Hello from Australia! I'm in Melbourne at the moment, and had a chance to check out
The Big Design Market, held at the
Royal Exhibition Building. Incredible venue for over 200 incredible designers. I wish I could have spent the entire day (or weekend!) there. Here's a little of what I saw in just 2 short hours....
The Royal Exhibition Building is a pretty magical place. Completed in 1880, it's now a World Heritage Site.
I was happy to see
Zaishu there. I have one of these stools, with Florence Broadhurst patterns, but I'd love one of their new ones. Matthew Butler is the creative director behind the company, and he collaborates with many artists to create each piece. Happily, you can also shop online.
These lovely rope bowls, planters and necklaces, by
Zillpa, were flying off the shelf. Clare, the creator, also sells her accessories on
etsy.
Alana and Sara, of
Poppies for Grace, are so sweet. I've loved everything they've done, since they started, but hadn't met them before. They really have the best party accessories, ever. It was almost impossible to get near their booth, with the crowd of admirers surrounding them!
The Mod Collective, had quite the group of admirers as well. Must have been the off-the-colour-chart range of colours that designer, Valissa, comes up with. She does some beautiful lighting as well.
I've fallen in love with
Such Great Heights. They create adorable little "wonder tents" that can be converted to a clothes rack, along with bed rolls and merit badges. I had a brief chat with Ryan (one half of the dynamic duo) and he explained how they work with a variety of international designers, to create the fabric patterns. Loved that bear pattern!
Screen printed goodness by
Tinker. Tea towels, linens, poufs, they do it all.
Stephanie Ng, of
Luna Lana,
creates some of the prettiest lighting I've seen in awhile. I would
love to have a bunch of them hanging in my office...I just might soon.
Before leaving, we sat down for a lunch break with
Miss Chu. They just may have been the best prawn dumplings I've ever had.
That's
it for my morning at
The Big Design Market. If you miss the show, you can
shop online with pretty much all the vendors that took part. Happy
shopping!
Janis
