Toys of Wood

Publications & Media
Entrepreneurs can use pop-up IT hub

Coffs Coast Advocate | 9th May 2014

Designers Connect Exhibition in Sawtell

COFFS Harbour's IT hub for local entrepreneurs and home workers, The Six Degrees Co-Lab has finally found a semi-permanent home.
Enterprise Coffs manager Jennifer Oloman said due to a high demand for the service, Six Degrees' Co-working has secured a home for the next three months on the corner of Park Ave and Gordon Street.
"There will be a range of affordable membership options for those who wish to benefit from using the space, which will be open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 20th of May 2014.
"But before that, we're also having another pop-up on May 13."
The first pop-up of 2014 saw a variety of people who work in the creative industries, web-designers, coders and accountants come along to benefit from the networking, collaboration and inspiration on offer.
A full morning of work rolled into an energy-filled and passion-packed lunchtime session where three local entrepreneurs pitched their passion to a local expert panel which provided feedback, ideas, asked probing questions and offered creative solutions to the challenges being faced by these local businesses.

Art pops up in this exciting Sawtell exhibition

Coffs Coast Advocate | 12th Apr 2014

Designers Connect Exhibition in Sawtell

DESIGNERS Connect Inc. is holding an exciting pop-up exhibition of innovative furniture and creative objects in Sawtell which opens tomorrow and runs daily from 9am to 5pm until April 26.
To be showcased in the Sawtell Cinema in First Avenue, the exhibition features work by 11 members of Designer Connect Inc, a local group formed in 2012 to create a hub for designers and to inspire and promote excellence in design.
The art will be for sale so this is your chance to purchase a unique piece for your home or office. Everyone is invited to view the exhibition, especially people working in or interested in design. It will be a great opportunity to talk to Designers Connect members and to learn about the groups goals in seeking to promote design excellence.
Membership of Designers Connect provides an opportunity to share, learn and build professional and business links in design.
The group aims to link like-minded designer via regular networking meetings, guest speakers, workshops, excursions and exhibitions.
For more information about Designers Connect, please contact Bim Mortan at bimmorton@yahoo.com.au or Vivien Rink at info@toysofwood.com.au.

A stylish success

Giftrap | Mar/Apr 2014

Vivien Rink at Designers Connect Launch

It may have been pouring rain outside, but at the Sydney Showground, it was buzzing with excitement as attendees wandered around the latest Home & Giving Fair.
The largest fair in the southern hemisphere, the Home & Giving Fair featured over 400 exh ibitors spanning a range of categories including gifts, kids, stationery, outdoor fashion, jewellery, kitchen and more.
Trish Sara from online directory, Decorator's Catalogue, was back at the fair, shooting video interviews with exhibitors including Trudie Cox from Rcinventarc and Adam Win from New Direction Imports. Sara enjoyed the second year of Design Life and spotted some new exhibitors in the space, as well as some inspiration for the coming season.
"A noticeable trend at Design Life was the move towards using metals such as brass, silver and bronze in decor. Unlike the luxe period of several years ago, these metallics arc placed among more organic textures and surfaces which give a rich, textured yet lustrous appeal to decor," she noted. "You could appreciate how easily living spaces can be transformed for this autumn and winter into warmer, more cocooned spaces, using a combination of metals and fabrics, such as velvets, linens and wools, with natural timber finishes."
Meanwhile, Giftrap hosted a fascinating series of seminars focusing on social media and marketing, public relations and visual merchandising. Speakers included Rachel Smith and Leo Wiles from online media recruitment company Rachel's List, Dionne Taylor and Emma Kirk lady from Polkadot PR and Carol Bagaric from AUSVM.
The next Home & Giving Fair takes place on 2- 6 August, 2014 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and Melbourne Showgrounds.

Young designers at the Home & Giving Fair

The innovative works of fresh, talented designers were showcased at the recent Home & Giving Fair as part of a new initiative launched by the Australian Gift & Homewares Association. Here's just a taste of what the future holds for the local design industry.

1. '6eck' hexagonal furniture. kids' wooden shield and sword set and kids' stool by Vivian Rink.

Designs on the prize

Coffs Coast Advocate | 5th Feb 2014

Vivien Rink with 6eck modular furniture

CLEVER CREATIONS: Lead TAFE teacher and former student to award finals
WHEN the Edge design competition get under way in Sydney today, two Coffs Harbour entrants will be vying for recognition.
TAFE teacher Vivien Rink, who makes hand-made, environmentally friednly toys from wood, will be sharing the spotlight with one of her studnets from the class of 2012, Woolgoolga mother of four Aimee Ryan.
Ms Rink will be hoping to impress the judges with her innovative honeycomb-stuctured furniture piece called 6eck, which can be used as a stool, a table or a storage box.
"The design encourages and supports a teaching environment by simply assembling more than two in a group," she said. "6eck facilitates spontaneous sitting arrangements and increases face-to-face."
Ms Ryan has two pieces in finals contention.
It was her Lightbox, made from hardwood and coloured acrylic, and her boxes, which are an easy fit for school bags, shoes and hats, that caught selectors' attention.
"I like to use a mixture of materials and make modern, contemporary designs with timber, acrylic, metal, glass, soft furnishings and recycled materials," she said.
The Edge will be judged by designers Charles Wilson and Adam Goodrum and Sydney Inside magazine editor Gillian Serister.

Designers connect up

Coffs Coast Advocate | 13th Mar 2013

Vivien Rink at Designers Connect Launch

A NEW creative industries collective, Designers Connect, was launched last Saturday in Coffs Harbour.
More than 40 designers and guests gathered at the TAFE Furniture Design rooms at Coffs Harbour Education Campus to celebrate the launch.
The group provides a platform for networking, knowledge sharing and opportunity development between designers across numerous forms.
They were addressed by speakers including Brett Iggulden, the CEO of Planet Lighting, the successful Bellingen-based international lighting design and manufacturing company.
Group member and Toys of Wood designer Vivien Rink said the launch was an important step forward for the creative industries on the Coffs Coast.
"it was a beautiful day and we all came away inspired by the words of Brett, Adam Doyle of Bruxner Product Development and director of the the NSW Furnishing Industry Association Gordon Amann," Mrs Rink said.

Designer's invention changing the way we lounge

Coffs Coast Advocate | 24th Jan 2013

Vivien Rink at Exhibition

VIVIEN Rink hopes she's sitting on the design to revolutionise the modern lounge room.
The Coffs Coast furniture designer will exhibit her MIA chair at the Australian International Furniture Fair in Sydney next month.
The German-born designer has created a multi-purpose chair that reclines, rocks and lounges.
Made of bent plywood and multiple layers of veneer, the chair's base also doubles as a functional side stool or coffee table.
"I am looking at all the possibilities, I'd love to get financial help from a company to produce the MIA (which stands for Motion, Inspiration, Action), but in saying that I'd also love to retain some control on its development," Vivien said.
"It is classic and contemporary in design and it's multi-functional. It allows you to create personal comfort while adding a stunning sculptural element to the home."
Vivien is a finalist in The Edge, Sydney's premier event for emerging furniture designers.