Urbis Design day is a great opportunity to discover and rediscover great local design talent and they’ve expanded fashion designer-showroom pairings to also include graphic designers, artists, interior designers and multimedia artists…
Urbis has expanded the original Designday format of fashion designer paired with showroom to also include graphic designers, artists, interior designers and multimedia artists.
Although our tickets included free transport between the collaborative installations dotted around Ponsonby, Newmarket and Parnell, we opted to take our chances with parking and set off, fuelled with complementary coffee and Kapiti ice creams from Mini HQ.
With a (baby imposed) time limit we had to be choosey, so it was off to Design Denmark as my hubby had his heart set on one of last year’s mini hotdogs and I wanted some inspiration of the (non-pastry) Danish kind.
Alas, no hotdogs but the showroom was decked out in typically colourful style.
My eye was caught by these beautiful miniature houses, and a technicolour Renova installation. Why wouldn’t you match loo rolls to your outfit at your next dinner party?
Next on the must-do list was Designer Rugs / Corporate Culture to eyeball the gorgeous Kiwi Icons collection. Welcomed in by a monster bowl of macaroons, we were off to a good start even before I spotted Kate Sylvester’s kaleidoscopic ‘Cosmo’ rug…
…and the eye-popping ‘Cardinale’ by Codi Design. Stunning!
Zambesi devotees will love the striking simplicity of Liz Findlay’s ‘Crossroad’.
But I’m a sucker for Dick Frizzell’s quirky sense of humour and would have happily surrendered our house deposit for his quirky ‘Vege Stall’ rug.
The clean lines and depth of colour achieved in all eight rugs (which also included Kevin Roberts, Max Gimblett, Boh Runga and an inhouse design) makes them highly covetable pieces of art. Any chance of a commercial production, Designer Rugs?
Last stop was HALO for a dose of homely British ‘library chic’. Sumptuous and luxe, there is no better partner for Trelise Cooper Interiors.
In celebration of the forthcoming royal wedding, the showroom was flanked by two strapping Queens Guards, and decked out with life size cut outs of Will and Kate.
A cup of tea would have topped off the day just nicely, but instead we cracked open a pot of Dulux jellybeans and headed home.
This year felt much quieter than previous outings and I question whether the ticket price gives value for money. Perhaps if you did all 12 stops and ate and drank at each one? That said, Urbis Design day is a great opportunity to discover and rediscover great local design talent.
Words and photos Erica Kent 19 March 2011.
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