When Westfield commissioned Australian artist Jade Oakley to produce ambient art pieces for their central escalator cladding and a multi storey lift well at Westfield Parramatta she was instantly inspired by the indigenous plants of the area.

“I was amazed to find Lake Parramatta, tucked in behind a busy road, with some really beautiful original forest around it, including towering gum trees and mossy glades with trickling streams and tree ferns. I spent a day there sketching and photographing and thinking. Looking up is an artwork that sprang from this encounter with a surprising pocket of nature in a busy part of Sydney.”

‘Looking up’ is installed over the body of four escalators located in the centre court of Westfield Parramatta. Created using a white on white palette, this artwork is intricate and elegant all at once. Viewers can study the artwork while walking through the centre court and riding the escalators to the levels above. 

The cladding is made from Alucobond treated in a custom shimmering white 2pak. The background features an etched relief of the forest canopy, and the panels are embellished with a second layer of perforated leaf screens that wrap around the sides of the escalators.

See more photos of the project, including production and process shots by visiting the project page on ourart website.

Axolotl Florida launched in the middle of 2017 and the team dove straight into some exciting projects to flex their creativity and know how in the US design scene. 

The first project showcased is a private residence where our Zinc surfaces were utilised as a continuous theme throughout, with Zinc Lunar Pearl treatments to the feature walls and bar, and Zinc Smooth applied to the staircase to stunning effect. Finished to the highest standard, this project has a modern and sophisticated design sensibility which expertly shows how to introduce features that harmonise with the overall design of the home.

In a separate project, Axolotl Bronze Florentine in our Skyline design was applied to the bar front at the new Florida bar, Casa D’Angelo. The end result is sophisticated and elegant, and complements the lavish bar décor.

Images: Myroslav Rosky Photography

As the year starts winding down we would like to take the opportunity to thank our clients, staff, and friends for your continued support and wish you all the best for Christmas and the New Year!

2017 has been a positive and busy year at Axolotl; we were a Supporting Partner of Sculpture by the Sea at Bondi, Event Partner at Design Made and had our products showcased at Denfair, Sydney Indesign and Design Made.

We sponsored the UTS graduating students, the IDEA awards for the seventh year, four artists at Sculpture by the Sea Bondi, Nina Maya’s Glasshouse and the Marcus Piper and Shannon McGrath exhibition, Fracture: Differences.

Three new products were launched, Sculpt and LINK stone surfaces and our new coloured stainless steel Spectrum, extending our palette in beautiful new ways. We also love our new look showroom.

Our Mojo bath ware received two awards from Good Design and the Sydney Design Awards and we were excited to receive two additional awards for Excellence in Environmental Architecture - Australia from the Excellence in Asia Pacific Awards and named the Best Global Architectural Products Supplier from the Australian Enterprise Awards.

And to top it off we not only launched a new licensee in Florida, USA which is already creating some beautiful and groundbreaking work but have opened a new showroom and factory in New Territories and North Point in Hong Kong.

We can’t wait to see what exciting projects 2018 will bring! As always, we remain committed to continue being ‘The Future of Surface’.

Axolotl will be closed from Friday 22nd December and will reopen Monday 8th January.

Only three days to go until Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2017 ends so if you haven’t had a chance, do yourself a favour and get down to Bondi. Over 100 sculptures from Australian and international artists line the iconic walkway from Bondi to Bronte. 

In honour of the exhibition and our role as a Supporting Partner, Axolotl Art Projects have put together a small video featuring the amazing work of sponsored artists. Turn your sound up and enjoy.

DESIGN-MADE. launches this Friday, welcoming both design enthusiasts and industry professionals to a uniquely Australian celebration of design for home and living.

New work will be showcased by independent design studios, alongside new and heritage design brands. There will be furniture, lighting and objects by regional artisanal makers, as well as some of the biggest names in Australian design.

Axolotl are proud to be part of the inaugural show and will be showcasing samples of all our surfaces including stone, metal, glass, timber and our new architectural paint range. We will also unveil two new door designs developed with 3D printing technology, which is proving a major disruptor in the design world. 

DESIGN-MADE. is held at SUNSTUDIOS, 42 Maddox Street, Alexandria from 27-29 October.
Opening hours:
27.10 Friday  10am–6pm
28.10 Saturday 10am-5pm
29.10 Sunday 10am-4pm

We look forward to seeing you there!

Marcel Cousins
FLOWER POT
Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2017
A three dimensional experience. Like a Japanese garden the work aims to represent an
experience of nature but one that has been manipulated and highly stylised.
Materials: Aluminium, steel, paint

Sculpture by the Sea at Bondi is one of Sydney’s most popular events with up to 500,000 visitors each year. Staged on the spectacular Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk, this free to the public exhibition captures the imagination of Sydney and its visitors for three weeks each spring. Sculpture by the Sea has grown since its inaugural show in 1997 and is now the largest annual sculpture exhibition in the world, this year showcasing 104 sculptures by renowned Australian and International artists.

Axolotl Art Projects are proud to be a Supporting Partner of Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2017 by providing significant contribution in the form of materials and artisan support to four artists. This year the artists selected for Axolotl sponsorship were Marcel Cousins, Stephen Harrison, Elyssa Sykes-Smith and Fiona Kemp.

We believe that arts and cultural events like Sculpture by the Sea are what keep communities vibrant and active and we are proud to play a small part by supporting these artists to create their artworks. Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2017 is now open and will run until 5 November.

If you are an artist looking for an experienced partner to facilitate your art projects, Axolotl, through our specialist AAP division can offer an extensive range of services. We are unique in our offer of our own specialist surfaces and have experience designing and fabricating across most construction materials. To get in contact email art@axolotl.com.au or phone 02 9666 1207.

Elyssa Sykes-Smith
STAGNATION
Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2017
Image © Jessica Wyld
A site specific installation that explores the psychological state of being trapped in an intimately familiar, neurotic pattern of thought.
Materials: Concrete, copper wire, steel, Axolotl Copper

Stephen Harrison
MOLLY AND CHARLES
Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2017
Unearthed aeroplanes of World war 2, coupled with Stephen’s family history, loss and memory.
Materials: Steel, Axolotl Bronze, patina, Zinc

Fiona Kemp
GEOGRAPHY
Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2017
From and early age we are taught, by the use of maps, to view the world through an abstract representation of place. This work consists of seven templates that fit together, like a jigsaw puzzle. Exploring the way objects, images and repetitive practices resonate in memory.
Materials: Mild Steel

Last year Axolotl launched Axolotl Stone Surface, an incredibly thin and malleable natural stone surface that allows designers and artists to realise creative ideas never before possible with a natural stone.

As part of our ongoing commitment to manipulating natural surface products to transcend existing design limitations, we have developed ‘Stone Link' and ‘Sculpt’.

‘Stone Link’ beautifully blends stone with inlaid stainless steel, brass or resin offering a unique beauty with custom designs. ‘Sculpt’ enables carving and polishing of natural stone to create almost any 3D design.  

Because of the bespoke nature of all our surfaces, you can individualise each stone piece. Choose from our own portfolio of designs, or create an entirely unique design.

The Axolotl Stone Surface range is not a composite product, but natural stone. It is available in a range of marbles such as Pacific White and Carrara, as well as stones in beige, whites, and blacks with thicknesses ranging from 10-20mm.

Come visit the Axolotl design team at Sydney Indesign
Friday 11th August 12pm - 6pm
Saturday 12th 10am - 6pm
We will be at B2 Studios, showcasing the Axolotl Paint range and
our new Stainless Spectrum sheet metals. All paired with a beautiful trio of chairs thanks to Living Edge.
B2 STUDIOS | 46/62 MADDOX ST, ALEXANDRIA
 
SPECIAL OFFER
To celebrate Sydney Indesign we are offering a 15% discount on all paint orders from
Friday 11th August until midnight on Thursday 17th August.
Simply enter the code at checkout to receive your discount

AXSID17

Registrations will be taken at all main venues on the day.
We look forward to seeing you there!

Don’t forget to tag us in your photo’s @axolotlgroup #axolotlgroup #axolotlpaint
#SID17 @livingedge #livingedge

Spectrum is a world first, unique coloured metal surface that is as infinite in potential as it is unique in beauty. 

Our newest surface was developed by our team in response to a vision in ‘blue metal’ by the designers at Futurespace. Never one to walk away from the challenge to usurp the traditional constraints of materials and deliver new creative opportunities, Axolotl set about inventing ’Spectrum'.

Spectrum, and its breathtaking potential, is showcased in a debut project for Savills, by Futurespace. Custom coloured ‘Tanzanite’ blue Stainless Steel sheets have been fitted to the curved interior faces of the stair void. The metallic surface provides a unique way to inject colour and vibrancy into the project with the high shine finish picking up the surrounding light and accentuating the curved walls.

Spectrum is typically available in flat Aluminium and Stainless Steel sheets in sizes up to 2400 x 1200mm and thicknesses from 0.9mm – 3mm.  Panels can also be laser cut to custom shapes and sizes. You can choose from the colours and designs we have developed, or unleash your creativity and design your own unique Spectrum surface with access to the full range of Pantone or CMYK reference colours.

Contact the Axolotl design team on 02 9666 1207 or info@axolotl.com.au for more information on Spectrum, or to discuss how it can be used on your next project.

It was no surprise, but very exciting to receive a Good Design Award for this striking Mojo Luxe bathware from Axolotl and Marblo at last week’s show.

The range didn’t stand out just for its beautiful, considered design, but also the innovative use of materials that hadn’t been seen before in this crowded market. 

Now it’s easy for you to have a piece of design history in your own bathroom as Mojo is available to order through Axolotl right now. Or if you want to create your own ‘good design’, contact us with your vision and we can bring it to life using any Axolotl surface, including metal, concrete, terracotta, stone or any combination of these.