MODERNE TAKES SHAPE

Dufy Textile Design

Inspired by Beth’s trip to Paris the studio decided to research the Art Deco design movement as a possible collection theme. We were instantly struck by the breadth of this period, which spanned from 1920s until the 1940s and is best described as an age of extremes. Art Deco affected an array of design forms; from architecture, film, fashion and the decorative arts, to photography, transport, music and dance.

Poster For the International Exposition on Decorative Arts

This multifaceted movement burst onto the world stage at the 1925 Paris Exposition. (The Exposition Internationale des Art Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes and its influence was felt internationally for decades). The terms Style Moderne and Art Deco both derive from the exposition's title and we were intrigued to learn that the term Art Deco was not widely used until the late sixties.

Costume for the Ballet Russes

Obviously we were attracted to the stunning and highly decorative fashion of this period but we also loved the influence from art of the avant-garde, particularly the cubist movement and exoticism of the famous Ballet Russes.

Sequin Jacket with Eygyptian influence

Artists and designers looked to exotic traditions and ancient cultures like Africa and Egypt, which provided a wealthy source of imagery. The archaeological discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb fuelled a romantic fascination for ancient Egyptian culture.

Our ultimate attraction to this movement was its commitment to beauty, either through intricate craftsmanship or streamlined simplicity, it always managed to maintain a modern edge!

HOME NEW ZEALAND OCT/NOV ISSUE

Home NZ October / November 09 Cover

Courtville Apartments

Mokum's Maddha rug colour Sable

Philippa Moffitt

Home's latest issue features our beautiful Maddha rug colourway Sable in their edgy take on New Zealand fashion and the latest and greatest interior furnishings, furniture and acessories.

Styled by Philippa Moffitt, the talented younger sister of our Design Director and shot on location in the iconic Courtville apartments, Auckland New Zealand.

SNEAK PEAK OF MOKUM'S NEXT COLLECTION...

Dear friends

Mokum's latest collection has been a source of real energy and excitement in our Studio. For a number of months, we have poured over inspirational photography, historical research and debated details of what might be our favourite collection yet. We can't wait to share it with you. And in so doing, we'd like to show you just a bit at a time through a series of bi-weekly blogs, so you too can get a feel for the design process and its evolution. We will begin our journey in Paris, where my 1920s find ignited the creative spark for the collection.

Beth in Paris

Book from "Les Annees Folles"

Lanvine Dress

Lanvin Dress 2

Roger & Gallet

Agnes

In November 2007 I was lucky enough to travel to Paris with my Mother and Father. Everyone who knows me well knows that Paris is my favourite city. In Paris everywhere you look you see beauty, history, fashion and culture, as a designer this city is so inspiring.

While I was there I visited one of our favourite French mills who milled a selection of our Dauphine designs. They have an amazing archival collection which I reviewed but this time we were researching textiles from the 1920s.

They mentioned that there was an exhibition at the Musee Galliera in Paris called “Les Annees Folles” show casing the best couture outfits from this period. The next day I was off to see “Les Annees Folles” and viewed stunning dresses from Jeanne Lanvin, Madeline Vionnet, Paul Poiret, Coco Chanel plus packaging from Roger & Gallet to name but a few!

It was a very inspiring and educational exhibition. One of the key things I learnt was during this time that couture fashion houses truly became established and extended their brands to perfumes and makeup. These designers sourced inspiration from all around the world and pushed fashion and design beyond its limits, even to this day designers have never made such a leap in modernism.

The images above are some of the studios favourite designs from the book I purchased at the gallery based on the exhibition “Les Annees Folles”.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR RUG WINNERS

Congratulations to the following winners of our Win a Rug promotion:

USA - Sharona Hakimian of Holly Hunt New York

NZ - McKenzie & Willis and Trove Design
NSW - King Furniture & Clair Abignano Interiors
VIC - Jardan & Chalmers Le Fevre
QLD - Cardell Manufacturing & Louise Frearson Designs
SA - Trish Pickering
WA - Judy Maloney Design

VOTE IN THE INTERIOR DESIGN BEST OF YEAR AWARDS

We are excited to announce our Australian Botanicals Outdoor collection has been shortlisted for the Best of Year Award by USA magazine Interior Design! Please take a moment of your time to vote and help us move a step closer to winning the Best of Year award in 2009. Follow the link below to place your vote: Interior Design Best of Year Awards.

Firewheel Outdoor colour Ebony

The Australian Botanicals Outdoor collection, is made from 100% recycled yarns and is certified silver cradle to cradle. The collection is perfectly suited to our indoor-outdoor lifestyle and unique environmental conditions. The constructions are inherently and permanently stain-resistant, anti-microbial, anti-fungal, and bleach cleanable. The collection is also extremely durable, exceeding 50,000 double rubs and has 1500 hours light fastness.

Don't forget to visit the Interior Design site and place your vote, voting closes at midnight on October 11th 2009 EDT!

THE BARCODE

www.google.com

If you visited www.google.com today you would have noticed the logo has been replaced with a barcode. Today is the anniversary of the first patent for a barcode type product, issued to inventors Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver on October 7, 1952.

Loop's Everyday Objects Collection

The barcode is one of many everyday objects which the studio reinterpreted for Loop's Everyday Objects collection. Barcode was inspired by the way product packaging incorporates the barcode and wraps around the entire product.

Loop's Barcode Design

XAVIER VEILHAN

La Mobile

Le Gisant Youri Gagarine

Les Architects


Le Coucou


Light Machine

How can contemporary works of art fit into an architectural complex and a landscape as symbolic as Versailles?

Xavier Veilhan has risen to this challenge staging a series of installations in Louis XIV’s grand masterpiece, focusing on relationships between scales, balances and observation points. A French artist who lives and works in Paris, Xavier Veilhan past interdisciplinary works consist of photography, sculpture, film, painting and installation art.

Veilhan, like Mokum’s Dauphine collection, has taken this historic landmark as his muse.
Mokum’s Dauphine collection is modern and yet still has a sense of femininity and “Frenchness” about it. It was designed to suit contemporary interiors or freshen a more traditional setting. Veilhan instead chose to contrast Versailles classical surroundings, La Mobile (Image 1) is a great example of this.

He has created thought provoking and beautiful installations that make you realise how much we have changed since the times of Louis XIV’s reign!

BETHANY'S VISION BOARD

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When it comes to vision boards people often use them to showcase items which they are attracted to and those that inspire them. A vision board tells a lot about someone, it can illustrate their interests, the colours they’re attracted to and give a snapshot of their personality.

Image 1. The first image is of my vision board. The cylinder at the side is my original Morris & Co wallpaper given to me as a gift, I keep it in sight at all times!

Image 2. This image is of my first Mokum design, it’s the starting point for Izar, from our Modern Maroc collection. I love the colours and looking at it reminds me of the days I first started here at Mokum.

Image 3. I’m attracted to all things tomato red. I also have a love for old Vogue covers, this is where the elegant lady came from.

Image 4. Every morning I read the latest posting on the Sartorialist blog. I love fashion and he photographs fashion in a way that no one else has before. This image, taken in Paris, was placed on my vision board on a miserable winter’s day, I so longed to go to Paris and join in on their lovely summer’s day.

Image 5. I love this amazing hand painted 1920s treasure. A friend of Stephanie’s, our Design Director, found three of them at a garage sale, what a find! Somehow I gained possession of them and have all of them on my vision board.

ACACIA STRIPE

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Acacia Stripe CAD Artwork

Acacia Stripe colour Atoll

A bold multi-coloured stripe, with a twill weave detail and faux stitch-like effect came from the idea of hand stitching (Image 1). The studio thought the hand stitched look gave the stripe a warm and less formal effect, suitable for outdoor. This design is named after the Acacia Tree, generally found in tropical to warm temperate regions, and very common in Australia.

Acacia Stripe is from our latest indoor/outdoor collection, Australian Botanicals Outdoor. The collection boasts three outdoor jacquards with a coordinating plain, woven in unique colour combinations that embody the relaxed culture and clean light of Australia.

All yarns from the Australian Botanicals Outdoor collection are:
- 100% recyclable
- Made from post industrial waste
- Produced using eco-friendly processes
- Certified Cradle-To-Cradle™

MIMOSA

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This cute and playful geometric, Mimosa (image 4) from Australian Botanicals Outdoor, is created through the use of small, repeated, cloud-like motifs that are similar to the pompom blooms of the Mimosa Tree (image 1).