2009 STYLE AWARDS

Australian House & Garden recently awarded Mokum’s Jardin des Tuileries rug in the magazine’s 2009 Style Awards. The Style Awards are an annual event judged by ten prestigious members of the design community. With eighteen categories the awards honour trend-setting products and stylish solutions that deliver a better living.

Launched earlier this year, our rugs are designed in our Sydney studio with our unique cultural perspective and woven in Kathmandu using the traditional Tibetan style.

Before starting on the rug artwork for Jardin des Tuileries the studio reviewed the two sources which inspired the playful textile from the Dauphine collection. Looking at the silk brocade from the 18th Century and the floral Indian hand block, the designers chose to focus on the intricate print which was typical in style of Indian hand blocks popular in France during the Rococo period. The end result is a stunning organic floral which hints at both its French and Indian influences, woven in silk and wool.

MODERNE VISION BOARD

With our theme decided, the next step is to create the vision board. We use the vision board not only as an inspirational tool for surface pattern design but also to ensure the design team are all on the same page.

The Moderne collection board consists of images from fashion (both photography and illustration), art and textile design from the Deco period plus a more recent beautiful fashion shoot from Vogue USA, with hand painted murals by the very talented

Mary Howard.

by Stephanie Moffitt

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!

SPOTTED

Marvin sofa available from Jardan Australia, covered in Amalfi Seasalt from Mokum

You know you have great product when the editor from Australia's Belle magazine puts it in his study... Neale Whitaker, editor-in-chief of Belle Magazine, pictured above in his study with Otis his two-year old Weimaraner.

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