Futuristic Smeg Design Auctioned for Children’s Charity

Press Release
Tuesday March 3rd, 2015

Aleisha Stanton’s Futuristic Smeg Design Auctioned for Children’s Charity

Aleisha Station’s captivating DIRECTION OF THE FUTURE makeover of a Smeg FAB28 retro refrigerator is the final one of four contemporary works up for auction through Trade Me – raising funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities New Zealand.

The 2014 Smeg Art Design Competition, established by Smeg New Zealand resulted in four incredible creations and was judged by some of New Zealand’s most notable names in design including Mal Corby, Tim Webber, Dave Sotogi and Kiri Nathan.

Aleisha’s stunning futuristic work symbolises the airiness and 3-D dimensions of the virtual world, using backlit triangular glass and mirror elements emerging from the fridge to represent pixels and the possibilities of growth and development.

All four finalist works have been on display at Kitchen Things Auckland store locations and have been individually auctioned off through Trade Me (www.trademe.co.nz) for an extended 14 day period, in succession of each other.

Nikolai Sorenson’s fantastic ‘KNIT’ design launched the auction process with $1,785 raised, followed by Julie Ashby’s ‘ELEGANZA’ raising $1,680, then competition winner Matt Blackmore’s stunning ‘AROUND THE WORLD’ work raised an impressive $4,676 for the philanthropic arm of the McDonalds Corporation.

Rachel Louie, Smeg New Zealand Distributor and Managing Director said the public support surrounding the auctions of the 2014 Smeg Art Design finalist works has been fantastic.

“We’ve been thrilled by the positive feedback we’ve received during this auction process and the amount of funds raised for Ronald McDonald House Charities,” she says.

“The 2014 Smeg Art Design Competition allowed us to highlight some of the truly creative minds and innovative design work that exists out there in the market,” she says. “Our four finalist’s works are stunning and unique one-off designs that remain functional and still utilise the best of Smeg technology.

“Our panel of judges were hard pressed to select the four finalists,” she said.

Wayne Howett of Ronald McDonald House Auckland believes the novel fundraising initiative marked a great start to a partnership with Smeg New Zealand and that all the funds raised through the Trade Me auction will go directly to their ongoing operations.

“Here at Ronald McDonald House we say that our kitchens form the heart of our homes; they provide the space where families come together for comfort and nourishment after a long day on the hospital ward,” says Howett.

“The funds raised will ensure our kitchens remain clean and stocked with staples and all the equipment our families would find in their own kitchens at home,” he says.

For all auction details visit the Smeg Art website (www.smegart.co.nz) or search ‘Smeg Art’ on Trade Me.

The four FAB28 fridges can be viewed at the following Kitchen Things store locations:

Nikolai Sorensen: KNIT (SOLD $1,785)
Kitchen Things
Mt Eden (439 Dominion Rd, Mt Eden, Auckland)
Online Auction: 20 Jan – 2 Feb

Julie Ashby: ELEGANZA (SOLD $1,680)
Kitchen Things
Constellation Drive (4/60 Constellation Drive, Rosedale, Auckland)
Online Auction: 3 Feb – 16 Feb

Matt Blackmore: AROUND THE WORLD (SOLD $4,676)
Kitchen Things
Mt Wellington (Apex Mega Centre, 383 Mt Wellington Highway, Mt Wellington, Auckland)
Online Auction: 17 Feb – 2 Mar

Aleisha Stanton: DIRECTION OF THE FUTURE
Kitchen Things
Newmarket (25 Kent Street, Newmarket, Auckland)
Online Auction: 3 Mar – 16 Mar

For a detailed overview of the designer FAB28 fridges, the auction process, the competition and judges’ comments head to www.smegart.co.nz

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