Decor + Design will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2024 with the theme of Evolution and the launch of a co-located Green Design Show, with partners including the Green Building Council of Australia and Circular Design Thinking.

We are delighted to welcome CERES Fair Wood as a Green Design Show exhibitor. They have received a Green Design Show index of 100% in the Circular category for their robust practises.

Shaping the Future of the Design Industry

9000+ design trade visitors are expected at Decor + Design over three days at Melbourne Exhibition Centre from 17 – 19 July, to see heritage and emerging Australian brands across furniture, soft furnishings, lighting, textiles and art.

The inaugural Green Design Show will be a beautifully demarcated exhibition at the entrance, celebrating truly sustainable furniture, products and materials.

This important event is being curated purposefully and transparently by industry experts, to help drive a paradigm shift within the Australian design industry. All exhibitors at the Green Design Show need to submit an application form and fulfil criteria, receiving an index up to 100% in either a Green Product or Circular Category (or both).

Salvaging the Ethics of the Timber Industry

A social enterprise supplying farm forested and salvaged timbers, CERES Fair Wood constructed the stand for the inaugural Green Design Hub at Decor + Design last year and will be showcasing their woods at the 2024 Green Design Show. In the lead up to the event we spoke to the team about their origins and some of their most interesting recent projects…

Why have you chosen to take part in the Green Design Show? 

After being involved last year with the Green Design Hub and seeing the great work that the organisers are doing in this space, we were really excited to take part in a bigger way this year.

It’s so heartening to see the topic of sustainability and responsible material selection become centre stage and we wanted to be part of that.

“What we like about the Green Design Show is the scale that the event offers to reach as many hearts and minds within the design industry as possible.”

Can you tell us a little about the origins of CERES Fair Wood?

CERES Fair Wood exists to change the way we think and connect with our timber supply. Championing transparency, Fair Wood acts as an honest broker of timber.

We were founded by architect Paul Haar and Chris Ennis, who is the Business Innovation Director at CERES. They identified a gap in the market – lots of farmers were growing trees on their land but had no viable way of getting their timber to market.

As we all grapple with dwindling timber supplies and knowing where our materials come from, CERES Fair Wood supports agroforesters, small scale farm foresters and millers to get their sustainable timber to market.

CERES builds markets for purposeful trade through a network of not-for-profit social enterprise models, including Fair Wood. We give equally to growers, processors and customers and encourage growers to plant more trees. Trees purposefully planted on open pasture land, for conservation and profit, also have a critical role to play in addressing our climate and biodiversity emergency.

How do your services support the circular economy?

Highest and best use principles are at the core of our operations. CERES ReBoxCo brings new life to timbers destined for landfill by creating beautiful planter boxes.

Fair Wood works with urban saw-millers to salvage high quality and often hard to find timbers that would otherwise be chipped and sent to landfill. Our firewood product is also diverting what is considered waste wood and re-purposing it for a higher use. 

Can you share some exciting projects CERES Fair Wood have been involved with?

We recently collaborated with Drawing Room Architecture on their Monty Suncatcher house (left). Using mixed width Southern Blue Gum cladding, the exterior of this home seamlessly blends with its environment. The home was reconfigured to embrace its sunny garden setting, and the result is stunning.

Every timber piece has a unique story, sourced from Frank and Sharon Hirst in Ranceby (Bunurong land). A novel and experimental harvesting method brought this product to life. It was expertly milled and profiled by Dan of Amber Creek Sawmilling.

We also provided the Macrocarpa cladding for an innovative housing project with Women’s Property Initiatives (WPI) and Studio Bright.

WPI and Studio Bright worked together to create a shared equity housing project in Beaconsfield. It consists of four modest but high-quality dwellings that are designed to accomodate older single women who are on lower incomes and at risk of homelessness. The intent is to provide these women with security of tenure and enduring affordability.

WPI + Studio Bright Housing Project, this and top image of article. Images courtesy of CERES Fair Wood.

“We are very honoured to have contributed to this very worthy project by supplying the Macrocarpa cladding used throughout the exterior of the build.”

Don’t miss seeing CERES Fair Wood at the 2024 Green Design Show at Decor + Design. It will be an unmissable opportunity to be inspired by the latest in sustainable design, with products and furnishings that are available to the industry right now.

Decor + Design is Australia’s longest running trade event for the interiors industry, celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2024. Entry to the exhibition is free but limited to  the design trade – register now and start planning your trip to Melbourne.

Along with the latest collections from exhibitors and the Green Design Show, other features in 2024 include VIVID Emerging Designer Awards, and the 2024 Seminar Series.