Matt Blackmore has been named this year’s SMEG Art Design competition winner with his travel-themed entry, ‘Round the World’ – inspired from a Blackmore family treasure of a travel trunk that belonged to his Great Grandmother.The challenge Blackmore and three other finalists have faced has been to transform an iconic SMEG FAB28 ‘50s retro style fridge into a contemporary work of art.
When asked about his inspiration behind this original design, Blackmore called upon his views on the importance of family. “My overall motivation for this design, other than SMEG being a powerhouse of design, quality and style – is the strong family basis still evident in the business after all these years,” says Blackmore. “Family is super important to me – the icing on the cake of this whole design and fabrication journey is the most recent member of the Blackmore family, my little Pippa” he says.The judging panel for the SMEG Art Design competition consisted of New Zealand’s most awarded kitchen designer Mal Corboy, sought-out kiwi artist Dave Sotogi, brilliant furniture designer Tim Webber and renowned fashion designer Kiri Nathan.
All the judges were suitably impressed with the extremely high standard of the 2014 finalists, and were most interested in the way Blackmore developed his original concept into a well-executed contemporary design. “He’s obviously put a lot of thought and effort into the way the details work, even down to the labels and magnets,” says furniture designer Webber. “You can tell he put a lot of himself into that piece and you can also tell all the workmanship is top notch,” he says.
