After a short break we are back to work refreshed and ready to tackle all of your exciting new projects. By the end of 2012 we were able to look back on a broad range of creative projects, from multi-story corporate fit outs to hand crafted sculptures. One of the later projects was this custom feature wall for the Ministry of Sound Headquarters in Sydney’s Darlinghurst. Andrew Cliffe from The World is Round adopted our popular Doric entry door, to be used as a concrete feature wall at the reception. The surface creates a beautiful shadow play as the varied light in the room plays with the corrugated surface.

A different, but also unique project, was the featured custom glass privacy screen for a clients guest ensuite. The Axolotl design team worked very closely with the client to achieve something new for the company and offer the client their perfect fade position from translucent to clear. The finished result enables the client to enjoy an outside view while showering, yet retaining privacy.

Capping off another great year in the design trade, the inaugural IDEA awards ceremony was held over the weekend. As an event partner for a second year running, Axolotl collaborated closely with Facet Studio, winner of not only the international category but also the IDEA Emerging Designer Award, to create an awe inspiring glass divider wall using 22 panels of Viridian glass. Based on the theme of a playful Aesops-Fables-esq scene, the edge lit glass was etched with the theme on the rear face and painted strips on the front to give the passer by a unique experience and insight into the possibilities of the glass medium. The theme comes alive with the effect, as the animals displayed appear to move with every step.

Working with Facet again, in conjunction with Balvenie Scotch, Axolotl was called on to create a circular pop up bar for the Awards, constructed of stained wood, with an aged copper countertop crowned with an etched Balvenie logo. The awards themselves were also created by Axolotl, adopting the same theme as last year, these awards were coated in aged aluminium with a combination of textures overall highlighting the refined IDEA logo. In all, the night was a resounding success and we would like to offer our heartfelt congratulations to all the winners and the IDEA team.

Axolotl are extremely fortunate to work with some of Australia’s most talented designers and architects. It goes without saying then that we are delighted when their efforts are recognised by both their peers and industry bodies. So far this year several teams have received various awards and nominations commending their efforts across various projects involving Axolotl, with just a few featured here. Philip Chia aimed to redefine the traditional food court dining experience at The Galeries Victoria by creating a highly unique and intriguing environment by delving into experimentation with juxtaposing materials. Axolotl provided several unique surfaces such as concrete coated panels with custom carved design, for the bulkhead and ceiling trim. Bronze Viper panels for the kiosk stations, and Treasury Bronze Pearl feature walls.

Commendation Retail Design - The Uncarved Block For The Galeries Victoria The design concept for the lower ground food court at Sydney's TGV aimed to set this unique environment apart from its counterparts in the CBD and stray from the “a-typical” food court approach. Inspired by the existing mix of avant-garde fashion retailers, the current clientele and location, the food court design draws a link between these key influences and the art of consumption conveyed through unique bespoke design elements, materials palette, texture, lighting and furniture.

Melbourne Central was recognised for it’s creative eclecticism and environmental stance, which also offers a unique retail experience. Given the large size of the space, it was important to create a variety of smaller dining areas for different groups of people. Axolotl was called on to produce a divider wall using screens coated in Treasury Bronze Pearl.

Planning wise, the layout defies the number one rule of food courts where sight lines to all tenancies from anywhere are a pre-requisite. At Melbourne Central, deliberately massed visual obstructions breaks up dining zones and changes the overall visual typography. It relies on people’s innate sense of interest and intrigue to explore this environment.

The conversion of the seating pagoda in Dixon Street to an information kiosk to service Chinatown called for a sympathetic and contextual design. The curved glass feature wall, created by Axolotl, is coated in Graphite which has been applied in a bespoke pattern designed by paper-cut artist Pamela Mei-Leng See.

In honour of the late, great Harry Seidler, this park was created for the residents of North Sydney. A large glass blade, supplied by Axolotl, installed at the centre of the space, details the dedication of the park to Harry and his lifetime contribution to architecture.

Designed in conjunction with Phillip Chia from The Uncarved Block, the Axolotl ‘Pod’ is a bespoke construction based on the blueprint of a shipping container, which we tweaked to our exacting requirements. With sustainability in mind, the reusable structure will be recycled for future exhibitions, reconfigured and transformed into an all new stand unrecognisable from the last. This year we featured several amazing world-first products including Timber LINK, Concrete Lace, Chroma and LINK glass along with many other beautiful finishes.

The “Reptilian Chaise” was designed specifically for Axolotl Concrete Bunker, to demonstrate the versatility of our new concrete coating system. The bespoke fabric, imported from Timorous Beasties, played a pivotal role in the design of the chaise - the pattern of the fabric flowing seamlessly into the concrete, creates a juxtaposition of soft and hard surfaces, whilst illustrating the unique properties of the concrete process.

The annual awards, widely regarded as the most prestigious hospitality design prizes in the business, attracted 620 entries from 60 countries. The awards will be judged by the who's-who of the international design and hospitality industries, including Alberto Alessi from Alessi, Joe Ferry from Intercontinental Hotels Group, and editors from Casa Vogue Brazil, Elle Décor India, Frame China and the UK's Sunday Times Style. The winners will be announced at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London on September 6.

Axolotl would like to extend our congratulations to the winners and look forward to partnering on more award winning projects in the future.

From the creative minds of the talented team at JPDC, comes the latest venue to hit the Sydney bar scene, 'The Bar' at one of the most prestigious Hotels in Sydney's CBD. Axolotl were engaged by Joseph Pang, principle at JPDC, to design and create the feature walls and signage for the moody interior inspired by a vintage timepiece motif.The luminous backdrop for the bar was fabricated by Axolotl employing a combination of processes and techniques to produce a unique and entirely bespoke feature. Laminated MIRO glass with translucent printed interlayer is inlayed with Axolotl LINK in Rust, demonstrating to great effect Axolotl's ability to combine multiple processes and products across our glass and metal ranges to create something truly original. 

Entry to the bar is flanked with a lasercut feature signage wall in Rust which echoes the timepiece concept and materiality running throughout.

Metal LINK

The entry to this Northern Beaches residence is another stunning example of Axolotl LINK combined with laminated MIRO glass. Here we have inlaid Treasury Bronze into both faces of the glass in a custom screen like design to create depth and a multi-dimensional quality. Laminated with a soft white interlayer, the translucent panel retains sufficient privacy whilst still allowing movement and the transmission of light into the space beyond.

Concrete LINK

The latest addition to the LINK range is our new Concrete surface applied onto or inlaid in to glass. With this particular example we have first applied the concrete entirely to the glass surface, then etched through the concrete, simultaneously articulating the design and creating translucent areas through the glass.

Next in our feature on public art is this stunning piece by artist Susan Cadby. Titled "Their Story", the artwork commands full attention situated alongside the The Hub community centre in Ropes Crossing, the new Delphin Lend Lease community in Sydney's west.The design which celebrates native birds and flora, is lasercut in 5mm mild steel panels and then bonded with Axolotl Brown Rust. Both aesthetic and functional, the lasercut openings allow the breeze to flow through, whilst casting playful shadows onto the ground. At night soft lighting transforms the screens into a luminous set of native wildlife against the night sky.

The 50 square metres of screens also function as operable swinging gates, allowing the area to be opened up or sectioned off as required.

Axolotl Lucent was shortlisted for Best New Product at DesignEX this year. We of course, are thrilled but not surprised. This unique and innovative product, takes glass to a new level of possibilities. Panels are deep carved to a standard or custom design, and injected with transparent dyes creating a colour feature that can represent understated simplicity or a dramatic kaleidoscope of colour.

Lucent naturally features on our stand, injecting a green hue into the angled glass blades forming one wall of the stand. The facing wall of double lasercut screens in Axolotl Treasury Bronze mirrors the three dimensional design of the Lucent panels.

Our new timber inspired range, Ingrain, forms the wall paneling in Pewter, and in Bronze Florentine for the flooring, demonstrating both its versatility as well as durability. A floating bench, bonded with Axolotl Cayman contrasts beautifully with a splash of lawn.

Illuminated Miro glass laminated panels displaying vibrant images of butterflies line the interior walls and a section of the floor features Axolotl Lunar flooring in Pewter. The entire structure is wrapped in Axolotl Viper in Bronze from our Skin collection.

Special to thanks to our partners: Philip Chia, JSB Lighting, Bang & Olufsen, Sydney Glass, Linea Interiors and De De Ce.

Security and privacy are essential criteria for most commercial and residential projects, but often it’s a challenge to achieve both without compromising the aesthetics or overall design concept. Gates and fences bonded with Axolotl Metal provide a beautifully practical solution to this design dilemma. Axolotl Metal is an ideal material for external screening and security elements due to its durable, weather resistant characteristics and its ability to be bonded to practically any material.

Custom designed lasercut steel, CFC or phenolic resin panels bonded with Axolotl Metal allow maximum control over levels of privacy whilst creating a striking feature. Even more complex forms can be achieved by stacking or layering panels and incorporating different metals, textures and patinas.

Axolotl Metal has released its new and updated 64 page brochure. It features recently released metals and textures and new examples of completed works. All featured work is categorised by application for easy reference. 

Now it’s easy to creating a cohesive designer look in metal and glass. Almost any motif, photographic reference or illustration can be transferred between the two mediums offering virtually unlimited applications. The work shown here has been produced using Axolotl Rust applied to a lasercut screen door. The same design was sandblasted to a frameless glass door. The end effect creates individual impact, with the sum of the parts even greater through the harmony of the design story.

Both processes are equally able to be utilised on doors, feature walls, counter fronts, garage doors - practically anywhere, inside or out, where you desire to create a unique impact.

Garage doors are one of the first features of a residence people see yet often look like they’ve been left to last on the design front. A big part of this is that, until recently, the aesthetic options have been limited to conventional garage doors that look like, well, garage doors. Once again, Axolotl Metal have manipulated form with function to create a range of garage doors that are only limited by your imagination. The substrate of garage doors make them ideal for any of our metals, textures and aging effects and it’s relatively easy to incorporate your lasercut or routered pattern or design to achieve an even more unique and innovative effect. The images here are examples of distinctive garage doors recently completed by Axolotl. Above is a design by artist Susan Cadby where the panels have been lasercut to a custom design and coated in Axolotl Brown Rust. The result is an organic, highly unique piece. Below is a completely different but equally stunning design by architect Michael Folk of Campbell Luscombe Folk Lichtman. The fragmented strip design is coated in just one metal, with the sections defined by different textures, polishing techniques and surface effects to achieve a subtle yet striking result. A complementing Axolotl front door can also be incorporated into a building façade design unifying the completed look.