T-SHIRT QUINELLA

Winning T-shirt

and Runner-up

Congratulations to Ngahuia and Stephanie on their prize winning Architecture for Humanity T-shirts. Ngahuia won first place for her gorgeous "Design Like You Give a Damn" T-shirt, whilst Stephanie was runner-up with her subtle approach to branding. Each year, in lieu of sending Christmas gifts to clients, Mokum donates to Architecture for Humanity, a non-profit organisation which uses design to combat poverty. We wish them a Happy 10th Birthday!

10 MINUTES WITH NEALE WHITAKER

Image by Jason Loucas, courtesy of Belle

At Mokum we often talk about taking a cultural approach to design, reflective of our Antipodean heritage. So what does that mean, what actually makes Australian and New Zealand design unique? For an Australian perspective we went straight to the top asking Belle magazine’s editor-in-chief and judge from TV show homeMADE, Neale Whitaker, a few questions about Australian Design.

What attributes make Australian design unique?
Australian design is free of convention and acknowledges the cultural diversity of our country. It respects international design but edits and adapts to create true individuality.

Who is your favourite Australian designer?
It’s difficult to focus on just one name across so many disciplines, but Dinosaur Designs embodies everything I admire and respect about Australian design. They have longevity, creativity, individuality, business acumen and a sense of humour. There is nobody else quite like them.

Image by Daniel Guerra, courtesy of Dinosaur Designs

What is your favourite Australian building?
Predictably perhaps, it would have to be the Sydney Opera House. I can’t think of any other building in the world (with the exception perhaps of the Taj Mahal) that is such an iconic emblem of a nation. Added to which it is jaw-droppingly beautiful.


How critical is indigenous cultural in our design aesthetic?
Our indigenous culture should be understood, valued and respected, but it cannot influence everything. Design has to be a 360-degree experience.

Describe Australian design in one sentence.
It breaks the rules.

Stay tuned for the New Zealand perspective, we have asked editor of HOME NZ, Jeremy Hansen, his view too!

Mrs. Press Dressing Room

Mrs. Press dressing room delights

Clare & Beth outside Mrs. Press Dressing Room, Darlinghurst

Shop Til You Drop, April 2009

Shop Til You Drop, June 2009

Clare Press, former features director of Vogue Australia, recently opened a flagship store in Darlinghurst - Mrs. Press Dressing Room. Beth has worked closely with Clare and together they have created the glorious designs which adorn the packaging of Mrs. Press dressing room delights - scented candles and soaps. Beth has also designed limited edition silk prints, especially for Mrs. Press ready-to-wear range. The store is a must, you can find Mrs. Press Dressing Room at 136a Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst. For those not in Sydney, fear not as you can shop on-line!

THINGS WE LOVE - Whangapoua, New Zealand

My favourite place in the world is Whangapoua, New Zealand. A beautiful beach town on the east cape of the Coromandal Peninsula in the North Island. I have been visiting Whangapoua for 16 years, it is where I got married and where my husband has spent summer holidays since he was born.

Now that I live in Sydney, Australia I have a much greater appreciation for New Zealand’s countryside. Two things resonate, how intensely green it is and how much the landscape changes before you, within such a small amount of travelling time. There is such diversity within New Zealand’s landscape, which makes it such a unique place to visit.

The photo’s above were taken on my last trip to Whangapoua - just last week!

The three images below show Whangapoua during the summertime.

By Stephanie Moffitt

TETOUAN SKIRT

Bethany's skirt in Tetouan colour Twighlight (reversed)

Tetouan colour Fuchsia

Morocco collection

We know you love to see our interior textiles used outside their recommended specification. Bethany's gorgeous skirt, pictured above, is made from Tetouan - a 100% silk design from our Morocco collection. Bethany created the skirt using the reverse side of Tetouan colour Twilight.

ECO-ROOM SCHEME

I love natural and environmentally friendly fabrics and fibres, with my favourites being linen, wool and silk. The scheme (pictured above) is my ideal eco room setting, which includes lots of eco-fabrics in subtle natural tones, teamed with bright, bold colours such as reds, pinks and blues. For flowing drapes with a crisp feel I have chosen Meridian's Telopea colour Pumice. Telopea, from the Australian Botanicals collection, is a semi-sheer woven in Belgium with 100% eco-linen.

I also love Modern furniture, so for my scheme I have selected Jardan's Archie Chair and Sofa. The Archie range is made with an environmentally sustainable kiln-dried American Oak and uses high-resilience CFC-free polyurethane foam seat. I have chosen to upholster the chair in Meridian's Mallee, also from the the Australian Botanicals collection. Mallee is an upholstery weight 100% eco-linen fabric with a rustic and natural appearance.

To add a bit of zest I have selected Loop's Sateen in either Chilli or Ruby to cover the Archie sofa. Sateen, from the Everyday Objects collection, is an environmentally friendly fabric containing 90% enviro-wool and 10% enviro-nylon. It's suitable for heavy duty use yet has a soft and luxurious handle.

For funky cushions I would choose Mokum's Arabesque colour Red Coral. Arabesque is from Mokum's Maroc Outdoor collection, but is also great for indoors. Arabesque is woven from 100% solution dyed olefin, which can be recycled up to ten times.

For the finishing touch, I have selected an unusual looking accessory, which I found on the Internet, a lamp from Electric Firefly, which contains recycled plastic and provides the ideal light for a relaxing atmosphere.

BARGELLO

image 1

image 2

image 3

Bargello, from our Dauphine collection, is a contemporary take on a traditional fish-scale repeat system. The design was inspired by shell motifs, often used in Rococo architecture as embellishment, along with flowers and scrolls. Images 1, 2 and 3 illustrate the design process, below are a few of our favourite images of shell motifs and fish-scale repeat systems.

Rococo wall shell

Plaster embellishment - Melk, Austria

Japanese chiyogami paper

Path - Lake Como, Italy