After a short break we are back to work refreshed and ready to tackle all of your exciting new projects. By the end of 2012 we were able to look back on a broad range of creative projects, from multi-story corporate fit outs to hand crafted sculptures. One of the later projects was this custom feature wall for the Ministry of Sound Headquarters in Sydney’s Darlinghurst. Andrew Cliffe from The World is Round adopted our popular Doric entry door, to be used as a concrete feature wall at the reception. The surface creates a beautiful shadow play as the varied light in the room plays with the corrugated surface.

A different, but also unique project, was the featured custom glass privacy screen for a clients guest ensuite. The Axolotl design team worked very closely with the client to achieve something new for the company and offer the client their perfect fade position from translucent to clear. The finished result enables the client to enjoy an outside view while showering, yet retaining privacy.

Capping off another great year in the design trade, the inaugural IDEA awards ceremony was held over the weekend. As an event partner for a second year running, Axolotl collaborated closely with Facet Studio, winner of not only the international category but also the IDEA Emerging Designer Award, to create an awe inspiring glass divider wall using 22 panels of Viridian glass. Based on the theme of a playful Aesops-Fables-esq scene, the edge lit glass was etched with the theme on the rear face and painted strips on the front to give the passer by a unique experience and insight into the possibilities of the glass medium. The theme comes alive with the effect, as the animals displayed appear to move with every step.

Working with Facet again, in conjunction with Balvenie Scotch, Axolotl was called on to create a circular pop up bar for the Awards, constructed of stained wood, with an aged copper countertop crowned with an etched Balvenie logo. The awards themselves were also created by Axolotl, adopting the same theme as last year, these awards were coated in aged aluminium with a combination of textures overall highlighting the refined IDEA logo. In all, the night was a resounding success and we would like to offer our heartfelt congratulations to all the winners and the IDEA team.

Axolotl Showcase: Sculpture

At Axolotl it’s our privilege to work with some of Australia's best artists to produce awe inspiring and bespoke artworks for both local and international projects.

Look up when you next visit Brisbane Airport, to see the amazing outcome of our recent collaboration with HASSELL and artist Louise Pearson – 100 one metre wide laser cut butterflies fill the ceiling void, coated in a range of Axolotl surfaces including bronze viper, copper and rust verdigris.

Another recent project, titled 'True Forms' designed by Camie Lyons, takes pride of place in a private residence in Phuket, Thailand. The site specific works are cast in aluminium and coated in Axolotl Bronze Rust and Verdigris patina. Over four metres in height, the artist describes the sculptures as two dynamic marks in space, a loose portrait to the couple who commissioned them, ghostly at night reflecting the shimmering light and tall silent figures during the day. You can see further works by Camie Lyons at her solo show at Tim Olsen Gallery from 23rd November.

The graffiti installation above, designed by Peter Day from Environmental Art and Design, demonstrates the diversity of Axolotl products. The design came out of extensive community engagement with various youth groups - from kids interviewed on the street to young writers and youth council. Overwhelmingly, their response was a desire for greater respect from the community and for their culture, especially visual, to be taken seriously. The kids wrote the stories displayed on the glass panels, and directed & edited the illustrations.

Preference for the materiality of the installation, as indicated by the young artists involved, was for glass, stainless steel and rust, the perfect Axolotl combination. Manufactured from Miro glass cut to complex shapes, rust and mild steel the installation is pin fixed in place at the new Hurstville Bus Exchange.

Our unique metal, concrete and glass elements are a crucial asset to the modern artist's palette, enabling the creation of magnificent sculptures, delicate architectural pieces and monumental works of art.

Axolotl Showcase: Concrete Blonde

Designed by Michael McCann of the multi-award-winning Dreamtime Australia, Concrete Blonde is the latest hot spot for contemporary Australian dining.

Axolotl was commissioned to create a multitude of custom features in Axolotl Metal and Axolotl Glass as well as premiering one of our first commissions for Axolotl Concrete. Included in the fit out were concrete tiles, concrete flooring and concrete graffiti text inlaid into glass - a world first! In addition to the concrete, the space features an Axolotl metal lace fire surround and Miro glass bathroom panels. Check out the grand concrete entrance with the name of the restaurant stamped into the surface. An impressive entrance to launch two great new 'hot' names on the Sydney scene: Concrete Blonde and Axolotl Concrete.

In a category loaded with some of the real superstars of international design such as Herman Miller, Dyson and Phillips, we are very pleased to announce Axolotl Concrete has won a coveted Australian International Design Award for Architectural and Interior Product. Axolotl Concrete also received an official selection award from the Powerhouse Museum with a permanent exhibit displayed for the next 12 months.

The Australian International Design Awards uniquely allows Australian design to be benchmarked against the best in the world. It is one of the oldest and most respected design councils and recognition is a highly coveted symbol of good design on an international scale. The award is a fantastic accolade for Axolotl and a satisfying reward for the effort we have continually put into new product development over the past 15 years.

Since releasing the range last month we have had an overwhelmingly positive response, as architects and designers across the country now have access to a completely new and different spectrum of design opportunity.

Be sure to check out Axolotl Concrete in the Powerhouse Museum 'Success and Innovation' gallery as part of the awards, which will be showcased from Saturday, 30 July.