17th BIENNALE OF SYDNEY

Installations by Serge Spitzer and Choi Jeong Hwa

The 17th Biennale of Sydney has been showing around the city. Cockatoo Island is the main venue and in spectacular Sydney fashion the event is completely free. The former prison and shipyard is now an urban park and displays 120 works by 56 artists. What was most fascinating about this exhibition was the challenging nature of the venue: what is part of the island and what is art? The site hosts amazing industrial shipping remains, and former prison cells and storage buildings are transformed into gallery spaces.

My favorite exhibits were Serge Spitzer's installation 'Molecular', created from recycled steel, and Choi Jeong Hwa's installation created from kitchen colanders. Both exhibits generate a sense of randomness, filling their space organically.

BACHELOR DESIGN LAUNCH AT ASHCO

Leroy Belle with Mokum's Sarah Azar and Michael Davies

A Bachelor piece with Mokum's 'Taffeta' drapery

Congratulations to Ascho who put on a lovely event on Tuesday night for Bachelor Design's new furniture range. Some of the pieces had a Deco influence and worked beautifully alongside Ritz and Patou from our Moderne Collection. Clients' were also given a sneak preview of two of Mokum's latest draperies Taffeta and Kansai, as well as our freshly formatted upholstery waterfalls, all of which are available to view in our showrooms.

PATHS TO ABSTRACTION

Piet Mondrian

Sophie Taeuber-Arp

Kupka

Patrick Henry Bruce

On the weekend I went to view the amazing Paths To Abstraction exhibition at the Gallery of NSW for colour inspiration for our next collection.

I saw works from Monet, Matisse, Munch, Paul Klee, Picasso, Sophie Taeuber-Arp and many more artists that shaped today's view on modern art.

I was surprised to read that Abstraction was never an art movement, it didn't originate in one place, and it wasn't practiced by one cohesive group of artists. Instead it evolved gradually, as artists experimented with colour, form and materials, calling into question some of the traditional functions of art, narrative and representation.

I highly recommend this exhibition. You will be blown away by how far ahead of their time these artists were. Their work still stands out and are some of the best of modern art to this day.

THE VIVID HIGHLIGHTS WERE...

Sunday was the last day of the Vivid Sydney Festival. I went down to Macquarie Street on Saturday night, along with many tourists and Australians to view the historic sandstone buildings in Sydney's CBD. They are incredible architectural constructions by day, but by night lit up with imagery reflecting Australia's colourful past and present, their structures became even more symbolic and impressive. The highlights for me (no pun intended) were St Marys Cathedral and the Conservatorium of Music. Above are some of the images I took.

NEW LOOK VOGUE LIVING AUSTRALIA

Last night we attended the launch of the new look Vogue Living Australia magazine at Chuck and Bob in Paddington, Sydney.

The magazine features a new masthead, type design and content including a new 40+ page travel section and features on entertaining. There are also photos from our Sydney Moderne launch in the social pages!

A huge congratulations to David Clark and his team for a fantastic redesign of Vogue Living July/August 2010. We love the fresh art direction and inspirational editorial and look forward to seeing the next issue!

2010 TRENDS

Clockwise from top: Textile View issue 88 p:161, Polka Dots styled by Kai Z Feng in 'Lula' Spring 2010, Dorit on her way to Proposte, Mokum's Bruges Lace -052 Frost, Textile View issue 88 p:123 - Blue Forecast , Mokum's Brocatelle and Etoille - 231 Chartruese.

At Mokum we strive to offer the latest in design so it’s imperative that we are regularly exposed to international trends. Visiting Proposte is a great opportunity for us to research global trends and connect with the very best European mills. However the way in which trends influence our brand is quite different to other faster paced industries like fashion, where trends can change dramatically from season to season. We need to ensure the trend is not only appropriate for our customers homes but also has longevity. It isn’t every day we replace our curtains or recover a sofa so we want to get it right. We do make certain we still deliver the wow factor, particularly in fabrics suitable for cushions, which allow us to easily update the home. Of course for us as designers the statement items are often the most fun and challenging to work on. The exhibitors at Proposte are the crème de la crème so it isn’t surprising a number of trends were evident across their individual ranges. Here is a couple that we noted:

Colour Trends:

• Yellow green, like our designs ‘Etoile’ and 'Brocatelle' - Chartreuse or the beautiful multi purpose wool ‘Sateen’ – Mimosa.

• Dark Blue. We have seen indigo, ink blues and grey blues appearing in fashion for some time now so this was one we expected. It is a nice change from black!

• Grey based neutrals were shown across the fair, which isn’t particularly new for Australia and NZ – as this trend has been present for some time but I guess for European countries this was a change from more yellow based neutrals. I love the look of grey and dark blue together and judging by fashion I believe it’s a colour partnership we will see more and more in interiors. A good example of this colour combination is ‘Chatelet’ - Prussian Blue paired with ‘Coupole’ - Pewter or Quartz from Mokum’s latest collection Moderne.

• Metallic’s. Again metallic’s are not a new concept however we saw a textile woven from a true gold yarn which was something I certainly had never seen before. It was gorgeous and had real weight to it but I can’t see it being used in many domestic homes, that is unless you live in a palace!

Design and Texture Trends:

• Digital Prints. The effects that can be created by digital prints now are extraordinary; we saw fabric printed to look identical to kilims. When laid on the floor you would swear you were walking on the real thing.

• Checks, Stripes and Polka Dots were everywhere! Mostly very traditional but some mills had applied the idea quite differently in big chunky chenille and lurex yarns.

• French Knots is an embroidery technique, and we saw entire designs done in multi coloured French knots.

• Soft Linens. There were so many beautiful soft linens both for drapery and upholstery exhibited at Proposte. Many had airo finishes which give the fabric a relaxed ‘used’ look. Walking through the streets of Como I noticed this trend was also mimicked in men’s suits and jackets. Italian men dress really well!

• Crochet and Lace. Last but not least we saw a number of stunning lace and crocheted draperies at Proposte, and lace was also translated into prints for upholsteries. Although call me bias, but I still believe one of the nicest lace constructions around is Mokum’s Bruges Lace.

Arrivederci!

PICTURE PERFECT

Top to bottom: Istanbul Turkey, stained glass windows in the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, hand painted detail at Topkapi Palace.

Lake Como, Italy

On Friday I am going to be sharing the trends we saw at Proposte (some new and expected, some not), but for now I would like to show you a few of the things which made me stop and take a picture whilst we were away. Dorit will tell you there was more than one or two of these moments. When she asked me to look after the photography I don’t think she realised quite how snappy happy I can be! Here are a couple of my favourites.

TRAVEL, TRENDS & TURKISH DELIGHTS

The Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey

Villa Erba in Cernobbio (Como), Italy

Next week Dorit and I are off to Turkey then Italy! Our first stop is Istanbul, to visit two mills we work closely with. It is an amazing opportunity for us to see their weaving facilities first hand and meet the people who help make our designs such as Patou, Firewheel Sheer, Hakama and Adita Embroidery a reality. If we are lucky enough to have spare time we hope to visit the Blue Mosque and perhaps go to the Grand Bazaar. This is both Dorit's and my first trip to Turkey, in fact it is my first ever trip to Europe! No doubt it will be extremely inspiring, and given that travel is a huge influence on our design process I am sure we will come back to Australia overflowing with ideas. I can already taste the Turkish Delights!

Next is Lake Como in Italy, to one of the leading international textile trade fairs of the year, ‘Proposte’. It will be a glimpse at the latest trends and textile developments by leading mills. Proposte is held at the picturesque Villa Erba in Cernobbio, pictured above. It will be spring in Italy, and although we have an incredibly busy schedule I can’t imagine a more beautiful location to spend the week working.

When we get back we will fill you in on our travel stories so keep posted.

MODERNE LAUNCH PHOTOS

Sydney Moderne launch overlooking Sydney Harbour

Sean McElroy, Mokum CEO, presenting at the Melbourne launch

Looking through sample books at the Brisbane launch

Adelaide Moderne launch

Tracey Guy, New Zealand Sales Manager, showing the collection at the Auckland launch

Our new Moderne collection has had an amazing response and we would like to share with you all the photos from our launch events.
Check them out here.
Thank you to everyone who attended!

MELBOURNE MODERNE LAUNCH

Australian Centre for Contemporary Art

Moderne Display

Annette & Grace from Saker Design

Dorothy Deguare & Tony Cardamon

Katrina & Jill Maria

Mokum's Melbourne sales team

Mokum's Design Director, Stephanie Moffitt

Aisan Tide, winner of the Coco Republic door prize

The HBA Design Group

The team from Coco Republic

"Mokum's Moderne collection, launched in the slick interior of Melbourne's Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, was well received by our clients. A great night was enjoyed by all while showcasing our new 1920's inspired range, networking and viewing the new textiles on Coco Republic's beautiful furniture.
Thank you to all our loyal customers who attended the event."
Nikky Jardine, Mokum, Melbourne Showroom

ADELAIDE MODERNE LAUNCH

Emily Geddes of Cheesman Architects and Danielle Sturgiou of 2 C Design

Carmel Siciliano owner of Stile Interiors, Sophia Leopardi and Bettina Kroehn of Williams Burton Architects, Laura Riach of Aptos Cruz Galleries

Maddy Potter of Memake and Katrina Cosh Stile Interiors

Dianne and Alec Hurec of K+M Furniture

Viewing the Moderne collection

Carmel Fusco of Covers and Things & Virginia Tonkin of Stallard and Tonkin Interiors

Mokum's Antenesca Madonna and Kelly Watson

The Moderne collection was launched in Adelaide in a small private library called The Circulating Library at the State Library of South Australia. The atmosphere was indicative of the theme of Moderne and unlike other state releases, it was a lot more intimate. This allowed Bethany to present the collection and explain in depth the inspiration behind each design.

“Thank you so much for giving us all such a treat last night. The library was the most perfect room, only made more so by the brilliant presentation of your latest range of fabrics that look and are so fabulous. Bethany was so interesting to listen to and it’s always interesting to have a bit of background.” Wendy Wauchope from Wendy Wauchope Interior Design

30 DAYS OF HOME & ENTERTAINING

April is an exciting month with a number of events taking place throughout Sydney for 30 Days of Home & Entertaining.

Chuck and Bob in Amelia Street Waterloo (the location of our Moderne shoot) will be transformed into a "live" house. From April 16-25, there will be over 60 events ranging from interior design, outdoor entertaining, international design trends through to paint and paper palette and cocktail canapé events. A purpose built garden will also be featured outside the venue over the 10 Days.

Take a peek and register online!

BELLE MAGAZINES 35TH BIRTHDAY!!

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Mokum would like to congratulate Belle magazine on turning 35 years old!

Our design Director Stephanie Moffitt and Marketing Manager Emma Godfredson were thrilled to be invited to an intimate dinner hosted by Belle’s Editor-in-Chief Neil Whitaker.

The dinner was beautifully styled by Belle's Interior Design Editor Imogen Naylor. Mokum was centre stage with a stunning tent sewn by our Sydney Showroom Manager John Turvey. The tent was constructed in our new linen-look, wide width drapery Shoji, featured in colour Parchment.

We would like wish Belle another successful 35 years!

OUR VISIT TO KATHMANDU

Visiting Kathmandu to research Tibetan style weaving techniques for rugs, was a fascinating experience and one we will never forget. Kathmandu is a chaotic sprawling city and we spent much of our time driving through its bustling streets visiting spinning factories, dye houses and weaving mills. This gave us an excellent snapshot of the city and its people.



We were so impressed with the skill of the weavers and stunned with the speed at which they could work and as a designer there’s nothing like seeing the production first hand to learn the tensions of the process.



It was also very fulfilling to see our first trial weaves. Above is Cathy Brown holding a sample of Rabat, her first ever rug design, see full rug below.

We did manage some down-time and spent an amazing afternoon at the Boudhanath Stupa, a sacred Buddhist Shrine and the surrounding markets, where we were tempted with jewellery and local crafts. Both Cathy and I brought beautiful silver necklaces.

Image by U. Roberto Romano, courtesy of Rug Mark

The most profound experience for myself, Cathy and Edwin Rysenbry (owner of Mokum) was seeing firsthand the poverty of Kathmandu, which was also present within the weaving community. After visiting Rugmark and learning of their educational programmes we became extremely committed to their cause and through Mokum’s association with them we have an unique opportunity to improve the lives of the weavers and their children through Rugmark’s education programmes and support services.

We also enjoyed spending time with Sonam Tsomo and her family who took such wonderful care of us and shared their extensive knowledge of Tibetan rug weaving during this and subsequent visits.

In our next rugs post we look forward to sharing the entire launch range with you. Mokum rugs will be available within Australasia later this month. Please contact your nearest Australian or New Zealand trade showroom for further details www.mokumtextiles.com.

By Stephanie Moffitt