Top Kiwi designers get behind Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Sealy’s annual Designer Bed fundraising campaign is stepping up a notch in 2018, with an exciting new concept involving four of the country’s leading designers.

In previous years raising funds for Breast Cancer Foundation NZ (BCFNZ), Sealy enlisted the help of famous New Zealanders to design bespoke beds for auction. But now in its sixth consecutive year, the campaign will see four high-profile designers - Melissa Greenough, Evie Kemp, Alex Walls and LeeAnn Yare – add styling accessories to the designer bed instead.

These elements dress the specially designed pink velvet Sealy Posturepedic Exquisite beds with all the components of these four dream bedrooms being auctioned on Trade Me in October.

Sealy marketing manager Jenni Gaze says the company is excited by what each designer has created for the campaign.

“With it being our sixth year raising vital funds for Breast Cancer Foundation NZ, it felt like the right time to do something a little different – and we couldn’t be more impressed by the bedrooms that have been put together,” she says.

“Drawing on themes of reflection and rejuvenation, our designers have each created something truly special with the aim of raising as much money as possible for BCFNZ, and we can’t thank them enough.”

The four designers all say they jumped at the opportunity to be part of the unique campaign.

Award-winning interior designer and host of TVNZ’s HOMEmade, Melissa Greenough, chose to keep her room concept simple and timeless.

“Different people from different walks of life could take this room and put their own mark on it, whatever their style,” she says.

“I wanted to create a bedroom that was serene, but had a few pops of colour. I just want someone to be able to go into that room and feel comfortable and calm - I wanted it to be like a sanctuary.”

Greenough says it was an honour to be part of the Sealy Designer Bedroom campaign and help raise funds for BCFNZ.

“I’ve had a lot of friends and family that have suffered through breast cancer. Some have survived and some haven’t, so it’s a cause that is very dear to my heart.”

Meanwhile, designer and illustrator Evie Kemp’s daring and eclectic style shines through in the bedroom she’s created.

“The leading idea of this room was ‘road to recovery’,” she says. “I’m a huge believer in the power of surroundings to help your health and wellbeing, especially at a time when you need to be healing and looking after yourself.”

Central to Kemp’s room is a bespoke, one-off print of a repaired vase that she created especially for this campaign.

“I was inspired by the art of kintsugi, a Japanese art form and philosophy based on the idea of repair to a broken object, particularly ceramics, which can then tell a story and make the object even more beautiful,” she says.

“It shows that broken objects are not something to hide, but to display with pride, and I love how that resonates as a metaphor for breast cancer recovery.”

Alex Walls, designer and owner of Alex & Corban Home, took inspiration for her room from the beauty and calmness of nature.

“I’ve called the room ‘Nature’s Calm’, as I find the act of walking along the beach or through native bush to be very relaxing,” she says.

“I thought about the kind of environment that makes me feel calm and allows me to take deep breaths of fresh air and, for me, this is nature.”

It was that beauty of nature that inspired Walls to use earthy tones throughout her room.

“I’m typically attracted to quite a natural palette – pretty, earthy colours – so that’s where I went with this space. Using deep greens and clay tones, I’ve created a space that I hope will leave someone feeling calm.”

Finally, LeeAnn Yare, interior stylist and owner of homewares store Collected, says she felt it was important for her room design to showcase the colour pink.

“Pink is one of my favourite colours,” she says. “I use it regularly in my styling work and I wanted to give that nod to BCFNZ, with pink being their signature colour.”

Yare often encourages people to not be afraid of colour and was thrilled to be able to put her design skills towards such a worthy cause.

“I really wanted to show that pink can be embraced by both men and women and can be a very rejuvenating and enlivening colour for anyone, whatever their story.”

The public will have the opportunity to bid on each of the four beautiful Sealy Posturepedic Exquisite beds along with the styling accessories. These will be listed on Trade Me over a two-week period from October 15-31, with all proceeds donated to the BCFNZ to aid their research, support and education.

www.sealy.co.nz

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