Yellowtrace Spotlight // October 2014.

Hello friends, and welcome to the October edition of Yellowtrace Spotlight. Today we’d like to share a whole bunch of Australian design news including some new furniture and products from Douglas and Bec, Rosanna Ceravolo, Friends in the Woods, Skeehan and Mathery Studio; a sublime photographic series by Gary Steer on show at Black Eye Gallery; three new Sydney bars and restaurants amongst other things. I’m not kidding – this month’s spotlight is so full of design awesomeness, it might just explode. Proceed with caution!

The Gorgeous Kitchen in London by Blacksheep.

Blacksheep have just unveiled their latest brand and design offering set to delight the food and beverage industry in the shape of The Gorgeous Kitchen, a new all-day dining concept launched as part of the regeneration project at T2, Heathrow.

Blacksheep
Photography by Gareth Gardner

The Lemon Tree Bar/ Restaurant in Sydney CBD.

The Lemon Tree a Southern Italian inspired bar/restaurant, recently opened last week in Australia Square, the heart of Sydney’s CBD. Inspired by casual simplicity – the pink terrazzo bar, the white timber boards, and the colourful banquette area, introduce a much needed freshness to the surrounding establishments. “It’s a little taste of Positano in the midst of an urban jungle” explains interior designer Tamsin Johnson.

Tamsin Johnson
Photography by Nikki Short

Zahli Restaurant brings a new take on modern Middle Eastern cuisine to Surry Hills.

Zahli has just opened its doors in Elizabeth Street in Surry Hills, raising the bar for modern Middle Eastern cuisine in Sydney with its distinctive take on traditional Lebanese dining. With interior design expertise provided by Kylie Grimwood of Quattro Interiors, owner Mohammad Issmail has created an environment, atmosphere and menu designed to transport diners to the banks of the Sannine on a warm night – with a fresh, contemporary twist.

Zahli
Quattro Interiors
Photography by Jennifer Soo

Cannings Butcher Shop in Melbourne by Fiona Lynch.

A purveyor of the finest ethically farmed meat and seafood, Cannings Free Range Butchers engaged Fiona Lynch to design their flagship retail space in Kew. Referencing the building’s 1960s heritage, a modernist approach was taken, resulting in strong clean lines and a minimalist feel where texture and material create visual interest. Made from stone, timber and polished chrome, an 11 metre central island fridge is a focal point of the store, flanked by immaculately detailed pine wood gridded walls with black steel junctions. The fresh pine battens and hand-made green tiles add warmth to the light-filled space.

Fiona Lynch
Photography by Sharyn Cairns

Time-lapse portrait of Blakebrough + King. Very tricky!

Absolut Elyx Martini Trolley by Sarah K.

The aesthetic of the Elyx Martini Trolley is clean, simple and bespoke, with emphasis on integrity, honesty of materials and function. The design takes an interpretation of the avante garde 1920’s and fuses it with an early industrial functionality that pays homage to iconic brands like Olivetti. The Carrara Marble Surface is treated as a landscape whose function is finely tailored to the making of the perfect Elyx Martini.

Sarah K
Blakebrough + King
Absolut

Douglas and Bec Bedroom Collection.

A series of clean, modern bedroom furniture informed by traditional pieces began to evolve. Historical ornate pieces were translated into simple, pared-back designs that would fit within the context of the Douglas and Bec practice. The collection includes a dressing table, night stand, low boy and a bed head. In conjunction with this collection Bec has designed a side board and a beautiful one-of-a-kind hand turned lamp by Douglas.

“The collection is inspired by my love for a life long family possession, a mahogany Queen Anne dressing table. I wanted to reinvent this concept in a fresh way that sits within the the family of Douglas and Bec products”. – Bec Dowie

Douglas and Bec

Colonna Range by Rosanna Ceravolo Design.

The new Colonna range of furniture products expands on Rosanna Ceravolo Design’s debut collection of 2012. Echoing Carlo Scarpa’s approach to detail, materiality and juxtaposition, the Colonna range features a delicately balanced combination of natural materials – solid timber, stone and brushed brass detailing.

Rosanna Ceravolo Design

SETTO Collection by Skeehan.

Skeehan Studio specialises in commercial, furniture interiors and product design. Directed by Industrial designer Tom Skeehan, the studio takes a material driven approach resulting in an informed design process that considers the long term lived experience of the product and its environment. The SETTO collection explores the relationship between contrasting materials, that focuses on textiles, lighting and Australian timbers.

Skeehan Studio

HI Hangers by Mathery Studio.

The HI Hangers are a collaborative work between Mathery Studio and Australian designer Dale Hardiman. Fashioned from metal rods bent in a continuous wave, the set consists of an H and I form. The HI Hangers explore the presentation of clothing, and like the frame of an artwork, showcase it in all its glory. Resting against a wall, the ‘H’ is immediately accessible with 5 horizontal rods and the ‘I’ stands as a lofty solitary platform. Say Hi to the HI Hangers!

Mathery Studio
Dale Hardiman

Page Thirty Three presents Optical Delusion, an exploration in Neolithic form, simple ritual, sculptural aesthetic, and the modern utopia. Sculptural form, basic puzzles and simple mechanics, used in the design of each object, foster a tactile curiosity in the functionality each piece.

See our previous Interview with Page Thirty Three.

Page Thirty Three

Hand made Furniture Pieces by Friend in the Woods.

Friend in the Woods started out as a few smaller ideas about five years ago. It wasn’t until they moved into the project space in Fremantle (WA) that they took those ideas out of the notebooks and into production. There are two sides to this small furniture brand – the production of simple steel and plywood furniture, giving consumers another option from IKEA. The other side being the use of both recycled and new materials, more often than not to create unique pieces.

Friend in the Woods
@friendinthewoods

Via Las Palmas.

Monte Vista.

West Cielo Drive.

‘Midnight Modern’ Photography Collection by Tom Blachford.

A collection of large-scale works by Melbourne-based photographer Tom Blachford, ‘Midnight Modern’ is a dark portrait of mid-century modernity in Palm Springs. Shot over two separate trips—the second one timed to coincide with the super moon—the series suspends California’s famous ’50s and ’60s modernist homes in an eerie half-light. Tom says he set out to explore “the relationship between the moonlight, the forms of the houses and mountains as a backdrop.” Deepened by shadows and dashed with stars, each image represents a 30-second exposure. The results appear both deserted and uneasy.

Exhibition runs from 2nd – 19th October
311 Smith St, Fitzroy VIC 3065

Modern Times
Tom Blachford

Ghost Lake.

Camel Crossing.

A Million Animal Tracks.

‘The Ghost Lakes’ Exhibition by Gary Steer at Black Eye Gallery.

‘The Ghost Lakes’ is a sublime photographic series by renowned documentary photographer Gary Steer on show at Black Eye Gallery. These haunting and painterly landscapes depict the ever-changing interior of the Australian continent. Gary tracks the dry and barren parchment of earth through the monsoon season to the birth of ephemeral salt lakes. His aerial perspective captures the most exquisite scenic abstracts made by the water and wind moving elements of salt, sand and the ochre of clay across drying lakebeds.

Opening Night Oct 23rd. Runs until Nov 9th
3/138 Darlinghurst Rd, Darlinghurst NSW 2010

Gary Steer
Black Eye Gallery