August 2012
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Soft around the edges...
Over the past year, there has been an emerging trend prevalent throughout the world in contemporary furniture design. Designers appear to be retreating from the minimalist aesthetics that have dominated the industry for so long, in favour of soft, nostalgic designs and inviting textures.
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In an era dominated by technology and fast paced progression, turbulence and uncertainty, it’s understandable that designers are opting for more ‘comfortable’ aesthetics. We build our homes as retreats, filling them with items that nurture our memories, passions and needs. It’s the only environment we can control and as individuals we are able to curate a domain that reflects our unique notion of...
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In a backlash against the hard edges and uniformity of minimalist designs, designers are trending towards creating rich, dynamic, tactile characteristics in furniture. In recent collections we’ve seen a myriad of colours from soft neutrals to friendly brights and sweet pastels. Collections of natural materials such as soft sandblasted leather, woods, rope and woven details are also hitting...
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Featured Designer: Alessandro Busana
Alessandro Busana’s bold, modern designs embody simplicity, versatility and functionality. Busana was born in 1977, in the historically rich city of Padua, Italy. He graduated from the Italian School of Design in 1999 and has since worked with prominent and prestigious brands such as Alfa Romeo and Pedrali.
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Ever changing, Busana attends international specialisation workshops around the globe such as ‘The New Italian Design 2007/2010,’ ‘Nazionale Italiana Design,’ ‘Openhouse,’ Wonderful Water World,’ and ‘Made in China’ to further develop his passion and unique flair for creating contemporary, elegant furniture.
Busana works both collaboratively and individually to constantly explore and experiment...
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Pull up a chair...
Designer seating transforms ordinary rooms into extraordinary spaces. Choosing chairs and stools that accent a space not only provides functional seating but also adds interest and depth to your room’s design.
Here are a few styling tips from our in-store experts:
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Style Tip: Contrast
Choose dining chairs with strong colours, shapes or textures to complement a sleek, minimalist dining table.
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Style Tip: Multi-use seating
Use stools in open plan or transitional spaces to add extra seating that is easily stored or moved, adding flexibility to the space. For open plan living/alfresco areas, consider transitional seating that is lightweight and suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.
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Style Tip: Define Spaces
Use armchairs to define spaces within a room. For example, placing an armchair in the far corner of a bedroom draws the eye through the space, making the room feel larger. Larger, open plan spaces often feel cavernous; add warmth by pairing to chairs together or pairing a chair with a bookshelf to create a reading nook.
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July 2012
14 posts
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Style Tips - Using Rugs to Style Spaces
Large, open plan spaces can often feel cold and uninviting. While they suit a modern lifestyle extremely well, free flowing spaces can sometimes feel cavernous, cold and difficult to style. An easy way to add warmth and depth to a space is to use an area rug. Rugs define spaces, add colour and texture and can often pull together a design that was lacking un certo non so che.* Here are a few tips...
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Designer Profile: Maria Porro
Maria Porro, a designer of the Arketipo Collection now at Contempo, draws design inspiration from the stages of Europe and Australia, creating dramatic, soulful pieces that enliven and engage spaces. Born in Como in 1983, she graduated with honours in Set Design from the Academy of Fine Arts in Brera, Italy. As a finalist for the national arts award (Premio Nazionale delle Arti) in 2008, she...
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Design Showcase: Lifecycle Design
Top luxury furniture designers now look to where a piece may end its life as well as where it starts (lifecycle design). Ensuring raw materials are selected from renewable resources starts off the lifecycle design process; matching manufacturing procedures and distribution methods to environmentally driven indicators, such as minimised packaging and low emissions finishes, reduces a design’s...
Arketipo hits the showroom floor!
We have been talking about it for a while, but finally this playful, cosy and sophisticated luxury furniture brand has hit our showroom floor, and it is indeed stunning.
The Arketipo Collection of sofas, armchairs and accessories, exclusive to Contempo Perth, proves that playfulness and sophistication can blend with comfort to complement any design-conscious space.
First capturing our attention...
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Arketipo: The Designers behind the Mastery
Gordon Guillaumier Born in Malta in 1966, Guillaumier moved to Milan in 1989 to study industrial design and design management; he later worked with architect Rodolfo Dordoni.
In 2002, after working as a freelance designer, he opened his own office in Milan.
He has carried out several commissions for Driade in the field of design management and art consulting, for Dornbracht Interiors and 2Link...
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Maurizio Manzoni & Roberto Tapinassi Designer and architect Roberto Tapinassi has been working in Florence for over 40 years as a furniture and accessory designer, assisted by architect Maurizio Manzoni with whom he shares an aesthetic affinity. The Studio was born in Florence in 2001. Their knowledge and skills range from the most classic ones (such as architecture, industrial design, and...
May 2012
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Milan Design Fair
Despite poor weather, this year’s Milan Design Fair seemed bigger than ever. The crowds were the biggest we’ve seen - no one was put off by the rain! Interestingly, the furniture on display seemed a little more subdued and cautious with manufacturers not showcasing many new designs.
For years, clean and minimal design with hard metal edges was the trend but not so any longer. Softer furnishings...
The New Axel
This year’s colour trends saw a sea of blue and pale greens dominate the fair, and what a beautiful way to show case these colours through our very own favourite Crassevig with the debut of the stylish Axel chair designed by Enrico Franzolini.
The Zerocento
Desiree showcased exceptionally well this year, cementing its position as an the emerging brand for soft furnishings in Milan. A highlight for us was the Desiree Zerocento sofa displayed in two ways. One, in a beautiful soft linen fabric which Desiree is famous for, and the new Zip design which was displayed in leather. The brand continues to be our most popular in-store for sofas and bedding;...
The Italian Essence
The Italian Essence is the claim of another Contempo brand Pedrali who presented a number of beautiful new products showcasing the Malmo table and chair as well as the Brera wooden stools. A particular favourite of ours, the collection’s evocative yet simple designs invoked a sense of belonging.
April 2012
8 posts
Winter Warmers
Now that Autumn has arrived and Winter is on its way, we thought we would share some ideas that will help bring some cosy warmth to your indoor spaces…
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From ancient asian philosophers to your living...
In our modern, hyper-real, digitally enhanced, instantly gratified, media frenzied existence, life has become extremely cluttered. Our inboxes spilleth over and we arrive at the end of each day frazzled and overwhelmed. Our homes are beginning to reflect this sense of all-over, everything, all the time and we are left with spaces that exhaust instead of invigorate.
Take stock; stand in any room...
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Stay connected with Contempo
We are very excited to launch the Contempo eNewsletter this month. This will be a monthly publication showcasing new products and designers coming to our Perth showroom whilst bringing you the latest in what’s trending at home and abroad.
If you would like to sign up to receive this in your inbox monthly, email info@contempocollection.com.au. In the meantime you can view the April edition here!
March 2012
19 posts
Destination - isaloni Milan
We are getting very excited about heading off to Milan in April for isaloni - a premier calendar event in the world of furniture design. isaloni brings together designers, stylists and buyers from across the globe to Milan for a week-long exhibition of the best in luxury home furnishings. Comprised of Salone Internationale del Mobile, Salone del Complemento d’Arredo, Salone Internationale de l...
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