Australia’s intense interest in architecture and interior design has now peaked given the massive success of the Grand Designs Live exhibition.
Opening in both Sydney and Melbourne for three-day stints, the popular industry-focused television show leapt off the screens and into exhibition spaces, drawing major crowds and emphasising the growing impact of design in Australia.
The exhibit itself brought together a mix of leading companies and professionals from the areas of design, renovations and home building, and featured expert speakers and the hosts of both the UK and Australian versions of Grand Designs Live, Kevin McCloud and Peter Madison, respectively.
According to the exhibition’s visitors profile, exhibitor sales were in excess of $35,000, with 89.7 per cent of exhibitors saying they were “satisfied” or “highly satisfied” with the experience.
Although open to the general public, of the visitors, the exhibition attracted a large visitor base of industry professionals, from designers and architects to specifiers and builders.
In addition to offering a wide array of discussion in relation to the built environment in Australia, the Grand Designs Live exhibition showed off an extensive range of modern innovations, from the practices of a modern construction industry to the major trends currently leading the design sector.
A number of boutique interior design features and furnishings stood out at the event, including the zany lighting works of Volker Haug – which include innovative LED designs and light bulb-filled terrariums – the artistry of Metal2Metal and the Miele and Phillips exhibitions.
Whether Grand Designs has responded to an increased public interest in design, or public interest has been gained through the encouragement of the television show, one thing is for certain: design is a hot topic.
With some of the seminars on the agenda bringing together hundreds of spectators, it is clear that Melbournians from all walks of life are particularly interested in and dedicated to the possibilities of design, trends and what the industry can deliver.
