Peter Rowland presents 'Mute'.

Peter Rowland and Harry the hirer.

Peter Rowland has been feeding Melbourne since 1962. From humble beginnings, the Peter Rowland business has grown to become one of Australia’s most successful, innovative and respected food and entertaining companies. From corporate headquarters and commercial kitchens in South Yarra Peter Rowland engineered what would become legendary parties for business titans including Rupert Murdoch, Kerry Packer, Alan Bond and Christopher Skase as well as iconic major events such as the Melbourne Cup Carnival and Australian Formula One Grand Prix.

John Wilson, Consulting Creative Director at Peter Rowland takes over the Style Lab this month. His 40-year career is centered around diversity, creativity and impact. John’s previous work as a creative director for some of Australia’s best-known hospitality names has utilised his skills in food and beverage concept development, creative direction, talent development and business modelling.

PRG - JW: The relationship between Peter Rowland and Harry the hirer goes back years. Founder Peter Rowland, the late florist Kevin O’Neill and Harry the hirer were a formidable creative partnership and created some of the most memorable events ever staged.

My personal relationship with Harry's is recent – although I am a Melbourne person and spent my younger life in Victoria, the vast part of my life I have spent in Sydney, so my relationship with Harry the hirer has grown with their expansion into the Sydney market.

Tell us about your Style Lab, 'Mute'?

PRG - JW:  It’s an idea I have had floating in my mind for a while. I prefer people and food colour to colour an event space. The Japanese concept of wabi-sabi and the writing of Kenya Hara has really captivated me and the more I travel to Japan to see it working in situ has improved my understanding of beauty in simplicity. Shade and negative space is the area that I work with – I am always looking at the frame the surrounds flamboyance.

What did you want to achieve with this setting?

PRG - JW:  For me and in the field the I work in, it is all about the guest experience and the emotional response that a person has to my work. Grey in the colour spectrum is clinical and has an association with melancholia, impartiality or an emotionally “mute” state. In that sense it is an excellent medium to leverage and stimulate other emotions, a bit like “every cloud has a silver lining” – a concept that is paramount in the event world where we are often helping people to mark important moments in their lives. These moments are an important part of the human condition and giving life purpose.

Why do you love your job?

PRG - JW:  Events are like steam. To create something successful you need to move like water by listening and becoming the best medium to communicate the requirements of your client. Once the event activates it is “full steam ahead”, but the moment the event ends the whole experience evaporates. I also like the fact that I never feel I got everything right, no matter what anyone says I always see room for improvement. I like change, I like failure, because I love personal growth.

What kind of events do you like working on best?

PRG - JW:  I prefer working with smaller budgets because they challenge my thing more than endless amount of money. I’ve done everything from luxury brands and celebrity weddings to backyard bar mitzvah’s and crew food for roadies – every single one of them has been enjoyable for their own particular reason.

Favourite Melbourne hangout? Or place to go for inspiration?

PRG - JW: Citta – it’s a perfect place for contemplation and debate. If you are lucky enough to sit at the end of the bar with Ronnie di Stasio all the better his astute awareness of all things and his ability to articulate comfort through the environments he creates is inimitable.

And lastly, your favourite Harry the hirer piece?

PRG - JW: I work very hard not to have favourite anything, particular objects. Having “favourites” limits our ability to think broadly – successful creative direction is finding inspiration and beauty in all things.