Durban’s large community of décor devotees and interior design enthusiasts were in their element at this year’s Decorex Durban 2012. The five day event concluded on Sunday 25 March, having done justice to its milestone 10th exhibition by offering its most trendy and inspirational exhibition yet. Featuring some of the most creative minds in the region and an inspiring combination of over 120 high end exhibitors, 10 feature installations and an eclectic range of unique food markets, trendy pop-up restaurants and bars, the event successfully transformed the Durban Exhibition Centre into a colourful and trendy shrine to design, décor and home living. By attracting around 19 000 visitors, this year’s Decorex Durban became one of the most well supported editions in its illustrious ten year history. The ‘Real’ theme of this year’s event was inspired by international and local trends and informed by a definition of ‘Real’ that embodies our honest commitment to living a purer, greener life, surrounded with things that matter – from home spaces, to work spaces to public or shared spaces.
Plascon, main sponsors of Decorex SA since its inception, once again added much colour to Decorex Durban as they showcased their 2012 ‘Endless Possibility’ Colour Forecast with the help of four of South Africa’s top decorators and designers. In a concept stand at the exhibition Michelle Throssell (Ballito), KOOP and the Shaw Sisters (Durban), Ruth Duke (Durban) and Laurence Brick (Cape Town), each interpreted a different one of the four Plascon colour palettes, namely Memory, Expression, Mystery and Origins. Such was the quality of the feature that it won the coveted ‘Best Overall Stand’ award, with designers Ruth Duke and KOOP and the Shaw Sisters also claiming the ‘Best Newcomer’ and ‘Green’ awards respectively.
For the first time ever, Decorex Durban also included the ‘Operation Man Cave’ feature, and judging by its popularity it is sure to become a more permanent component of the Decorex SA portfolio. Read more about Operation Man Cave here.
Another big draw card was the Inspire Theatre, where visitors learnt from some of South Africa’s top colour, design, décor and foodie guru’s as they hosted talks and demonstrations free of charge in a purpose-built demo kitchen and décor area. Demonstrations that garnered the most interest included Plascon’s colour trend talks and paint techniques, as well as the food and entertaining themed discussions which centred around South African Sundays, featuring the modern Sunday lunch, high tea and Sunday night sundowners.
Other features that proved most popular with interior decor enthusiasts were the Trend House, New Look Africa and Decorex Designer Collection features. The Trend House saw a collaboration between seven local design companies who each composed a room setting inspired by contemporary trend-forward ideas as well as their own unique decor accents. New Look Africa featured a fresh and inspiring celebration of contemporary African designs, characterised by clashing prints, creative collaboration and a no-inhibitions approach to African style. The Decorex Designer Collection, exclusively designed for Decorex SA by nine of South Africa’s most trend-forward and popular designers and artisans, was also hugely popular. Many visitors walked away with a piece from the signature range of products which makes use of an exciting combination of materials and textures that include clay, porcelain, wood, hand printed textiles and recycled glass. For those who missed out, items from the collection are available for purchase online at www.decorex.co.za.
The enlightening and informative Conversations on Architecture conference that took place alongside Decorex Durban at the International Convention Centre (ICC) on 22 March was once again a resounding success. A host of delegates enjoyed the insights of acclaimed Spanish architect Antonio Sanmartín G. de Azcón, as well as a diverse line-up of top local industry players and some of the region’s most creative young minds. The popular half day conference, sponsored by Caesarstone, revolved around the theme ‘Revisiting Craft in Architecture’ and was credited with providing a platform for members of the architectural profession, and interested members of the public, to discuss architectural matters dealing with the processes, forces and influences around architectural design and allied design fields, which include film, graphic, product or interior design.
A sumptuous mix of tasty foods and beverages meant that visitors to the exhibition were able to eat,drink and be merry. The Food Weekly Fresh Market offered an eclectic range of artisanal treats, whilst the BOS Bar and the M-Net Cares Café each presented an opportunity to enjoy a trendy and inspirational bite to eat. A charity initiative saw the M-Net Cares Café featuring bespoke childrens’ bookshelves created by Samsung Staron and Anatomy Design, which visitors to the show filled with second hand children’s books that are now destined for a new library to be set up by the M-Net Naledi Children’s Literacy Project this year.
Decorex Durban 2012 Awards
A judging panel consisting of Abi Ray from East Coast Radio, Joy Brasler from Joy Brasler Architects and Garden and Home contributing Editor Sarah Stuart-Reckling came together to identify the best stands at this year's event. Follow this link to read more about the stand awards at Decorex Durban 2012.
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