Korda Mentha’s refurbished Brisbane head office has welcomed an addition to their listed heritage building, Wenley House.

Built in 1864, the Market St property is one of the few original developments remaining in Brisbane’s riverside precinct. It now showcases one of the most contemporary break-out spaces in the CBD.

Constructed using steel framing, timber decking and alucabond cladding, the rear deck is a stunning and modern extension. Spanning over the rear laneway, the semi-enclosed pod provides a strong architectural contrast with the heritage stonework of the original building. Abstract ottomans in bright orange provide seating for staff and clients in this outdoor break-out area.

Architect Paul Lynch’s vision was constructed and fitted by Quadric, while Blok Furniture provided design consultation and manufactured the angular seating benches using outdoor ply, reticulated foam and vinyl upholstery (Instyle Buzz).

Designer Richard Park has developed a reputation for crafting affordable, high quality Australian made products, available on reliable lead times nationwide. With a solid client base, an expanding range and a growing portfolio of custom projects for interiors designers and architects, Blok continues to provide innovative solutions for both commercial and residential environments.

Interiors designers, architects and commercial specifiers are often faced with the problem of sourcing well-designed outdoor furniture.

Imported products generally have a high price tag and lengthy lead-time attached, and at the other end of the spectrum, mass-produced outdoor settings made from questionable materials seem to dominate the market. Where can you find high quality, Australian made, outdoor furniture crafted to satisfy the aesthetic of both specifier and client alike?

Blok Furniture is filling the void with Blokout, a selection of all-weather products designed and manufactured right here in Australia to suit Australian conditions. Blokout now includes the Span range to complement the popular Sola and Sunni products.

Conceived by furniture designer Kylie Bickle, Span had its’ beginnings as a limited release of bar stools and stacking benches supplied to a small number of cafes, restaurants and public breakout spaces in Queensland and NSW. The collection has recently expanded to include bar tables and dining chairs.

Blok Furniture has launched the entire range, making Span available for the first time to commercial specifiers nationwide.

“I have always been interested in supporting other Australian designers and incorporating their products into the Blok brand. It helps create diversity and new directions within our range” said Richard.

Span pieces are crafted from stainless steel and Australian plantation hardwood. The inherent material strengths makes possible slim, uncomplicated and elegant profiles – just like the span of a suspension bridge.

Span can be cleaned, re-finished and returned back to ‘as new’ condition, increasing the longevity of the product, and it uses sustainable materials that can be easily disassembled and recycled.

Its’ simple, contemporary design is versatile enough to use in a wide variety of environments – indoor and oudoor, commercial or residential. Span products can be configured to work as one large setting, or can be divided to function as smaller arrangements, giving end-users plenty of flexibility.

View our product pages:

• Blokout
• Span

Blok installed dynamic custom furniture for the 6th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT6) 5 December 2009 – 5 April 2010, Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art

APT6 includes the work of more than 100 artists from 25 countries which reflect the diversity of practices across Asia, the Pacific and Australia, and occupies the entire GoMA space as well as the Watermall and neighboring galleries at Queensland Art Gallery (QAG).

Blok was called on to manufacture and install a variety of pieces for Kids’ APT, including special art work tables to help young visitors engage with the works on display.

You can view, sit on and work at Blok furniture at the following exhibitions:

Thukral & Tagra
Hi! I am India 2009
Indian artists Jiten Thukral and Sumir Tagra have designed a Do It Yourself (DIY) activity project which is set in a spectacular environment in the Children’s Art Centre. The artists invite children to select from an array of custom-made stickers, designed to introduce children and their families to contemporary and traditional Indian visual culture. The sticker designs feature people, street scenes, vehicles and architecture. Using framed backgrounds designed by the artists, participants can create collages of daily life in India today for display.

Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan
In-flight (Project: Another Country) 2009
Brisbane-based artists Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan’s project for Kids’ APT, In-flight (Project: Another Country) 2009 asks everyone to make aeroplanes out of found materials. Using the recycled objects supplied, as well as off-cuts and twine, participants are able to construct aircraft within a dynamic activity space. Touching on themes of migration, family and memory, the recycled planes form a giant flock suspended from the ceiling of Gallery 3 in the Queensland Art Gallery.

Find out more here: http://qag.qld.gov.au/exhibitions/current/apt6/kids_apt

Blok was also approached to make the curved tables displaying
the stunning ceramic work of Bui Cong Khanh.
Find out more from the QAG website here.

cottee parker architects have recently delivered a $100m office/retail building using state of the art technology and innovative design. the ‘synergy’ office building is only 1.5 kilometres from the brisbane cbd in the thriving commercial-creative precinct of kelvin grove urban village, and has recently been awarded 5 star green star rating by the green building council of australia.

the team at cottee parker selected items from blok furniture’s range to add a splash of colour to the crisp, neutral fitout of synergy’s main foyer. using duo sofas and ottomans in kvadrat divina and halo side and coffee tables in beech veneer, this vibrant and contemporary arrangement pulls focus and provides public seating in the large space.

thank you cottee parker for inviting blok to contribute to this project.

read more about the duo here | read more about the halo here.

first impressions count, and blok furniture has been recently commissioned to create an elegant yet contemporary statement in the form of custom furniture for bracton chambers’ new brisbane offices. this group of more than 10 prominent barristers have relocated from mlc centre to the new santos house, formally known as northbridge.

blok’s brief was to design and manufacture a table that would be the focal point of the central reception area, an informal space for clients to relax with the newspaper or for members to meet for a discussion or social function. the table needed to seat 8 but with the option to extend and seat up to 14, be constructed from solid timber and to complement the warm tones and clean lines of the interior fitout by hassell.

richard developed a stylish version of his romani table constructed in solid spotted gum, with a matching console positioned adjacent to the table. when required, the console splits into two separate, identical wings. these are added to each end of the main table to extend it and seat 14 people. the table is complimented by classic wishbone chairs.

read more about the romani here.

telstra’s multi-million dollar queensland headquarters were opened recently to great fanfare in brisbane. through this project a number of local businesses were engaged, including architects, landscape designers and furniture manufacturers like blok furniture.

the building features open plan seating, fewer offices, multiple meeting and breakout areas and open stairwells connecting floors. a key feature is the shared breakout facilities on level 4 which includes outdoor dining areas and a deck, bbq and kitchen facilities, landscaping and a comfortable lounge area for employees to gather informally.

blok furniture were contracted by pdt architects to supply a range of items for level 4 breakout areas. our blokout range, including sunni outdoor benches, tables and stools crafted in rosewood and the popular sola tables specified in brushed stainless steel and compact laminate, are featured prominently in both outdoor and indoor spaces. these australian designed and manufactured products were perfectly suited to the relaxed vision for level 4, and are complimented by intricate custom joinery and an inventive use of materials and finishes.

many thanks to pdt architects for the opportunity to work with you on this landmark project.

read more about the sunni here | read more about the sola here.

Blok Furniture recently teamed up with Geyer and Alternative Surfaces to create a custom result that makes you look twice.

Concrete is not a material that immediately comes to mind when you think of a communal table and bench seats for a commercial break out area. But concrete is exactly the finish that Geyer had envisaged for the main staff function space at QIC’s new multi-level fitout in Central Plaza Two, one of Brisbane’s premium office towers.

The designers realised that solid concrete furniture was problematic in terms of weight and flexibility of arrangement, so they contracted Richard to work out a solution.

Once the design and proportions of the furniture were finalised, three large tables and eight bench seats were constructed. An Alternative Sufaces product, X-Bond, was selected in Blanco and a range of surface samples were prepared for client perusal. Finally, a particular texture was chosen, applied and finished with a low gloss penetrative sealer that would protect the setting from bumps and spills. The finished product has the appearance of roughly polished, sealed concrete – a surface often seen on floors, but rarely on furniture.

The tables and benches can be configured to work as one large setting, or can be divided to function as two or three smaller arrangements, giving QIC plenty of flexibility for use of their key breakout space.

Thank you to Geyer Brisbane for the opportunity to work on this bespoke project.

It was great to see Blok’s little lulu and big lulu looking good in Warwick at Saturday inDesign!

Richard and Marni had a whirlwind trip to Sydney over the weekend to experience ‘Saturday inDesign’. Blue skies and perfect sunny winter weather set the scene for a fun, relaxing and inspiring day.

Some highlights were: Barbies at Zenith/Bolon, Stylecraft + Kohler’s innovative recycling of their old ring binders as display statues, hailing an open-top Mini for a ride around town (much more fun than the bus), Schiavallo’s irreverent urban backyard, self enclosed breakout structures at Corporate Culture, champagne cork mini-chairs, and drinking champagne while watching the fireworks display (kindly provided by someone else’s function) over the water under the Sydney Harbour Bridge!

Congratulations to Indesign and their tireless team for producing yet another spectacular event. We look forward to the next one with much anticipation…

Some highlights were: Barbies at Zenith/Bolon, Stylecraft + Kohler’s innovative recycling of their old ring binders as display statues, hailing an open-top Mini for a ride around town (much more fun than the bus), Schiavallo’s irreverent urban backyard, self enclosed breakout structures at Corporate Culture, champagne cork mini-chairs, and drinking champagne while watching the fireworks display (kindly provided by someone else’s function) over the water under the Sydney Harbour Bridge!

Congratulations to Indesign and their tireless team for producing yet another spectacular event. We look forward to the next one with much anticipation…

In preparation for the world-exclusive exhibition ‘American Impressionism and Realism: A Landmark Exhibition from the Met’ (weblink), which opened at the end of May, Qld Art Gallery staff have been flat-out refurbishing gallery spaces and public use areas, including the iconic Watermall Café.

Blok has designed, manufactured and installed a 5.3m banquette, upholstered in Elmo soft leather to complement existing furnishings.

Many thanks to Carolyne Jackson, Michael O’Sullivan and the interiors team for the opportunity to work with you again. We hope the Met show is huge success for QAG, and the banquette gets lots of use now and in the future.