Before too long, Bonds will be 100 years old — Australians have been wearing the same brand of T-shirts and undies for nearly a century. Now, medium-sized littlies can join in the fun, with the recent launch of Bonds Kids.
Until now, only babies up to Size 2 were catered for. Now, Bonds is making products for Size 3 to Size 7 (only available in Bonds stores and online at this stage), and have launched a new store concept to celebrate. The first Bonds Kids store, in the black-label Westfield Doncaster, stocks clothing and underwear for both babies and kids.

The brand teamed up with Design Clarity for the store concept and worked on the project for around five months before the store opening. Belinda Barlow, the general manager at Bonds, Underwear — Retail, says that the look and feel of the store are just a bit whimsical. “It almost has a sort of fairytale-esque kind of feel,” she explains. “There’s lots of yarn, and wall buttons that flow right through; from mini-size mirrors on the walls for the littlies to look at themselves, right through to fitting room hooks where mums can hand products on, for trying on their little ones.”

PRAM TURNING CIRCLE
A key part of the finished design is the dedicated ‘Kids’ Cafe’ space, with a mini table and Acapulco chairs in the play area. This is a favourite of the team at Design Clarity — Kristina Hetherington, Danielle Lloyd and Vici Schneyer — who say that their finished product draws on the best aspects of existing Bonds store designs, but adds “colour, fun, a child-like influence, a touch of theatre and joy”, as well as some space for prams.

“It’s kept the essence of our Bonds store concept by having a clean/white backdrop but overlays some bright and fun colour, to really bring the essence of the Bonds brand to life,” Barlow continues. “We really wanted to create an environment which was pretty fresh and new in the kid’s space, and also give our customers a wonderful experience and make a bit of an impact in that first store.”

Barlow explains that Bonds’ status as an iconic Australian brand means that its enthusiasts feel strongly about the brand and freely publicise positive as well as negative experiences. Therefore, the new store concept was designed to appeal broadly to parents and kids. “We really wanted the store to appeal to everyone because we think Bonds does have a product for everyone,” she explains. “But we wanted the store to take customers on a journey as well. So we tried not to hark too much on the heritage; we felt it was really important to create a fresh environment that would take the brand forward.”

PRODUCT IS THE HERO
The designers say that their challenges included balancing product density with ample space for customers, as well as “making certain the store remains the backdrop, and the product is the hero.” Another challenge comes in the form of creating a rewarding customer experience. “It’s all about the customer journey, now more than ever,” says Hetherington. “We may like the convenience of shopping online, but we also love finding beautiful stores to explore — where tactility, accessibility and effortlessness are all keys. We still want to see the product in our hands, feel it, stretch it, smell it, try it on. Our main aim is to make that experience stand out.”

The Australian retail industry has been facing tough times in recent years, but Barlow says that Bonds is fortunate to have largely weathered the storm, and is confident that Bonds Kids stores are giving buyers what they want — citing many repeat customers at the Doncaster store in its first two months. But putting effort into creating an enjoyable shopping experience is a worthwhile investment, in any case. “People do expect a lot from Bonds,” Barlow says. “So to be able to take them on that journey and to have them leave feeling even happier about Bonds than when they walked into the store, is a really positive thing.”

Click here to see online version

Karndean (Herringbone Vinyl Flooring): www.karndean.com/en-au/floors
Signature floors (Carpet Tiles): www.signaturefloors.com.au
Academy tiles (White Gloss Wall Tiles): www.academytiles.com.au
Classic Ceramics (POS Coloured Tiles): www.classicceramics.com.au
Surrounding (Nud Pendant Lights): www.surrounding.com.au
House of Orange/HK Living (Knitted Pendant Lights): www.hkliving.com.au/
Rendition Tiles (Feature Entry Floor Tile): www.renditions.com.au

Best restaurant designers achieve the best results. There are just no two ways about it. Design Clarity is renowned across Australia and the UK as leaders in the field of revolutionary restaurant design. One of the shining jewels in their impressive portfolio crown is certainly Fujisaki. Refined dining modern Japanese style is taking Barangaroo on a transportive dining experience, infused with both calm and luxury. All thanks to best restaurant designers – Design Clarity.

Glorious harbour views help achieve the luxurious tranquility Fujisaki aims to treat its 146 patron capacity. Three private dining spaces allow guests to fully savour the delectable fare created and plated by two formerly hatted Good Food Guide chefs. Think elegant nigiri sushi and sashimi selections with individual pieces intricately crafted into chequerboards, roses and other decorative delights. Other options include fine chicken liver parfait, Octopus, guanciale and amp with red chilli, even whole marinated flounder. Best restaurant designers like Design Clarity know that while the sensory experience is king, the quality and character of cuisine matters enormously.

Best restaurant designers do not make a move without a vision and strategy. Design Clarity worked with hospitality group Lotus Dining to give Fujisaki clear expression before the premises was even touched. Four creative principles were defined and form the basis for Fujisaki being:

Authenticity: smoked mirrors, luxurious velvet seats, three private tatami rooms and glorious natural materials evoke Japanese culture

Quality: Japanese cuisine is as much about the experience, ritual and spectacle as it is about the exotic flavours. Fujisaki delivers a transportative experience for patrons through both their surrounds and cuisine.

Innovation: best restaurant designers like Design Clarity understand that thinking outside the square is what makes unique visions work. That is why the Fujisaki kitchen is performance itself. First there is the central theatrical robata grill cooking area. Then there is the slate raw bar where patrons can revel in the spectacle of accomplished chefs plying their craft with meticulous shaping and dramatic blow torching.

Respect: ultimately the best restaurant designers know that a transportative eatery like Fujisaki must fuse effortlessly with a premium metropolitan Sydney waterfront location. Interior artwork is a blend of Japanese and Australian influences while ceramic sculptures are the work of a Japanese Australian artist

Fujisaki plates up a unique brand identity and interior. Rich in colour and texture with intricate artistic detailing, only the best restaurant designers could craft a transportative experience of this kind. Speak to Design Clarity about what they can help you achieve for your restaurant.

23 September – 23 October 2011:
It’s Art & About’s 10th anniversary this year as the City of Sydney’s annual celebration of public art. During the next four weeks we can enjoy art installations, performances and exhibitions in our streets and public spaces.

Friday Night’s Free Festival Launch at Martin Place, CBD: 23 September 2011, 5.00pm-9.00pm
See Info

Feature Exhibtions include “Laneways“, curated to inject a fresh dose of inspiration an magic into our city’s backstreets. Take a wander and discover seven of the most exciting projects to date by Australian and International artists and curators for this, the fifth instalment of Laneway Art.
http://www.artandabout.com.au/projects/laneways

Flying high above the heart of the city, Tsunami 1.26. is a gigantic arerial net installation by acclaimed American artist Janet Echelman. This spectacular vision is one of the works from the Powerhouse Museum’s new Love Lace exhibition, and combines ancient craft practice with cutting-edge technology to create an oasis of sculpture delicate enough to be choreographed by the wind. Netted with a high tensile rope, 15 times stronger than steel in weight, and lit by changing coloured lights, Tsunami is inspired by the events that unfolded following the 2010 Chile earthquake. Using a 3D model of the 2010 tsunami, and software to create an outline of the model’s higher amplitude area, Echelman created her sculptural form, with machine-knotted mesh revealing the intricacy of traditional netting.
http://www.artandabout.com.au/projects/tsunami-janet-echelman

Unguarded Moments at makes faces from the past were visible again, watching us in our streets and laneways. Sourced from archival documentary footage, intimate portraits of past residents and workers are projected onto the walls and buildings of Millers Point, capturing the fleeting nature of life and the dramatic changes that have occurred to this historic precinct.
http://www.unguardedmoments.com.au/

See all info about exhibitions online at: www.artandabout.com.au
or get the free iPhone App: http://bit.ly/nBdcbK

If you are looking for a new venue next time you’re feeling peckish, why not make it a bit of an experience? The following food haunts have successfully extended their brand image into their spaces, menus and packaging by injecting some fun into food on the run.

Restaurants such as Leon in the UK focus on the ever changing and artisanal nature of the brand using a playful and approachable style, whereas an energetic youthful narrative has been injected into the identity for Story in a Cup – a new self serve frozen yogurt concept store – on the other side of the world – in Melbourne, Australia.

Poncho No. 8 is all about the food but equally it is as much about the brand experience. The example shown below is located in the buzzing Spitalfields Market in London, where the graphic language and vivid colour palette is successfully carried through from the website to the wall and floor treatment within the space.

Interior graphics, signage and promotional material for Gino Gelato in London use a strong graphic approach to communicate their offer while Grill’d in Sydney commissioned several artists to decorate its new Sydney outlets. Grill’d founder Simon Crowe said of The Grill’d Collective, “We love the idea of turning the restaurant into an evolving canvas for young Australian artists to showcase their talents while also creating a fresh, bright space for our customers to hang out and enjoy their favourite Grill’d burger. From the very beginning we’ve featured illustrations on our restaurant walls – this project takes it to the next level.”

Links –
Leon Restaurants – www.leonrestaurants.co.uk
Story in a Cup – www.storyinacup.com.au
Poncho8 – www.poncho8.com
Gino Gelato – www.ginogelato.com
Grill’d – www.grilld.com.au

Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, one of the world’s great display gardens, has commissioned UK light artist Bruce Munro to present a debut, garden-wide exhibition, which will be shown from June 9th to September 29th. This is Munro’s first garden installation in the US and will showcase never-before-seen views of Longwood at night.
Light features seven large-scale outdoor installations, two installations within Longwood’s grand 4-acre Conservatory, and a small collection of illuminated sculptures in Longwood’s historic Music Room.
Installation highlights include Forest Light, which invites guests to wander through a serene forest of 20,000 illuminated stems reminiscent of blooming flowers. Longwood’s undulating Meadow plays host to the Water Towers, a collection of 69 symmetric towers that create a glowing maze of light that changes hues to music. In Waterlilies in Bloom, Munro pays homage to Longwood’s iconic waterlily platters and sets his shimmering interpretations to float on the Large Lake. Nearby, the 6,000 stem installation Field of Light beckons visitors toward its enchanting glow. Arrow Spring artfully mixes horticultural splendour and beeswax candles to create a meandering hillside stream.
Inside the Conservatory, the Orangery is adorned with six grand Snowball Chandeliers suspended from the towering ceiling. Each chandelier is more than nine feet in diameter and formed by 127 perfectly uniform glass balls. Light Shower rains more than 1,600 drops of twinkling lights over the flooded Fern Floor, creating a magical reflection that intensifies the luminous shower. Finally, the Music Room features a small collection of illuminated sculptures and models created by Munro.
“The unmatched beauty of Longwood Gardens inspired me in so many ways,” said Munro. “Creating works that speak to the landscape but also enhance the natural beauty of the Gardens was an exciting artistic challenge,” said Munro. “I hope that guests will see in these works the beauty of melding light and the landscape to become one.”
This has been Munro’s first opportunity to create installation artworks in the USA. His previous work in the US involved participating in Contemplating The Void, a group show at the Guggenheim Museum, and he will be part of a 2012 show about contemporary glass design at the Pratt Manhattan Gallery. To date, his best-known installations are CD Sea at Long Knoll and Field of Light at The Eden Project in Cornwall, UK. His work has also been shown at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and Salisbury Cathedral.

His currently planning his next coup:
To create a Field of Light surrounding Uluru in Central Australia, to which you can contribute by buying one or more illuminated stems to help realise this vision! www.fieldoflight.co.uk/uluru

Copy by Longwood Gardens
Images via weheart.co.uk
To learn more about Bruce: www.brucemunro.co.uk

Design Clarity is delighted to hear that Leathwaite Development’s, Dunedin Mews has won ‘Best Small Development’ at the London Evening Standard new homes awards.

As one of their design partners on the scheme, we are extremely pleased that all the energy, time, and hard work put in by Jon and Simon in developing this innovative low carbon development has been recognized and rewarded. Every sustainability angle has been covered, from construction methods and technologies employed, to the selection of ecologically sound interior finishes and fittings for these cutting-edge new homes.

We all look forward to celebrating with you, and here’s to working on the next one!

Have a look at Leathwaite Development’s Website at
www.leathwaitedevelopment.com

Modern retailers simply must work harder. Competition is at an all-time high. Especially since the GFC spectre has slumped consumer spending. Yet the show must go on. If you want to steal that show Design Clarity can make your store a Sydney star. The secret is retail design.

When consumers leave your store they take a little piece of you with them – something you are glad to give away. A memorable buying experience they’ll seek more of and tell their friends about!

Without doubt retail design can be a make or break in Sydney’s saturated market. Design Clarity helps you leverage this influential tool to:

• Cultivate a positive hassle-free shopping experience
• Carve powerful brand expression and unification
• Showcase your product and service differentiation
• Optimise use of space and operational efficiency
• Revitalise your market positioning and price point

If you are a Sydney retailer you occupy a hotbed of opportunity. Hiring the best retail designer Sydney has to offer ensures you capitalise on every prospect while creating new potential all the way. Design Clarity works with retailers across Australia, UK and beyond to create deliciously distinctive spaces. Take a peek at what magic they have woven for other retailers like:

• Bonds – It was important to showcase the fashion to reflect their inspiring design philosophy, which Bonds describes to be look-good and feel-great products that inspire to let you be your natural, spontaneous self.
• Quiksilver Goldcoast – The focus was on creating an honest, lived-in environment true to the iconic brand’s DNA. Kelly Slater & Steph Gilmore front the brand and have a strong presence in-store, as does the raw graffiti by Quiksilver’s brand artist.

The team at Design Clarity can assist you with the best interior design for your business, simply drop us a line via the contact form or call on the numbers at the top of this website.

When you are searching for the best bar designers Australia has to offer, what are you looking for?

Professional interior designers will provide so much value to your business. Whether you are starting a new Australian bar from scratch or thinking of renovating an existing one, a professional bar designer will help you to not only make it beautiful, but functional and profitable too.

Make sure you consider the following when narrowing down your bar designers Australia search. It’s a short list, but they are all important points to ensure you hire the best bar designer for the job.

1. Have an idea of what you want. Then hire a designer that has done similar work in that style before. Sounds simple because it is!

2. Ask for referrals. There’s nothing better than word of mouth for getting a professional. Ditto for customer testimonials, even if you didn’t know the people. Happy customers are always a good thing.

3. Thoroughly check portfolios. These are an excellent indication as to the type of work and size of clients or projects that the designers have worked on previously. If they have had customers similar to you then there’s a good chance things will work out well.

Look no further than Design Clarity for all your bar design needs. Here is some of our previous work to convince you even further:

• La Bodeguita – bar design sydney that takes cool to the very edge of cool.
• Café Ritrovo – fresh and friendly bar design Melbourne.
• Moo Moo Wine Bar & Grill – award winning bar designers Australia in Brisbane.

When you are searching for the best bar designers Australia has to offer, what are you looking for?

Professional interior designers will provide so much value to your business. Whether you are starting a new Australian bar from scratch or thinking of renovating an existing one, a professional bar designer will help you to not only make it beautiful, but functional and profitable too.

Make sure you consider the following when narrowing down your bar designers Australia search. It’s a short list, but they are all important points to ensure you hire the best bar designer for the job.

1. Have an idea of what you want. Then hire a designer that has done similar work in that style before. Sounds simple because it is!

2. Ask for referrals. There’s nothing better than word of mouth for getting a professional. Ditto for customer testimonials, even if you didn’t know the people. Happy customers are always a good thing.

3. Thoroughly check portfolios. These are an excellent indication as to the type of work and size of clients or projects that the designers have worked on previously. If they have had customers similar to you then there’s a good chance things will work out well.

Look no further than Design Clarity for all your bar design needs. Here is some of our previous work to convince you even further:

• La Bodeguita – bar design sydney that takes cool to the very edge of cool.
• Café Ritrovo – fresh and friendly bar design Melbourne.
• Moo Moo Wine Bar & Grill – award winning bar designers Australia in Brisbane.