Urban Larder by Sarah K at designEX.

Custom greenhouse structure by Sarah K for Urban Larder launch party for designEX, built by Ben Blakebrough (b+k) + Adam Price (JP Finsbury Bespoke Joinery). This lightweight structure was designed with three ongoing uses in mind; to house Urban Larder’s launch party, to subsequently act as the structure for the Urban Larder pop-up store and to finish its life as a greenhouse for growing plants. It is carefully designed to a grid dictated by the economy of material with zero waste and to a comfortable human scale.

Summing up the many achievements of the talented and industrious Sarah K in a single paragraph is nearly impossible. An architect, a product designer, a design curator and all around creative powerhouse, Sarah has successfully undertaken countless creative projects and initiatives in Australia and overseas. In other words, this woman is a formidable figure and a shining light of example on the Australian design scene.

Sarah K’s latest project is a very special limited retail experience, Urban Larder, set to take place at the upcoming designEX in Melbourne. Curated and produced by Ms K in collaboration with Bree Claffey of Mr Kitly and Sarah Trotter of Hearth, the pop up shop will be selling furniture, tableware, tablewear, utensils, pot plants, vases and produce such as honey, chocolate, ale, sugar and salt.

Some of the wares for sale at the Urban Larder pop-up store clockwise from top left – Bizen clay beer cup (special quality in the clay makes beer foam creamier), Nousaku tin tumbler and Shiko white ceramic plates by Sophie Harle, all from Mr Kitly. Ben Blakebrough of (b+k) cold saw knives with repurposed cold saw blades, copper and sh0u-sugi-ban wooden handles.

When Sarah K was approached to design a launch event for designEX in Melbourne last month, she used a Supercyclers’ mindset (an initiative she runs with a fellow art/ design superstar, Liane Rossler). The launch event treated all aspects of the project as a sustainable design problem to be solved, also encompassing the serving of the food. In addition, the future of everything created and used during the launch was considered in order to eliminate any waste. As part of her approach, Sarah was also keen to talk about Melbourne City in the presentation of the food – all of the stock for the event was sourced within the Melbourne city radius.

Food served at the Urban Larder launch party for designEX. See the complete menu here.

The launch event was a memorable experience and an immersive sensory affair, and it personally reminded me of work by the famous Dutch “eating designer” Marije Vogelzang of Proef. Needless to say, this is one of the most radical and exciting design initiative by designEX to date.

As a natural extension of the beautiful launch, Urban Larder is an ongoing project in the form of the pop-up retail store where all the beautiful and thoughtful handmade items used to eat and drink from, cut and season with, sit on, sit at and look at will be sold. The pop up shop will be complemented with a website which will function as a limited edition online store.

Souvenir – a limited edition publication containing recipes, producer’s stories and product catalogue for Urban Larder pop-up store.

In case you’re thinkin’ this is where it stops, you better think again. After all, we are talking about Sarah K’s tireless ways people! Following on from the launch event and the pop-up store, Ms K has put some of the ideas into a limited edition publication called Souvenir. This little zine contains recipes from the collaboration with Sarah Trotter, stories about the Melbourne producers involved (such as Melbourne Rooftop Honey, Monsieur Truffe Chocolate, Lucky Duck Cider, Mountain Goat Beer, Gerwurzhaus and Market Lane Coffee), and also a catalogue of Supercyclers and Mr Kitly items which will be available to purchase at the Urban Larder pop-up (including the work of Blakebrough+King, Henry Wilson and Full Drop Co).

Phew. I told you this woman is a design powerhouse. In fact, this is one of the main reasons I’m bummed I won’t be in Melbourne this weekend. But if you are, you totes need to go visit.

Urban Larder by Sarah K at designEX
Thursday 30 May – Saturday 1 June 2013

To gain entry to the exhibition, register here.

[Images courtesy of Sarah K.]