The Cardboard Bar



Commissioned by DMG World Media, Dreamtime Australia Design’s brief for this years DesignEX event in Melbourne was to design a unique and exciting space, something that would do more than just make people stop and talk.
The end result is a highly visible and bespoke installation custom designed by Dreamtime and aptly named ‘The Cardboard Bar.’

‘We wanted to draw people in from every corner of the Exhibition Hall’, says Michael McCann of Dreamtime Australia Design, our goal was when visitors entered the hall they wanted to make their way straight to the bar. We wanted to make visitors feel excited from the moment they arrived and then encourage them to enjoy a cocktail (or two!) in the lounge during their visit at the show.’

The height and form of the outer shell is key in bringing in visitors to this central area, suggests McCann. The 10m height and organic form provides the main ‘Wow’ factor for the space and complimented with cardboard and recycled ply furniture, as well as custom lighting elements and subtle decoration complete the overall look and feel of the bar.The main challenge with this commission was that we wanted leave the old brief behind and break the mould of the traditional ‘Show Bar’. They are all too often designed with that generic; ‘circular bar and a collection of fabric rings hung from the ceiling above’ – uninspiring to say the least! The ‘Cardboard Bar’ is vastly different from that of the standard bar you would normally see at these types of events. When we started working on the concept, we felt the end product, although only a temporary installation needed to be something that would not look out of place as a permanent installation for one of our ‘regular’ clients.



The thought for this year’s design was to develop the concept around simple ‘everyday’ materials and those that were not typically considered to be building materials. We wanted to use materials that were less than obvious and not normally perceived as attractive (or ‘pretty’), but when used in the right form or in a deliberate way, could effectively be used to create something quite beautiful and organic.

Attention to detail and careful use of materials was paramount in delivering the right look and feel for this area. We decided to use recycled paper, cardboard and ply for almost all of the decorative finishes and the majority of the structural form and bar front (we couldn’t find a cardboard sink for the prep area!) and the design incorporates recycled materials and almost all of the selected finishes are 100% recyclable and reusable after the show.

Dreamtime Australia Design