focus was confirmed as a necessity in the future of design after meeting Behar in Sydney for a one-on-one mentoring session. 

“Meeting Yves Behar was a great opportunity for myself as a young designer and validated my belief that designers must become more environmentally conscious with their approach to design,” said Cornish.

Cornish's winning Wooden Hammock is created from a single standard piece of sustainably grown plywood, rather than the usual run-of-the-mill cloth variety. Herman Miller spokesperson, Samantha Giam, said of the design -- “Bringing relaxation to life is a thought most of us can resonate with and the notion of maximising the economy of materials while minimising the environmental footprint is something close to the ethos of Herman Miller and our latest product SAYL by Yves Behar".

For more information on Adam Cornish, go to www.adamcornish.com or to see Herman Miller's interview with him click here.

Adam Cornish (left) with Yves Behar

Wooden Hammock by Adam Cornish

On top of being able to present their work, the winning designer will also receive a SAYL chair, as will three runners up.

To get next to the man himself, you will need to post an example of your work on the Herman Miller Asia Pacific Facebook page.

For more information on how to win click here.

The exhibition is open until January 31 at Customs House, Sydney.

Inspired by the statistic that 90 per cent of the 160 million people in the world diagnosed with blindness can see light, the LED braille helps those who have no light perception and those that have some light perception to navigate their space. The tips of the LEDs utilised to make the braille code does not heat up.

Caslick's work has already been exhibited in Milan, and comes to Australia for the first time tonight at Customs House, Sydney.

Caslick is a Sydney-based engineer with firm Medland Metropolis, which is also sponsoring the event along with the City of Sydney. The exhibition will take place until 31 January 2011.

The KE-ZU showroom provided the perfect backdrop for Andy and Julie's discussion on their Couch Potato design (not to mention the perfect contrast to their "naked" Jayson recliner, which sat unceremoniously amongst the beautiful designer pieces!). A big thanks also go to St-Germain for their Elderflower Liqueur cocktails.

Shoot us an email if you would like to be match-made for our Create-a-Date.

In the meantime, enjoy the pics from the night!

 From left: Andy MacDonald, Leanne Amodeo, Virginia Kerridge,
Julie Paterson           

 A wrapt audience enjoy the discussion

Andy MacDonald shows off the socks that inspired the exterior of
their Couch Potato chair (seen in background)

A big thanks to the team at KE-ZU and St-Germain!

Andy Macdonald, director of Mac-Interactive Architects, and Julie Paterson, designer and director of cloth fabric, will discuss the process behind their Couch Potato chair.  

We are looking forward to the world premiere of Grand Designs Australia, which airs on Foxtel's The LifeStyle Channel on Thursday 21 October at 8.30pm.

Based on the award-winning UK TV series, the show follows the stories behind the elaborate projects of self-builders – from the initial details of blueprints, to the long and often arduous task of turning the designs into a practical living space.

No design is too ambitious when it comes to creating your dream home. But discovering the hard realities that complicate your plans can often be too much to bear. From rebuilding a labour of love in the Victorian bush after it was burnt to the ground in the Black Saturday bushfires; to transforming a tiny corner car park into a five level home in the urban jungle; and a cyclone proof, tropical tree house that is windowless and based on the shape of a 50 cent piece; Grand Designs Australia follows not only the growth of these unique homes, but the personal journeys of those building them.