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    • Japanese Antiques in Contemporary Spaces // The Design Co-Op, Melbourne Design Week

     

     

    The Design Co-Op, at Melbourne Design Week 2018, was an opportunity to showcase how well Japanese antiques can work in contemporary spaces.

     

    About The Design Co-Op + Melbourne Design Week

    Now in its second year, Melbourne Design Week is a series of talks, exhibitions, workshops, tours and other industry events held at a range of venues across the city and state. Created to celebrate the diversity and impact of design while giving local Victorian designers the exposure they deserve, the theme for 2018 was Design Effects. The event is a partnership between the National Gallery of Victoria, and the Victorian governments creative industries strategy, Creative State. It ran from 15-25 March 2018.
    The Design Co-Op was one event in the suite presented during the week, running from 23-25 March at Glow Studios in West Melbourne. The event was a collaboration between some of the best and brightest in Australian design community: interior designers and brands with a focus on design. 14 brands, 3 interior designers and 20 industry professionals were involved, brought together by Liz Bull of One Fine Print, a company working with talented photographers to create photographic prints for the home, and Anne-Claire Petre of Anaca Studio, a furniture design practice.
    The Design Co-Op was created to bring together brands, interior designers and design enthusiasts to meet and exchange ideas and to strengthen relationships, share knowledge, and seed ideas. The event featured a showcase, with the studio space transformed into a home by three guest interior designers ( Lauren Li, Fiona Parry-Jones and Manuela Millan), and a series of talks focused on empowering attendees to realise that any space can be transformed into a meaningful home. Sessions covered topics like using design to create the Australian dream in a rental property, designing and styling a thoughtful home, and buying good design and avoiding instant decoration gratification.

     

    Antiques in contemporary spaces

    Kazari + Ziguzagu featured as part of the showcase collaboration at The Design Co-Op, with a range of pieces on show. These antiques were a perfect match for the focus on creating the feeling of home using high quality design pieces. The way the spaces were pulled together highlighted how Asian antiques can be incorporated into contemporary spaces as an accent, without being confined to a themed space. You don't have to have an entire Japanese-style home to see the benefit of antique Japanese pieces: they can complement any style, and will look incredibly contemporary when combined with new design styles. 

    There are three main reasons to incorporate Japanese antiques into your home design, regardless of the style. These were on display at the Melbourne Design Week showcase.

    1. Unique Style

    Design-savvy people prioritise having high quality pieces in their home and typically look for unique pieces with a story and personality, instead of opting for the same mass-produced goods that are found everywhere. Antiques offer something completely unique. Many Kazari Japanese antiques are over a century old, and were handcrafted by artisans skilled in their trade. This kind of individuality makes the perfect statement piece for your home. 

     

    2. Sustainability

    If you're thoughtful about what you include in your home, you probably already consider sustainability when selecting pieces for your space. There's nothing quite like antiques when it comes to sustainability: reusing beautiful pieces of design that were created long ago instead of producing new ones. You know you're being light on the planet by electing to use what we already have, and you also know you're getting quality: these pieces have proven themselves through their longevity.

     

    3. Contemporary feel

    Contemporary style is often eclectic, incorporating a range of different periods and styles along with newer pieces. Everything old is new again, and vintage or antique styles can look incredibly contemporary in a fresh context. As trends come and go, classic pieces stand the test of time and will look contemporary for decades to come. Sometimes, it's just knowing what to look for when shopping for antique chests.

     

    Thanks to everyone who was involved in The Design Co-Op, especially the three wonderful interior designers who paired our pieces so perfectly with complementary products.
    Browse our range today to find the perfect piece for your home, whatever your style.
    Photo credits: Elizabeth Bull and Jonathon Griggs

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