Living Edge Launches New Flagship Showroom in Melbourne by Bates Smart.

Designed by Bates Smart, Living Edge’s new national flagship showroom in Melbourne offers a light, open and modern space to experience some of the world’s most exclusive furniture and lighting brands. The new address at 650 Church Street, Richmond is an accessible, central location catering for commercial designers and architects, as well as Melbourne’s design enthusiasts.

“Melbourne has always had a creative spirit with a thriving architecture and design community that’s world renowned,” says Aidan Mawhinney, CEO of Living Edge. “We were inspired to create an inviting and authentic showroom experience that would meet the needs of the growing industry and provide the ultimate platform to showcase our iconic collection that’s focused on authentic, sustainable and conscious design.”

Bates Smart transformed the 1980s building into a modern, luxurious showroom that provides an inviting and engaging customer experience and reflects the Living Edge brand values of longevity, simplicity and sustainability. Lead by Grant Filipoff, Bates Smart design team pared the building back to its bones and took a modern touch to the interior with a refined material palette and minimal inserts.

“The guiding principle throughout the design was to create a showroom that is reflective of Living Edge and its high-calibre brands. These brands provided much inspiration and are used throughout the design where possible,” explains Filipoff.

Related: Living Edge Unveils New Perth Showroom Designed By HASSELL.

Furniture and lighting from Living Edge’s world-renowned brands, including Herman Miller, Walter Knoll, BassamFellows, Muuto and BD Barcelona, are displayed on the open ground floor, with each brand occupying its own area. The black ceiling, exposed beams and structural columns provide a dark backdrop to showcase the lighting. The natural, neutral material palette of timber and brick complements the furniture. Hardware and fixtures have a subtle industrial edge.

New to the Living Edge collection, Tom Dixon’s glistening brass-clad Mass Dining Table is a statement piece that serves as the sale counter, with a series of his reflective Mirror Ball Pendants suspended above.

The central brick-clad core of the building discreetly conceals the staircase and services. The stairs provide access to the hospitality event space overlooking Church Street. The Libreria del Vino is a dramatic backdrop to the kitchen and bar, while Buster + Punch hardware lends a rock-n-roll edge. Bates Smart continued the ribbon windows around all four sides of level one and painted the interior white to maximise natural light upstairs. Services have also been upgraded and replaced with sustainable and energy-efficient products.

Living Edge is committed to bringing its customers the best designs from the world’s most established and forward-looking luxury furniture brands. Its unique range and knowledgeable service have made Living Edge the preferred destination for architects, interior designers, and those who share a passion for genuine, original design. The Melbourne flagship showroom officially launched on 27th February 2020, welcoming 400 guests from the local design industry, along with a host of interstate and international guests including, Jeremy Hocking President of Herman Miller International.

See more from Living Edge on Yellowtrace here.

[Images courtesy of Living Edge. Photography by Peter Clarke.]