Sydney Indesign Archives

WAS being the operative word.

And by well hung, I am ofcourse referring to a pendant light.

His pendant light was well hung…until I broke it.

I remember the whole scene like it was yesterday. I was 22 years old. It was only our second date. We decided to play ‘bowling’ on the Wii. Error Number 1. I didn’t put on the wrist strap. Error Number 2. It seemed like an unnecessary precaution at the time.

I sucked at it. The more frustrated I got…the more I started flailing my arms like one of those inflatable tube men on the high way (you know the ones…). Error Number 3. And then just like that IT happened….time slowed down…and as I went in for the bowl…I accidentally let go of my controller. It flung into the air, hitting the pendant light and smashing it to pieces on the floor.

Silence.

So awkward.

I just stood there in shock. He just turned to me and said “You need to replace it by 10am tomorrow”. $450 later…it officially became the most expensive date I have ever been on.

Needless to say there was never a third date.

During Sydney Indesign last week, I saw lots of gorgeous pendant lights and for some reason it sparked the memory of this disastrous date (one amongst many!).

Open up any interior design magazine and you will immediately notice the common application of pendant lights within the interior space. Pendant lights balance the functional with the aesthetic. More specifically, lighting designers are commonly blurring the boundaries between lighting and art. With the experimentation of various materials, shapes and types of light sources, many pendant lights transcend the function of illumination to also be viewed as a display of sculptural art.

In the last few years, pendant lights have become a popular source of lighting within the living and dining areas of the home, as they tend to draw attention to specific details. Dimmers can also be added to allow control over lighting levels.

I know I have already written about pendant lights on this blog before (Check it out here) or check out my article on Net-a-Shopper here. But here is another round up of inspiring pendant lights…

I absolutely love Marz designs – check out their website below.

(Image via Marz Designs)

((Image via Palookaville)

(Image via architectureartdesigns.com)

(Image via User Deck)

(Image via imgms.casa.abril.com.br)

(Image via Evasabbado)

(Image via David Derksen)

(Image via thescandinaviansideoflife.tumblr.com)

Hope you enjoyed some of that light inspiration!

OK, I am off to bed…Lights Out!

N x

For the last 3 days I have been getting absolutely SID faced.

No it is not a spelling error – SID is the abbreviation for the Sydney’s number one design event “Sydney Indesign” (This event is created/run by Indesign Group – the company I work for).

Although….admittedly, every night last week I was also getting quite sh*t faced too. Don’t judge…we had reason to celebrate!

It has taken over a year to organise this event. Like when organising most big events, there is a certain void when it is comes to an end (although I think my liver and voice box are celebrating it is over).

Check out the website here: http://www.sydneyindesign.com.au/

How it works:

– The event was over 3 days.

– 6 different precincts around Sydney open up their showrooms. Buses take participants around to all the different showrooms.

– The Galleria (see below)

Whilst the event has been going for over 10 years. This year we decided that it was time to evolve. Drawing inspiration from Milan Fair, we introduced the “Galleria” – a gorgeous industrial warehouse at Australian Technology Park.

We aimed to step away from the whole ‘tradeshow’ concept and use this 3000 sqm to encourage to create an experiential space. We encouraged suppliers to encourage people to engage with their brands rather than their products. We encouraged creativity and collaboration. We wanted attendees to walk away feeling inspired, rather than with a catalogue.

It was an opportunity for exhibitors to showcase to the industry what they are all about – their personality, culture and energy – and gives our audience of architects, interiors designers and creatives the opportunity to discover new design, build their industry knowledge and develop meaningful relationships. It’s about educating, networking, socialising and exchanging ideas.

The result…..was truly unique. A complete visual feast. Your eyes couldn’t help but darting around the space – up to the ceiling down to the ground.

I met lots of inspiring people. I saw lots of truly innovative products. I couldn’t take the smile off my face (EXCEPT when I stacked it down the skateboard ramp (with a wine in hand) created by Mafi, a flooring company – SO embarrassing and I have a nice bruise on my elbow as a memento).

I feel so lucky to have been a part of Sydney Indesign. It was 100% a team effort and I admittedly am a little shocked that we managed to pull it off!).

Highlights; Special Sydney Indesign inspired Gelato Messina (by Designer Rugs), Indigenous dancing (by Tapetti Rugs), Educational Discussion Series (My favourite was; ‘Adaptive Reuse – Is the Old New New?’ involving Tim Ross), Beer Pong (at Blu Dot), a delicious lunch (by Coco Republic & Smeg)….and SO much more…

If you are interested keep your eye out for all the news on www.indesignlive.com and www.habitusliving.com.

Indesign event will be in Melbourne next year & it is free to register so keep your eye out…

Last night was our after party, it involved a lot of pizza and a little too many glasses of wine. We all definitely let our hair down…we deserved to ‘treat ourselves’!

Here is my roundup of the event…