Tweny years ago, the mass exodus of young creatives from Adelaide to basically anywhere else in Australia was seemingly epidemic. But these days, there are many more opportunities and reasons to stay put. Adelaide’s design landscape has changed as a result of growth and development, and clients are now realising, especially in the commercial sector, that investing in good design adds value to their business. As a result, interior designers and architects such as Genesin Studio, Studio Gram and Sans-Arc Studio, are redefining the face of hospitality and retail in Adelaide. And these practices are specifying local furniture designs or collaborating with their clients to commission bespoke product from local designers. Genesin Studio’s fit-out for Antica’s new Morphett Street restaurant for example, features custom tables designed by Crea and manufactured locally. The client wanted a premium, quality product and the tables’ detailing and finish perfectly accent the interior’s precise, high-end material application. Like Crea, Sam Agostino and Gareth Brown have also found their Agostino & Brown products, which they design and manufacture in their workshop north of Adelaide, increasingly being specified for commercial fit-outs. ‘We believe it’s due to a spirit of optimism and to growth, especially in the CBD where projects like the Adelaide Oval Redevelopment and the new Royal Adelaide Hospital have energised business confidence,’ says Agostino. Both she and Brown are looking forward to future progress and the opportunities this brings – with the Adelaide Central Market upgrade and Riverbank Festival Theatre project just two of a number of new developments recently confirmed. While they’re currently producing furniture for workplaces in Sydney, Perth, ACT and Adelaide, the couple are also listening to consumer demand when it comes to adding new pieces to their portfolio. ‘Sam and I recently introduced the Major tool, 2016 to our collection after observing that local clients wanted a cost-effective stool made in Adelaide,’ Brown explains. ‘So we developed a product that could be easily assembled and maintained yet still features the core elements that make up our style – comfort, versatility and simplicity.’ The current breadth of furniture practice in Adelaide is helping to change national narratives on design. Discussions pitting Melbourne against Sydney and vice versa are old: it’s simply not about who can do what best anymore. Rather, who’s doing what well, what can we learn from them and how can we potentially work together for greater outcomes. Designers can thank social media for bringing the industry that much closer together, but it’s ultimately their individual quest for development and improvement that will see the design progress even more within this country. It’s exciting to see the contribution a creative hub like Adelaide continues to make, especially in these times of renewed conceptual rigour and aesthetic potency. 16 / ISSUE 05
Top: Rhys Cooper, Spoke Pendant Light, Flute Side Table, Carve Dining Chair. Photographer: Andre Castellucci. Top left: Agostino and Brown Showroom. Photo courtesy of Agostino and Brown. Left: Agostino and Brown, Major Stool featured within the Pix Residence by Sans-Arc. Photographer: Jonathan van der Knaap. ISSUE 05 / 17
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