Showcasing the culinary talents of Canterbury, Feast Of Canterbury was recently held at Riccarton House and hosted by the talented team at Taste Catering. As part of the Dine By Design competition, Alice and I were invited along as part of the judging panel. Joining forces with renowned designer Susie Paynter we were presented with four very different room set ups and given the challenging task of selecting a winner. Being judged on ambience, use of light and shade and the functionality of the space, local Canterbury designers were set the challenge to design and produce a workable dining space for eight or more people.
Taking away the People Choice Award, interior designer Alex Fulton, created a traditional setting with a difference. Having purchased a complete dining room set, including sideboard, chairs and table, from Trade Me she set about transforming them with a two-pot high gloss lacquer in bold, vibrant colours. From concept to completion her vision remained the same and the aim to make a statement with colour was certainly achieved. "Colour makes me happy and I wanted to share a different view point. You could take a photo of this room and in black & white it would look like a 'normal' Canterbury home dining room. But it's not!"
LEFT Furnish Scene RIGHT Theme Pro
Enteries from Furnish Scene and Theme Pro set the bar high with Furnish Scene producing a functional space inspired by the memories and experience of dining. Booth seating allowed for intimate and comfortable dining while the decor and accessories enforced the idea that no matter what culture you come from the experience of dinning is about breaking down barriers and celebrating with friends and family. While Theme Pro spend most of their days crafting elaborate commercial dining settings for clients, this was their chance to create an intimate space with a self selected theme. Inspired by cave-like dwellings and woodlands the space was a rustic and natural representation of their vision.
The Overall Award went to Charlie Hudson for her 'Steam Punk' Wonderland setting. Working with sister-in-law Sarah to produce the final result Charlie described herself as the amateur of the competition - having never gained any formal interior design training. "Our dining room is about showing friends how much they mean and is a collaboration of everything we love." From an ambient first impression to interactive details, this dining room set up was one we would all relish an invite too!
Charlie's winning design will be showcased in the April/May issue of homestyle as part of our Dining Room Special, so make sure you get your copy of this issue for an in-depth interview with this talented woman.
