Project Team

Design: Kelvin Ho and Jeremy Bull
AV: DJW Projects

Sydney’s Circular Quay resembled a mega construction site in the wee hours of Wednesday 18 November in preparation for the unveiling of an innovative portable wine lounge which took up temporary residence in the forecourt of Sydney’s prestigious Customs House for three days.

Constructed and recycled from a mass-produced shipping container weighing over 12 tonnes, the beautifully crafted ‘pop-up’ was craned into position by a crack team of industrial riggers before unfolding into shape as a deluxe ‘al fresco’ wine lounge.

Created to bring this leading New Zealand wine label to life, and showcase its portfolio of quality yet affordable wine selections, the execution also tells something of the brand’s unique story, its vineyard having been established on the site of an ancient river bed in the breathtakingly beautiful Marlborough region of southern New Zealand.

The ‘Stoneleigh Lounge’, is set to become a ‘hot spot’ whenever and wherever it appears throughout Australia over the spring summer months, with a roster of happenings at each location, from cool jazz performances through to top DJ’s and guest artists.

This unique execution has been designed by two of this country’s most coveted ‘fashion’ architects and conceptual artists, Kelvin Ho and Jeremy Bull. They took on the specific brief of providing visitors an ambient experience to “discover and immerse

themselves” in the Stoneleigh wine story.

“We wanted to provide an opportunity for consumers to experience Stoneleigh in an environment which evokes the nature of the vineyard and the wine’s very origins”, said Katherine Candy, Stoneleigh Brand Manager, Pernod Ricard Australia.

“The very tactile nature of the Stoneleigh Lounge design, coupled with the buzz and backdrop of the ‘big end’ of town at Customs House forecourt provided a truly unique experience”, Candy added.

Kelvin Ho, a name which has been making recent headlines following his involvement in the design of new British fashion export, Top Shop, has also been instrumental in developing some of Sydney’s most stylish fashion flagship outlets, including sass and bide, Willow, and ‘corner shop’, to name a few.

DJW Projects were the electrical contractors for this unusual venue that includes 200 metres of LED ribbon tape in white.

“We did all the electrical contracting so that they could walk in, plug a 3 phase into the container and there’s power for dish washers, fridges, sound systems and anything else you may need,” explained Dave Coxon, managing director of DJW Projects. “The venue features some beautiful decorative panels which are all backlit with LED, also supplied by us.”