Living Edge Perth by HASSELL
Living Edge was first established in Western Australia some 10 years ago. Having originated primarily as a contract office furniture company based in Northbridge on the city’s fringe, as Perth developed geographically and the city has grown towards Northbridge (with Yagan Square) so has the direction of Living Edge.
The new tri-level showroom, of close to 1000-square-metres, sits within a beautifully restored and recently renovated heritage building – part of Perth’s fine stock of original city buildings.
“Echoing our own values in ‘Furniture for Life’, we believe in longevity, of simplicity and of sustainability. This building reflects all those attributes that we look for in everything we do,” says Aidan Mawhinney, CEO of Living Edge.
Living Edge engaged HASSELL to transform the heritage merchant building, dating from the early 1900s, into a modern, luxurious showroom. HASSELL pared back the building to its bones and took a light touch to the interior with a refined material palette and sculptural inserts. “It is an exploration of craft and material, which is thankfully making [a] return to the conversation of contemporary design and architecture,” says HASSELL Practice Director, Jonathan Lake.
Like the Living Edge products, the showroom is authentic, desirable and discerning with a richness of material and simplicity of form. Six tall arched windows along the street front provide exposure and presence for the showroom and bring natural light into the ground and first floors. In keeping with a new portfolio of premises, the multi-level showroom cleverly showcases Living Edge’s strong contract offering on the upper level.
This beautifully-crafted environment provides a platform to showcase Living Edge’s contemporary, world-renowned brands, such as Herman Miller, Walter Knoll, BassamFellows, Muuto and BD Barcelona. Each brand has its own unique area, simplifying the choice for consumers and providing a meaningful, engaging and immersive experience.
Inside, the building is stripped back to expose its original brick walls and timber beams and trusses, which have been complemented with dark bluestone, burnished steel and brass trim. Living Edge wants its range not only to touch people in every aspect of their lives; be it their home life, social life (bar, restaurant and even public furniture), but in their school life and basically anywhere a person interacts with furniture.
Living Edge is working towards WELL certification for the showroom, demonstrating the company’s commitment to sustainability. “WELL certification is important to us as an organisation, showing that we adhere to our sustainability values and this gets recognised by an industry body. To feel we have been able to influence the base build in the use of materials and the processes used in the renovation work to achieve certification is something we are very proud of,” shares Aidan Mawhinney, CEO at Living Edge.
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