Ideas Dispenser

Last weekend had a distinctively design edge with annual events The Big Design Market at the Royal Exhibition Building, which we tweeted about and The Design Files Open House, this time located in Collingwood. We’ve been to every open house since its inception in 2011, except for the 2012 edition. This year, we dropped by the open house on its first day to check out the design action.

The highlight for us was definitely the internal courtyard. It just felt like the place where we would hang out most, with its grand lighting installation and vertical wall potted garden. Sure it was short on daylight, but it was cosy as a den.

Of course there were good splashes of colour on the walls, surfaces, accessories and artworks that challenged visitors to try the same approach at home.

We’re not sure if the choice of a corner shop shop on Smith Street Collingwood instead of an actual home belonging to someone, for the open house this year somehow made the ambiance feel a little less homely than last year. But last year was going to be hard to beat, as the 2013 edition in Melbourne was set in a house with a pool in the backyard in Hawthorn.

This year’s edition also did not feature a bathroom, so no bathtub, rain shower head and the strong styling elements like beautiful towels, innovative toiletries etc. that go with these bathroom fixtures. Overall, the “I wanna move in straightaway” impulse was definitely a lot stronger in last year’s edition.

Anyway, we look forward to the 2015 edition, and like always, it will be a must see event for us.