Allphones Arena and Allphones Corporate boxes feature in Interior Fitout Magazine April - May 2012. The two corporate boxes were designed by Forward Thinking Design in 2011 and photographed by Barton Taylor

Our wonderful supplier, Baresque has drawn us out of their hat for using their product to win a $2500 donation to the charity of our choice, and a profile showcase in their magazine! We have asked that our donation be sent to Medecins Sans Frontieres

Our Managing Director, Vanessa Cullen, participated in a live interview panel as part of ABC News 24's Federal Budget coverage on the 15th May

To watch interview, click on the link and scroll about halfway down the page..

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-05-08/budget-2012-key-videos/3999310

Link: http://digthisdesign.net/interior-design/the-interior-design-business/ancient-design-inspiration-challenges-creative-concepts/

Sergio’s Cake Shop in Sydney Australia

When starting a design project we start with one concept and mold our vision from there. Design inspiration comes in many forms and many translations. Vanessa Cullen from Forward Thinking Design Pty Ltd shared one of their more interesting design projects with us. Learn how they took what was thought a challenging concept and turned it into a modern masterpiece.

Design Inspiration

When our Client asked us to use the golden domes of Cypriot churches as inspiration in designing his cake shop, we were stuck with the challenge of adapting this ancient architectural form to make it appropriate for the contemporary Australian market.

Forward Thinking Design has been published in the Telstra Business Awards. Follow the link and vote for us for the Peoples’ Choice Awards. VOTE NOW

Business profile:
                Interior fitout design for restaurants, retail, clubs, health and commercial premises.  Experiential concept and brand design, architectural construction documentation and project management.
Having worked within the industry for several years, the Owner saw the need for a company that could look at the daunting task of new fitouts from the client's point of view and help them through the process step by step.
Our focus is on building long term, mutually beneficial relationships.  We truly honour the part we play in contributing  to our client's future success.  We aim to become leaders in our industry based on building successful businesses and maintaining an exemplary standard of ethics.  Providing excellent service and delivering highly effective creative solutions.
We are equally focussed on aesthetic and our client's business performance.  We test every element against the question:  "Will this design feature support profit generation?"   Our focus is on creative solutions that guarantee exemplary return on investment for our clients.  We give our clients peace of mind knowing that they have a regulatory compliant, practical and persuasive presence, maximising the impact of every square metre upon which they're paying rent.   
Members of:  Retail Design Institute (RDI); Design Institute of Australia (DIA); (Managing Director is an Accredited Designer); Australian Shop and Office Fitting Industry Association Limited (ASOFIA) and also of the NSW Business Chamber.
Designs featured in Interior Fitout Magazine, on "Design Wall" and "In Design Live" the online showcases for major industry magazines.  Winners of Business of the Year 2011 at the Western Sydney Business Awards for Excellence.  Named as one of the "100 Cool Companies" by Anthill Magazine and the Owner has been a winner of the Anthill Magazine '30 under 30' Young Entrepreneur Awards in 2009 and 2010.               

http://www.telstrabusinessawards.com/peopleschoice/profile.aspx?e=14324#published

Link:

http://www.closeencounters.com.au/blog/five-spices-%E2%80%93-dining-hunters-hill-just-got-fresher

Five spices in Hunters Hill offers some of the best Pan-Asian food in Sydney, they cater for dietary restrictions (and all their food is GM free).

Forward Thinking Design are the creatives behind the fresh interior of this heritage listed restaurant. Whilst retaining many of the original features including the sandstone walls, they've given these premises a new lease on life.

Neutral colours, beuatifully balanced with a hint of warm reds, copious natural lighting, rustic seating and tasteful decoration couple with vibrant flavours and attentive service to make for an unforgettable casual dining experience.

www.fivespices.net.au

After tentative signs of life in consumer spending in recent months, Access said wages growth would be a key driver of stronger retail conditions in the  coming year.

Since the global financial crisis, many households have embraced thrift, and curbed their spending while saving more than 12 per cent of their income.

Official figures published yesterday suggested the savings rate was stabilising at near 9 per cent, and Access said this flattening would allow more future income gains to be spent.

''Australian GDP growth over the next year is likely to be strong, thanks to business investment, and retail growth will be particularly supported by real wage growth and a levelling out in the savings rate,'' said the report, which will be published today.

Despite the improvement in retail, the benefits are unlikely to be shared equally between the industry, with smaller gains expected for department stores.

Sales volumes at department stores have fallen in the past two years, and the report forecast the sector would drop another 2.7 per cent this financial year, before a slight rise in 2012-13.

Access partner David Rumbens said department stores would continue losing market share to rivals as consumers shopped elsewhere.

''Department stores have been losing sales to other forms of retail. More recently that's been online, but even prior to online they were losing out to some of the specialty retailers,'' Mr Rumbens said.

Clothing and footwear stores have also been among the hardest hit, and the report forecast sales in this sub-sector would plunge 6.5 per cent this financial year.

In 2012-13 however, the report said clothing and shoe shops would experience the strongest growth among retailers, as Australian firms captured more of consumers' online spending.

Stores selling household goods were also forecast to see sales rise next  financial year, based on a prediction that the construction industry would  bounce back.

Platinum Blow Dry Bar was designed by Forward Thinking Design in 2010, and has recently been posted on Dig this Design’s blog page for it’s fascinating lighting design. It reads:

The focal point of a room can stem from a number of objects. Today, we are looking at odd lighting designs that draw interest and attention into a room. From the way the light refracts off the walls, to the design of the fixture itself, lighting plays an important role in your decor.

To read the full blog, follow link below:

http://digthisdesign.net/interior-design/odd-designs/fascinating-lighting-designs-add-a-wow-factor/

We came upon this project in the latest Design Institute of Australia Newsletter. It’s an interesting case study because it raises the question as to why carparks have to be cold, sombre grey boxes? So many parking facilities feel unsafe and very clinical or grimy. Why don’t we treat these spaces as warranting aesthetic design consideration?

There seem to be some safety issues with the visibility of the columns in the showcased project and it is likely to be harder to maintain the painted surfaces, but that is not to say that there can’t be some middle ground between creativity on the scale illustrated here, and the complete absence of humanising features in current car park design. Aside from factors such as access, traffic flow and regulatory compliance, surely appearance rates some mention where there is so much room for improvement? Surely colour, pattern and aesthetic design could be intelligently applied both to enhance safety, visibility and navigation, and to enhance the user experience of parking environments?

This is certainly food for thought.

http://www.design.org.au/index.cfm?id=101&news=1622

THE OFFICE

Ossur (designed by Forward Thinking Design) is the latest office design featured in Interior Fitout Magazine November/ December 2011.

THE ARTICLE

Forward Thinking Design was asked to create an environment at least on par with overseas head offices that would express the youthful enthusiasm of the Ossur team, their cutting edge approach and the success of this expanding company. "We were very fortunate to commission Vanessa and the team from Forward Thinking Design to undertake the design and project management of our new facility," says Harvey Blackney, regional director at Ossur Asia -Pacific.

"The process was efficient, trouble free and the design extremely functional with an edge. Creative, knowledgeable and pragmatic best summarise our experience." A dark and dingy space, almost entirely devoid of natural light had to be converted into a healthy, flexible, uplifting and refreshing workspace supporting collaboration, communication and idea generation at the Ossur office. Glass was used to replace solid walls to open up space and allow flow through and penetration of natural light available. Solid partitions were replaced with semi-transparent walls to the boardroom with integrated branding (silhouettes) applied to afford privacy. A fully operational presentation wall was custom designed to integrate projection, whiteboard, open vision to work areas and/or darkness and privacy as required.

Removal of existing ceiling revealed some low beams in the second meeting room area, requiring the ceiling height to be adjusted by shopfitters on site. Blackney says the finished design has exceeded his expectations from both aesthetic and functional perspectives. "We are tremendously pleased with the outcome and our business has been significantly enhanced as a result."