Byron Bay concept interior designer Nyree Mackenzie has overseen the creative direction and retail space fit out for the region’s new multi-million dollar retail precinct Mercato on Byron. It is one of the first retail precincts in Australia to be awarded Five Star Green Star Retail Centre Design v1 2018 rating for its low carbon footprint, with the retail shop fit-outs ensuring a relaxed costal feel and affinity for the environment.
Mackenzie says the precinct is more than just a shopping centre. “It’s a haven for the artistic brilliance of the region, from oil paintings and landscape drawings to resin sculpture, ceramics and glass work, I’m so excited to be able to showcase the talent of the regions’s artistic community to the two million annual visitors to Byron Bay,” said Mackenzie.
The highly anticipated retail hub is soon to unveil its own artistic masterpieces, with three major pieces commissioned as part of the precinct’s public art fit out. Two local artists, Nyree Mackenzie and Woody from Eastern Forge, have collaborated on two of the pieces: Feather Chair and The Big Scrub, while a third artwork by local aboriginal artist Lois Cook will be installed at the travelator entrance to the precinct.
“Mercato on Byron has such a distinct Byron flavour, thanks to the use of natural, raw and recycled materials in the fit out and the addition of stunning local artworks is the icing on the cake,” said Mackenzie. As well as the art pieces incorporated into the building itself, Mercato on Byron also boasts the Garasu Art Studio and Gallery, an extension of the established Garasu Lodge, where more than twelve artists from southeast Queensland will be featured when the precinct opens. Artists including Ian Tremewan, Lorraine Abernethy, Mal Leckie, Leisa O’Brien, Otto Schmidinger, John Turton and Manuela Pilz will be exhibited alongside sculptors Damian Berrili, Ilia Chidzey, Stephen Baxter and Jutta Pilz at the new gallery.
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