July 2025 – Nexus Designs and Cultivated will unveil NEWNEW, a striking modular pavilion at this year’s Green Design Show (16–18 July), demonstrating how iconic furniture destined for landfill can be transformed into elevated residential interiors through circular design principles.
The collaboration has seen multidisciplinary design studio Nexus Designs curate and specify finishes for furniture pieces from Cultivated’s collection, which specialises in restoring authentic designer furniture that would otherwise reach landfill. Together, they have challenged conventional design practices while showcasing tangible solutions for the industry’s sustainability challenges.
The installation has been designed as domestic-scale ‘rooms’ — dining, study, lounge — to demonstrate real-world residential applications. Soft fabric panels naturally dyed using native flora by textile artist Heather Thomas divide the spaces, creating an intimate environment that reinforces a sense of home over showroom.
Visitors will encounter reimagined design classics, each with rich provenance. Fritz Hansen Series 7 chairs salvaged from Auckland’s convention centre feature new powder-coated bases and Kvadrat Cifrado upholstery containing 42% recycled polyester. Knoll Bertoia Diamond chairs recovered from a Sydney office basement are reupholstered in deadstock wool naturally dyed with Stringybark. A Fritz Hansen Span Table from the Danish Embassy in Canberra sits alongside NAU desks from Edith Cowan University and Eames LCW chairs found in an Ericsson basement, now painted in a bold red finish.
Nexus Designs has led the curation process, selecting pieces from Cultivated’s collection of over 300 pallets of rescued commercial furniture. The team has specified ethically sourced and surplus textiles, collaborated with local artisans and championed circular thinking across every detail, resulting in furniture that takes on new life while maintaining design integrity.
The pavilion itself embodies circular principles through its construction by celebrated furniture maker Mark Tuckey and local timber innovators Crafted Hardwoods. Designed for complete disassembly, it was first constructed at Cultivated’s Thornbury workshop before being deconstructed and rebuilt onsite. Flooring created from reclaimed timber from Mark Tuckey’s showroom and translucent cladding made from recycled polypropylene contribute to the pavilion’s closed-loop materiality.
Sculptural artworks selected in collaboration with Artbank demonstrate accessible approaches to integrating contemporary Australian art in residential environments, with woven, ceramic and playful objects chosen to complement the pavilion’s translucent structure.
Nexus Designs Director, Sally Evans commented, “NEWNEW is a platform to explore circularity and design with greater intention — considering the full lifecycle of materials and the impact of our choices. Our role was to interrogate, curate and reimagine — from selecting each piece to specifying sustainable finishes and collaborating with local artisans.”
Director of Cultivated, Josh Ellis added, “With up to 300,000 tonnes of furniture going to landfill in Australia every year, NEWNEW reminds us that the most sustainable object is often the one that already exists. Restoration should be standard practice. This installation shows what’s possible when designers and clients embrace reuse — not as compromise, but as both a creative opportunity and environmental benefit.”
The pavilion will host Design with Intention: A Fishbowl Discussion on Thursday 17 July (1:30-2:30pm), featuring leaders in sustainable design including representatives from Nexus Designs, Cultivated and the Green Building Council of Australia — exploring practical strategies for a more circular future.
After the Green Design Show, NEWNEW will be deconstructed and rebuilt for future applications, demonstrating its own circular credentials.
