Artichoke issue 56.
“We’re always looking for the thing that’s missing … being able to see what everyone else is
doing and then asking, ‘How do we take a step in another direction?’” says James Brown, one half of the Adelaide-based graphic design studio Mash, when asked about the studio’s design process (you can read more in Mash’s profile in the issue). This quote sets the scene for this issue – we feature projects with bravado, projects that do something new or risky, or even both, which is so crucial to innovation and experimentation in design.
There’s no better example of this than Hues Hair in Melbourne, where architect Adriana Hanna has triumphed over a shoestring budget to deliver an Ettore Sottsass-inspired hair salon. In the hairdressing world, coloured interiors are often avoided – colour reflection can lead to inaccurate readings of hair colour and is considered too risky. At Hues Hair, Hanna has bravely used tones of peach and green to define spaces and structures.
There’s more risky business in this issue: a workplace where walls, ceilings, floor and furniture have been made entirely from Douglas fir (106 Flinders Street by Bates Smart); a Boogie Nights-style pub in the suburbs of Hobart (The Salty Dog Hotel by Brustman + Boyde in collaboration with Pippa Dickson); and a taxidermy “wounded lamb” as a centrepiece at a black-tie dinner (NGV’s Best of the Best exhibition). These works might not be for everyone, but that can be the risk you need to take in creating outstanding design.
This issue also features project reviews of:
- So 9 by Brandworks
- The Penny Drop by We Are Huntly
- Noma Australia by Foolscap Studio
- Claisebrook Design Community by CODA Studio
- Brisbane International Airport Retail Upgrade by Richards and Spence in
collaboration with Arkhefield - Brisbane Girls Grammar School Research Learning Centre by M3architecture
