Non-mainstream furniture by Format at DesignEx

Be among the first to see Maison Martin Margiela's
Groupe Collection, exclusive to Format

Renowned for its presentation of eclectic, non-mainstream furniture, Melbourne company, Format, will bring Maison Martin Margiela's Groupe collection, from Cerutti Baleri, to designEX this year. Format is the sole Australian agent or retailer for this distinctive design house.

The Groupe collection, the work of Belgian fashion designer, Martin Margiela, consists of the Groupe Sofa and the Emmanuelle Armchair. Maison Martin Margiela (MMM) presented 'visions' of a home collection in Milan. Cerutti Baleri commercialised these designs and presented them at Salone de Mobile in Milan last year. The sofa and chair are the only MMM furniture items available

The sofa is formed from an assemblage of chairs, armchairs and couches of different periods and styles, draped with and united by a white linen cover, cut and stitched so as to reveal the forms beneath, while hiding materials and colours.

Closer inspection reveals that four different fabrics have been used, featuring exposed seams, sometimes even in the middle of a seat. The raw effect achieved is, in fact, the result of 18 painstaking months of development to reach Maison Martin Margiela's (MMM) standards and image.

Maison Martin Margiela has reinterpreted the Emmanuelle armchair in the same way, swathing its iconic shape in a cover of white cotton.

Format Furniture is the brainchild of John Parker who began importing and retailing European furniture and items for the home six years ago. Collections offered have always represented Parker's personal taste, with the emphasis being firmly in the unexpected and diverse.

"We aim to present an alternative to the increasing homogeneity of the home furnishings sector and offer a truly unique view for contemporary interiors," Parker says.

Format currently represents Cerutti Baleri and Arflex, the historic Milanese company known for its amazing catalogue of design classics. Format also shows the wonderfully poetic lighting of Italian architect, Michele de Lucchi, the original 'Ptolomeo' vertical bookstands of Bruno Rinaldi and an astonishingly varied collection of tableware, ceramics and glass.

Visit Format at Stand 2020 at designEX (Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, 13 - 15 April, 2011) Australasia's premier design forum. www.designex.info