Eight New Brands to Know in the Showrooms
Recent arrivals just waiting to be discovered
You may think you know the Design Centre’s showrooms inside out – but new brands are introduced on a regular basis, and they’re waiting to be discovered for your next project. Brilliant designs schemes are powered by equally brilliant suppliers, and the following brands have all come on board in the past 12 months: all them have a story to tell and a unique perspective. Why not pay a visit and see them for yourself?
Güell Lamadrid at Colony by Casa Luiza
The Colony by Casa Luiza showroom (pictured top) has recently undergone refurbishment to incorporate a clutch of new brands, including Janelli&Volpi, which has names such as Missoni and Armani/Casa Wallcoverings under its wing, The refit has also made way for another recent addition, Güell Lamadrid, a Spanish fabric company founded more than 50 years ago. It’s known for flair with pattern and colour (the Japan-inspired ‘Kii’ above left, is a recent addition) and for updating classics, such as ‘Akim’ (above right), which has a tapestry-like appearance but is actually a printed cotton suitable for upholstery. Güell Lamadrid’s sister brand Les Créations de la Maison focuses on pared-back neutrals in natural fibres, especially linen.
Tom Fereday at Tollgard
Tollgard’s aim is to curate the best of contemporary global design, and it scans the globe for new names to add to its portfolio of hundreds of brands. Sydney-based Tom Fereday slots right in to the showroom’s ethos of beauty and materiality: autumn 2024 saw the showroom launch new tables (pictured above) in his Mazer family of furniture, which is characterised by simple angular forms contrasted with smoothly carved cut-outs in organic, pebble-like shapes (the collection is named after the medieval word for “bowl”). Fereday also recently introduced marble versions of the table, too, further emphasising its sculptural qualities.
Filling Spaces at Turnell & Gigon
Joining revered brands at such as Clarence House and Raoul Textiles at Turnell & Gigon, Portland-based Filling Spaces was founded by sisters Deepali Kalia and Nanu Khanna, with Kali taking the helm on the design side and Khanna overseeing the production. Its fabrics, all block-printed on linen, are made to order in-house in Delhi. Motifs include classic paisleys, checks, florals and small-scale geometrics, and the traditional block-printing technique results in fabrics that palpably show the hand of the maker, with variations in dye colour adding to the uniqueness of each product.
Valli at Studio Franchi
Pasquale Valli founded the Italian hardware company that bears his name in 1934 at the height of the modernist movement, imagining the humble door handle as a sculptural work of art. That perspective still holds true today, and you can now find Valli at Studio Franchi in Design Centre North. The ‘Ernani’ handle pictured has universal style: designed with particular attention to ergonomics and comfort, its square base softens into a gentle taper. Over the years the brand has collaborated with an amazing list of talent to create its portfolio, including Eero Aarnio, Zaha Hadid, David Chipperfield and Vincent Van Duysen.
Waterhouse Wallhangings at Tissus d’Hélène
Waterhouse Wallhangings started life in 1937, when Dorothy Waterhouse uncovered seven layers of wallpaper while renovating her 1799 Cape Cod house with her husband. Fascinated, she began searching for similar original wallpapers in other New England houses, eventually launching a business in the late 1940s, based on these archive prints. Many of those originals had been important from Europe, providing a snapshot of American taste in the 18th and 19th centuries. Tissus d’Hélène has now taken the brand under its wing, with designs such as the pretty ‘Dublin’ (above left) and the Arts & Crafts-inspired ‘Persian Pear’ (above right) now available in the showroom.
SIBU DESIGN at Jason d’Souza
There’s nothing quite like SIBU at any of the other showrooms at the Design Centre. Jason d’Souza recently started offering the services of this Austrian surface design company, which specialises in laminated finishes. Popular in the retail and hospitality industries, its products include faux finishes such as timber, stone, marble and even croc skin, in smooth and relief surfaces, as well as mirrors, metallics and textiles. The palette of colours is as rich as your imagination, from fashion-forward rainbow brights to concrete and antiqued glass. Pictured is a fluid, water-like surface used at ski hotel Ferienwelt Kesselgrub, in the Austrian resort of Altenmarkt im Pongau.
Nzuri at Alexander Lamont + Miles
California-based textile designer Eno Jonah is the force behind Nzuri, a brand that harnesses the incredible skill of textile-makers in West Africa, including her native Nigeria. Its fabrics are handwoven by makers whose incredible skill has often been passed down through generations; Jonah’s skill is in translating traditional patterns and colours into something that appeals to an international market hungry for authentically crafted products with a story, including ‘Bamako’ (above left) and ‘Samburu’ (above right). ‘Bamako’ is a strip cloth, a little over 20cm wide: originally these narrow widths were designed to be stitched together to make a wider finished fabric, but interior designers might also use them as a boldly scaled trim, pelmet or panel. A range of vibrant printed textiles complements these woven products; find them all in the Alexander Lamont + Miles showroom.
Antonia Claudie at George Spencer Designs
Antonia Claudie represents a new frontier of sustainability in the interiors industry. A textile design graduate from Central Saint Martins, Claudie set out to create an alternative to synthetic dyes, eventually developing her own from food waste such as coffee grounds, walnut shells and avocado pits. Silk is dyed in these delicate colourways before the fabric is exposed to rust for varying lengths of time, creating the striking and unique organic patterns pictured. The silk is paper-backed for ease of installation. Claudie calls her output ‘wall-art’ and it really is no wonder: their ethereal beauty and gorgeous silky handle need to be appreciated up close, so head to George Spencer Designs to see them for yourself.
Alexander Lamont + Miles, Second Floor, South Dome
Colony by Casa Luiza, Second Floor, Centre Dome
George Spencer Designs, Third Floor, Design Centre East
Jason d’Souza, First Floor, Centre Dome
Studio Franchi, Ground Floor, Design Centre North (outside opposite the main entrance)
Tissus d’Hélène, Fourth Floor Design Centre East
Tollgard, First Floor, Centre Dome
Turnell & Gigon, Ground Floor, North Dome
