Design Voices: Where Object Meets Space
As part of NGV Design Week, Riva Ceramica hosted Design Voices: Where Object Meets Space — a sell-out evening exploring how object, materiality and space come together to shape how interiors look, function and feel.
GALLERY
The Riva showroom was overflowing with designers, architects and design enthusiasts for an intimate and candid conversation featuring three leading creative voices:
- Alexandra Cerny — interior designer and ceramic artist, whose work includes a landmark 90-room art installation at Hyde Melbourne Place.
- Brahman Perera — acclaimed interior designer working across residential, retail and hospitality.
- Samantha Eades — award-winning interior designer with hospitality projects spanning Australia, Dubai, Hong Kong and beyond.
The Big Idea
At the heart of the evening was one idea: the object as anchor.
The panel explored how a single object or material can influence the DNA of a space — shaping its palette, atmosphere, functionality and the way people experience it.
Key discussion points included:
- What comes first in design — function, feeling or form?
- How materiality, colour, texture and objects create a cohesive spatial story.
- The “heart flutter” moment — creating an emotional response through design.
- The convergence of residential and hospitality design.
- Designing for human movement, behaviour and experience.
- Global hospitality thinking and what Melbourne can learn from it.
- The evolving role of AI in design — threat, tool or collaborator?
- The importance of collaboration between designers, artisans, builders and suppliers.
- Maintaining originality and human connection in an increasingly digital design world.
Exclusive Design Unveiling
A highlight of the evening was the first public unveiling of a new table designed by Brahman Perera in collaboration with Riva Ceramica.
Brahman shared the creative process behind the piece, providing a tangible example of the evening’s theme — where object, material and space intersect.
A curated presentation of Alexandra Cerny’s ceramic works further brought this relationship between art, object and interior to life.
The Experience
The night was designed to feel more like a gathering of Melbourne’s design community than a traditional industry event.
The showroom was at capacity, with conversation continuing well beyond the panel. Dan from MasterChef added to the atmosphere, serving his signature focaccias alongside cheese platters for guests.
The result was a night that felt intelligent, relaxed, social and genuinely connected.
The Riva Perspective
For Riva, Design Voices is about much more than showcasing product.
It’s about creating a platform where the design community can connect, exchange ideas and explore the role materials and objects play in creating memorable spaces.
The event also reflected Riva’s belief that showrooms can be more than places to select materials — they can become places for conversation, collaboration and creative exchange.
What makes a space memorable?
Design Voices: Where Object Meets Space explored the idea that great interiors aren’t created through beautiful objects alone, but through the relationship between object, material, function, emotion and human experience.
The sell-out response also highlighted something increasingly valuable in a digital design world: the appetite for real-life connection, conversation and knowledge sharing within Melbourne’s design community.
For more information visit Riva!
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