Young painters Kenan Namunjdja and Rosina Gunjarrwanga are the first artists from Maningrida, in the northeast corner of the Northern Territory, to exhibit in Primavera, the annual exhibition at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA). This year’s curator, Sydney-based artist Mitch Cairns, has brought together a total of seven young artists under the age of 35 from across Australia – Mitchel Cumming, Rosina Gunjarrwanga, Lucina Lane, Aodhan Madden, Kenan Namunjdja, Zoe Marni Robertson and Coen Young. It’s a much anticipated annual showcase, and a huge accolade for all the young artists involved.

Although I have written on the subject of indigenous art before, I must admit that this was the first time I have actually spoken to the artists themselves, rather than working off written information and emails. Chatting to Kenan via Skype from my Melbourne office, I quickly realised that the framework I was using to structure this article – even the questions themselves, like ‘how old were you when you first started painting?’ – were somewhat misdirected. The artists paint subject matter that is deeply connected to their history, lineage and place, continuing the strong legacies that are as old as the land itself.  Questions such as ‘What’s your inspiration?’ doesn’t quite cut it.

Kenan remembers being taught to paint at an early age by his father, the renowned painter artist Bulanj S. Namunjdja, who passed away last year. His grandfather was also a painter. If you look closely at Kenan’s work, you’ll notice that what looks like blocks of colour is actually a painstakingly intricate cross hatching-type pattern. This is called rarrk, and is a technique that Kenan’s father was internationally recognised for. I learned from talking with Kenan that families paint the same subject matter – in this case, stories of the kununurra (wind) and malawian (goanna) – preserving the legacy of this deep history. Kenan integrates elements of his mother’s family stories as well. He explains this more in his catalogue essay for the Primavera:

‘Kunkurra (spiral wind) is for the Mankorlod area. [It] has songs, so when we sing, kunkurra comes out. Kunkurra is not easy, kunkurra is really hard. It blows everything away, like a cyclone. My father, he painted all these together, kalawan (goanna), ngalng (yabby), narawan (Oenpelli python), the sacred sites, their ceremonies, they are all linked.’

I spoke with Rosina with help from renowned Maningrida elder, Melba, as well as the art centre manager Michelle. Rosina is also the child of a highly respected artist, Susan Marawarr, and similarly to Kenan, paints the stories of her mother’s clan, the Kurulk. A painter and a sculptor, Rosina depicts the Wakwak (crow) story, representing strength, resilience and constancy. As a djungkay – having inherited management responsibility of her mother’s country – Rosina draws on these sacred symbols and sites of this land.

I can’t speak with authority on… almost anything, but in particular, Rosina and Kenan’s work. But what is clear to me is that Kenan and Rosina are doing important cultural work in their communities, and represent a new generation of exciting young artists to come out of Maningrida, following in their parent’s footsteps. Together, these young artists make up almost a third of the Primavera 2019 programming! If you’re in Sydney, make sure you head down to MCA to see the striking works of all seven artists in person, to see how the young artists of today interpret our world.

Primavera 2019 
October 11th 2019 – February 9th 2020
Galleries: Level 1 South
Museum of Contemporary Art
140 George Street
The Rocks
Sydney, New South Wales

No Replica Furniture

Emma Smith of No Replica Furniture is passionate about scouting for 20th century design items, and follows two clear criteria when deciding what makes the cut, ‘the simple answer is shape and colour.’ Emma scours the internet through a ‘regular mix of eBay, gumtree and marketplace’ and emphasises that persistence is key. She also highlights the value of building relationships with sellers and getting to know the style of personal connectors, as ‘it is an investment to spend time with collectors or other vintage resellers, as they don’t reveal all their secrets at once!’

Emma describes Instagram as a ‘place of creative expression, and an opportunity to build relationships with followers. No Replica work with Derek Swalwell and Jess Brohier to capture the beauty of their incredible finds, and help customers visualise the pieces in their own homes.

Curated Spaces

Pip Newell of Curated Spaces (CS) actually prompted us to create this post! We were so inspired by scrolling through her instagram feed, we wondered how she manages to find such gems. Pip reveals that she spends her days trawling Market Place on Facebook, Gumtree and eBay, as well as specialist buy/swap/sell groups, living by the motto ‘you never know where beautiful pieces will pop up, so its best to spread your search over several different platforms.’ Offline, Pip delves into op shops, vintage stores and auction houses, and advises ‘potential is key, don’t judge a book by its cover!’ Her best ever find was a marble Angelo Mangiarotti Eros Console, which she paid $200 for, and is worth upwards of $20,000. What a steal!

Over the past three years, CS has grown to be one of the biggest Instagram accounts selling secondhand furniture and home wares in Australia (we can see why!) and Pip works with twelve curators sourcing items from across the country. Her exacting eye for finding and styling, and responsive use of Instagram to interact with customers and share her outrageously great finds make CS an essential stop for vintage shopping/Instagram dreaming!

CCSS

Clare from CCSS explains that the team look EVERYWHERE when finding pieces, ‘online, clearance houses, actions, overseas’ with a constant eye out for items that make a statement. CCSS are probably best known for their iconic Togo couches, as well as other mid century and retro delights.

Clare explains that Instagram is a perfect platform for a visual business, and wryly notes ‘it also helps that everyone is on Instagram!” The open communication helps CCSS have a conversation with customers, and especially to keep an eye out while sources for pieces for key collectors before someone else snaps them up!

en gold

en gold is a Melbourne based maker of marble furniture, that also sources vintage furniture and wares nationally. Their Instagram has such an active following that they drop new stock every Monday and Thursday at 8pm, to a frenzy of comments and sales!

en gold is predominantly focused on natural stone and marble items from around the work, but Steffanie Ball also seeks out beautiful furniture that aligns with this serene palette. Instagram was a key focus for en gold from the get go, and Steff explains ‘I didn’t have any expectation of where it would lead, however it just felt like the first step in building an audience and creating an online presence.’ Get ready for the 8pm drop!

Generally Worn

Generally Worn has a bit of a cult following, as a curator of vintage objects, accessories and clothing. Sarah Hood explains that she is constantly on the lookout at op shops, vintage wholesalers, markets, garage sales as ‘you have to have your finger on the pulse and know where to look.’

After years of sourcing, Sarah always makes a bee-line for neutral colours and natural fabrics, with a mix of 70s and 90s influences. Instagram has always been part of the Generally Worn DNA, as Sarah closed a previous jewellery account and leveraged her followers into this vintage account. She enthuses ‘it catapulted my vintage business into the Instagram world. Instant customers from Day 1, and I haven’t looked back.’

When the owner of this Melbourne period home contacted Cassie James-Herrick, director of CJH Studio, to undertake a complete interior overhaul, she was not only engaging a designer with impeccable taste, but one who understood her exact stage in life. Both Cassie and her client had babies of a similar age, allowing them to bond over the gripes of early parenthood, while combining their knowledge of what is most needed in a home for families with small children. The answer? Storage and light-filled interiors.

Custom joinery is an ’absolute favourite element of mine in any interior’, says Cassie, and this project in particular was a chance to flex her muscles. Her design features custom made cabinetry in every room, providing a uniquely personalised storage solution, as well as playing a major aesthetic role. ‘Balance was key to the joinery elements. I wanted to offset heavier full-height elements of the joinery (which maximised storage space) with lighter elements that become more like furniture in the room,’ Cassie says. The living room in particular balances the needs of the home’s adult and young occupants, by incorporating large pullout toy boxes and open shelves at an accessible height to suit children, with the television housed above behind closed doors. 

Some small changes were made to the existing floorplan to enable greater functionality, without expanding the home’s footprint. One of these tweaks was to internalise the outdoor deck, turning it into the home’s main dining area. The study was also halved in size, but doubled in storage space, creating room in the floorplan for a powder room and a butler’s pantry.

The client wished to retain some of the period features of the home, but ultimately strip away its overarching dark and formal style. ‘We really wanted to harness more natural light and tones throughout the house,’ says Cassie. ‘We loved working with the original traditional elements and bringing this together with the proposed interior concept to become a more contemporary take on this.’

Varying shades of grey feature on the interior walls, complemented by natural stone bench tops, light American oak, terrazzo floor tiles, and hints of brass and black throughout the fixtures. ‘The client loved greys, and they were visible throughout her visual references originally. I wanted to play on the heritage brass that was the traditional finish element in the house, without this becoming the main finish on all the fixtures,’ says Cassie. ‘We still mixed this in, but we brought in the black for the more contemporary element they were also craving.’

The impact of these changes has culminated in a beautiful home that is not precious or pretentious. As Cassie describes it, ‘The design is relaxed, warm and inviting, yet practical. All the design elements are luxurious, highly detailed and considered, but are also forgiving for daily life and inevitable kids accidents.’

Clare Bowditch raised her family in an urban community in Thornbury, in a house with no back fence and a mulberry tree in the yard. She creates without fences too, whether it’s music, her memoir or her company Big Hearted Business. She doesn’t like to compartmentalise. Her feelings are a package deal. 

Clare’s new book, Your Own Kind of Girl is a special gift about overcoming self-doubt and finding your creative voice, but at the book launch she only wanted to say thanks. She presented flowers to all the people who helped her, and at one point asked an entire row of extended family to stand in the audience so they could be applauded too.

We met for lunch at North Island in North Fitzroy. She wore an orange printed dress, cinnamon coloured sunglasses and bright earrings that fluttered either side of her face. Clare Bowditch is fresh flowers personified, and orders a ‘stiff piccolo,’ because she’s no shrinking violet.

Virginia Woolf said you need a fierce attachment to an idea in order to see it through. What was yours to your book? What kept you coming back to it?

When I was 21, I promised myself I’d one day write it, which was 21 years ago now. It took that long. I needed to wait and see if my life worked out or not. Back then I couldn’t have imagined it would. I was dealing with what I now know was anxiety in turbo drive. I was in the throws of a nervous breakdown, but I found some things that helped and I was able to recover. Through art, creativity and techniques to manage my anxiety, I was able to imagine a future beyond my immediate circumstances. I promised at some stage I’d pass the baton. If I look at the past two decades of work, I think that’s what I’ve been trying to do. To keep generating that feeling. I imagined one day I’d be a grown up with kids and a dog and someone to love, where I’d make music and then write a book. It’s curious to me and quite wonderful that it’s indeed what’s happened.

Would you say you manifested it?

I took the action steps, I guess. I had a really clear dream as a kid of what I wanted to do. I forgot what it was, as we often do in life. Things get in the way, our self-doubt gets in the way, but then I learned some ways to get through it.  

What do you find works best for you in overcoming your self-doubt? I know you named your anxiety Frank, which is great.

Frank is an umbrella title for a feeling of foreboding. I came up with it during the very early recovery stage of my breakdown, when I didn’t really know how to separate my emotions. Now I know it was just anxiety that needed training. Reading Jack Kornfield helped a lot, as did a really practical little book by Dr Claire Weekes called Peace from Nervous Suffering. She was a stalwart of the Australian post-war veteran field. She helped people deal with anxiety before it really had a name. Slowly, slowly I was able to work past it, but it took until I was 27 to have the guts to put my own songs in the world. I’d been building that courage from age 21. I still have self-doubt, but these days it can motivate me. It tells me I’m onto something. My songs have always sat in me like pets. I can’t rush them. They come when they’re ready and my job is to make room for them. So I just keep showing up with my pen and paper.

Who did you write your book for?

It’s dedicated to Rowena, my sister who I lost when I was young, Doctor Clare Weekes and my dear friend John Patrick Hedigan, who was the first person I shared my songs with at 22. We started a band together and he introduced me to this cool drummer called Marty (now my husband). John fell in love with my best mate and they went on to have kids too. He passed away earlier this year, so his story is in there too.

It’s a love story and it’s dedicated to the legacies of their grand lives, but I think it’s for anyone who is still suffering from self-doubt and needs something positive to read. The first half isn’t an easy read, but it’s a true read, and I really believe if we tell the truth it helps people feel less alone. It’s a hopeful story. 

It sounds like emotionally expensive behaviour, for which we’re eternally grateful. You give so much of yourself in your music too. How do you replenish the tank?

I think it’s a self-generating engine, the giving and getting, so that’s fulfilling in itself. I’m also restored by the same things that helped me recover when I was 21, baking, gardening, walking, reading, crushing flowers in my hand and smelling them, hanging out with my kids. Simple small things, like sitting with my cup of tea and reading my Design Files!

How do you and Marty share the parenting load?

We were in a band together for four years before we finally admitted we were in love with each other, then we became parents soon after that. So the working relationship was already pretty clear, and we had a firm idea of how we wanted to parent. It was crazy, foolhardy behaviour, but it worked for us. Early on I took on the role as primary carer due to biological reasons, I was a breastfeeding mum, but both of us have always been all hands on deck. I feel very fortunate that we get along well. We have to make an effort these days, but he’s my biggest champion, really, just like I am for him. 

Your Own Kind of Girl is also the name of a pretty special song of yours about body acceptance at any size. What does it mean to you?

I wrote that one for my audience, in response to some beautiful letters I received. I often still get choked up when I play it. I wanted to encourage people to count themselves in. I had to tell a painful story of my own to do that, but I truly believe our peace and strength comes from accepting ourselves for who we are. Our relationship with our bodies is complex and glorious. It’s a big journey. I’m happy to have a song like that out there. Every time I play it, it reminds me that my instinct was right. We’re more than our size. I didn’t know it for a long time.

The world has already started telling my daughters what they should look like. I’ve got a three year old who is conscious of the size of her belly because someone at daycare told her it’s because she eats too much.

It was three for me too. That’s when I first got the message. Now you get to say to her what my mother said to me: ’You’re not too big, you’re a peach and you’re gorgeous.’

Here’s the reality, our body size is a complex interplay between genetics and the way we store our food, and the way we eat in response to things and the size of our forefathers. We haven’t really been able to have a great conversation around that. But we have frameworks like Health at Every Size and great nutritionists like Ellyn Satter, who has some really useful thinking around food. Have a read of her in the context of your daughter, because your baby girl has done nothing wrong.

I will. Thank you. Is fostering a positive body image something you do consciously in your household?

My kids have never had to have a conversation around it for themselves. Curiously it’s not an issue. I’ve always been really open with them about my history, and what the temptations were likely to be for them based on the images around us and the stories we’re told. They understand not to comment on a person’s size, just as we don’t comment on their gender, colour, sexuality and so on. They get that every human has a right to be here in this world and be who they are. You do, I do, they do. They also understand the complexity of the grief I was brought up in and how that factored in. 

Have you found writing your book to be a healing experience?

One of the good things about navigating sadness early on in life is that it gave me the sense that I was never going to be ‘fixed.’ There’s functional and non-functional, and things become non-functional when we have no way to speak the truth about our feelings. I used to think there was some place I’d get to in the future where everything would be perfect. Then I realised there wasn’t, and that’s not such a bad thing.

Carey Grant described his journey to healing as a process of pulling away barnacles and discovering more barnacles. Do you relate to that?

Yes, but there’s gold in there too. That’s why we keep searching. Our barnacles are our circumstances, and we have no say over them, none, just like we can’t choose the weather. Just like I can’t choose my body size or birth. But we have this opportunity to choose the next thought.

Your Own Kind of Girl is about the point in my life I decided to tell myself a different story. If I’d continued to tell myself that there was no hope for me, then that would have perhaps been what was lived out. But I told myself I had a chance at a more hopeful story, and I decided to believe it.

FAMILY FAVOURITES

Rainy day activity

We play a Dutch game called the sjoelbak.

Sunday morning breakfast

My husband is a wonderful cook. Eggs with herbs is his go-to with buttered toast. And a bloody good cup of tea.

Date night?

One of the secrets to working with your partner and still having a love life is going on regular Wednesday night date nights. We usually just find a hole in the wall and toast to the week that’s been.

Go-to album?

Donny Hathaway Live.

Weekend getaway?

We are lucky to have good friends in the town of Castlemaine, it’s only an hour and a half from Melbourne, so it’s the perfect quick getaway. It’s also got a wonderful arts community so sometimes we catch a show at the local theatre.

Ultimate ‘me time’ experience? 

Lying in bed with a cuppa and a wonderful book with golden hour light streaming through the window.

Clare’s first book, Your Own Kind Of Girl, is available now from all good bookstores!

There aren’t many opportunities for city-dwellers to partake in idyllic country-life activities such as picking fresh produce from the garden, fetching eggs from the chicken pen, and sighting newly born calves. Fortunately, Jamberoo Valley Farm is here to fill that void!

This farm stay accomodation near Kiama, on the NSW South Coast, comprises a peaceful two-bedroom home on a 65-acre organic working farm. Among the organic fruit and vegatables grown on the farm are carrots, heirloom garlic, beetroot, sweet potato, micro herbs and blood limes (a hybrid of an Australian finger lime and a mandarin originally developed by the CSIRO). Guests are invited to hand pick produce from the cottage’s kitchen garden and collect freshly-laid eggs from the chicken pen during their stay. They also have the opportunity to feed the farm’s cows, sheep and pigs at 9am each weekday alongside the full-time farmhand, Ooreh.

This accommodation was founded by interior designer Evette Moran. The farm was originally purchased by Evette and her husband for the sole purpose of supplying organic produce to their restaurant, The Botanica, in Vaucluse in Sydney, but upon viewing the property, Evette had the idea to completely redesign the existing cottage on-site as a holiday house.

Evette designed the home herself alongside stylist Styled By Love specifically for families. ‘I wanted to make this really cosy space where everyone could reconnect with one another and nature,’ Evette says. ‘I was going for that whole ‘Scandinavian homestead’ feel. It was all about cosiness and comfort.’  To empathise the property’s views, Dulux paint shade Domino was used on the living room walls to draw the eye outside. ‘You have the rural land and that beautiful ocean. I just think that’s such an unbeatable combination,’ Evette says.

The entire accomodation has been carefully considered to provide families with a quiet and restorative, yet luxury, getaway. Every season provides its own perks, from relaxing in the steaming outdoor Swedish spa or by the fireplace in winter, to heading to the stunning nearby beaches in summer. Evette says, ‘It is quite nurturing. It’s a got a really beautiful, calm energy where you just instantly unwind.’

Book a stay at Jamberoo Valley Farm here!

Growing up, ceramicist Sophie Nolan’s parents owned a homewares store ‘bursting with beautifully designed and curated objects’, and was surrounded by vases, bowls and vessels from all over the globe at a young age. ‘Creating my own ceramics seems like a natural part of my journey’, she explains.

Sophie initially studied Visual Communication, and has run a successful graphic design studio, Showoff Design, for most of her career. It wasn’t until a few years ago that a friend suggested she try her hand at clay. Six months from her very first pinch pot, and Sophie was already selling her very first collection! The initial series of matte black, curvy vases sold out within weeks, giving Sophie the confidence that she might just be onto a good thing.

Sophie’s ceramics celebrate the human form, ‘focusing on the beauty of our unique imperfections, curves, nuances and individualism’, she explains. It’s no surprise she has recently taken up life drawing classes, as her vessels look like they could have been made directly in response to a human pose or gesture.

Working from her home studio in Bilgola on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Sophie hand-builds her vessels from stoneware clay. Starting with a character in mind, first, she sketches out the shape in its angles and curves, then slowly moulds the desired form using slab building and techniques, allowing the shape to emerge as she works. The forms are then bisque fired, glazed and fired again.

‘In contrast to graphic design, I am seduced by the messiness and tactile quality of clay’, she shares, and when she’s in the midst of creating a new collection, it’s often spread out ‘from one end of the room to the other’. She also holds ‘clay dates’ at her studio, where she teaches basic hand-building techniques to small groups over tea.

It’s now been a little over three years since the mother-of-three girls first started getting her hands dirty in clay, and these days her computer is ‘squashed up in the far corner’ of the studio she once used solely for graphic design! Her ever-growing ceramics practice is supported by various client commissions, as well as orders from several interiors stores and local stylists. Sophie’s work is also often featured in photoshoots (which is how we found her!) and, more recently, in art exhibitions. In fact, she’s in a show opening this weekend! You can find 12 of Sophie’s sculptural works alongside pieces by figurative painters Dylan Jones and Stef Tarasov at StudioDirect Michael Reid, on this Saturday November 9th + Sunday November 10th at Michael Reid Gallery in Surry Hills. 

The ‘Outside In House’ in Melbourne’s Williamstown was driven by the owner’s wish to restore their double storey weatherboard bungalow, while adding a modern addition that respected the past. The owners had lived in the home for many years, and developed strong connections to its original characteristics, and wanted the sensibility of the property to be retained in the renovations.

Architect and interior designer Michael Ong, of MODO Architecture explains it was ‘vital for our design concept to respond directly and gently.’ His approach was to maintain the structure of the existing home, designing only small interventions in keeping with its original design, then add an L-shaped extension to the rear.

The new zinc clad addition encourages open-plan living, particularly in the glass link between the old and new portions of the home, which invites abundant natural light and views of the garden. Michael says this extension was intended to be ‘as building-less as possible, allowing this space instead to emphasise the contrast and individual beauty of the traditional and the modern architecture.’ The entire rear facade is a glazed wall, in order to bring the outdoors in as much as possible. ‘We wanted to make the barrier between the interior and exterior as thin as possible – almost as if it was invisible,’ Michael says.

Michael’s favourite part of this house is where the original cladding of the bungalow has been brought into the indoors, to form one of the extension’s interior walls. He highlights how this wall ‘might have been considered ordinary, and in so many cases would have been demolished, [but] we were able to retain and transform it into something quite special and unique’. As Michael enthuses –’even the banal can be made into gold!’ with an inventive approach.

When looking at images of this home, it’s hard to determine where exactly it might be located. The cool white exterior suggests Palm Springs, the tropical landscaping and prominent façade is reminiscent of Brazilian architecture, and the interiors would look perfectly at home in a Greek or Italian resort.

This house is actually located in Sydney’s Bellevue Hill, and was deliberately crafted to combine a diverse but complementary array of architectural influences.

Renovations over time had seen this home become far removed from its mid-century origins by architect George Reves. Luigi Rosselli Architects and Studio Schelp were engaged to restore the home’s character, alongside Alwill Interiors, whose unique flair was sought for the indoors. This experienced design dream team worked with landscape firm Dangar Barin Smith to deliver a remarkable home where every detail has been considered and enhanced.

Referencing the work of Italian architect Giovanni Ponti, and modern Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, Luigi Rosselli’s design set out to enrich the home’s existing exterior curves, and highlight these in the interiors. ‘The client wanted to keep it feeling light, open and airy, striking a balance between timeless elegance and paying homage to the unmistakable mid-century details and style,’ says Romaine Alwill, director of Alwill Interiors. ‘The house was to be luxurious in its execution, yet practical, and have an element of playfulness throughout.’

The floorplan was updated to feature predominately open-plan spaces, more conducive to the client’s relaxed harbourside lifestyle. This new layout presented a challenge to Alwill, requiring an integration of clever design cues to define the formal rooms from those more casual. ‘It’s actually a very difficult house to furnish! ‘Not only are there curves and few right angles, but the home’s openness makes it hard to define a language for each space,’ Romaine says. ‘Also, the client had three teenage kids, so it couldn’t be too precious. When it’s distinctly separate rooms it’s much easier!’

A Mediterranean feeling is instilled in the interiors through the use of ocean motifs, glamorous lighting pendants, and shades of teal and ice blue. ‘People say you shouldn’t combine blue and green, but I tend to disagree! Luigi is Italian so those Mediterranean curves are innate to him, but they were also a part of the original house, so I wanted to embrace that. It all came together quite naturally,’ Romaine says.

The result of these radical yet sympathetic updates has truly elevated this architecturally significant home to the next level. Romaine’s favourite element of the property is the connection between the indoors and out, and surprisingly, the powder room!

‘It’s heaven, I love how the materials came together in there: silk wallpaper, Hermes marble and brass. It’s like being in a cloud, but with fish swimming on the walls!’

Charlie Lawler and Wona Bae of Melbourne-based Loose Leaf Studio are known for their concept-driven installations. Including contributions to the groundbreaking Empire immersive exhibition from artist Rone earlier this year, their practice explores the overlap of nature with the built environment, asking viewers to confront their own relationship with the natural world.  

The duo’s immersive installation projects have grown out of various locations in different forms across Melbourne over the past year – sprouting from the Collingwood Arts Precinct’s wooden floorboards at last year’s Flowering Now exhibition; cascading between columns and archways in The Establishment Studios; erupting from the site of an abandoned petrol station, and creeping down the walls of a studio space in Brunswick East. Now, Charlie and Wona are making their first public museum presentation in the iconic modernist building Heide II – En Route is a site-specific installation at the Heide Museum of Modern Art.

‘We present the natural world as the protagonist with an active voice and central role’, Charlie explains of the installation. ‘With En Route we invite visitors to imagine a time when these familiar yet foreign natural forms gradually engulf the building at Heide II, rolling down hallways and over walls.’

Photographer Sean Fennessy is an ongoing collaborative partner for Charlie and Wona, capturing images of these ephemeral artworks and preserving them far beyond their natural life cycle. Sean’s photographic works will accompany the installation, documenting interventions made by the artists over several months both within and outside the Heide II building, and wider surrounds.

In addition to the botanical installation, Charlie and Wona will be giving an artist talk on Saturday, November 9th alongside Heide’s artistic director Lesley Harding. Later this month, their Collingwood studio will be open to the public for a ticketed studio visit, where the artists will delve further into their art practice and processes. Visit the Heide website for more information!

En Route: Wona Bae and Charlie Lawler
November 9th, 2019– February 2nd, 2020
Heide II at Heide Museum of Modern Art
7 Templestowe Road
Bulleen, Victoria

OK so we’ve shared a few homes from the Byron / Northern NSW area recently… but this one really has stolen our hearts! Architectural designer Zana Wright co-designed this home for her parents to live in as they get older, working alongside Alice Nivison of Fresh Prince Studio. Zana’s parents have lived on this land for the past 12 years, and a few years ago Zana came to stay in a small converted cowshed at the end of the property… and never left. Zana, Sam and Lumi are currently renting this stunning home from Zana’s parents, until they are ready to downsize and move in. Everybody wins!!

The house is designed to have a ‘minimal environmental footprint’ and is informed by the local context in a very material way. Zana explains that ‘place’ is built into the home, by utilising primarily local materials. The home is constructed from earth, stone and Australian hardwoods, all locally sourced. Zana worked with local sustainable builders Balanced Earth, who her partner Sam works for. Zana, her Dad and Sam also collaboratively built the joinery, kitchen, bathroom and earthen floors. This home is a TRUE family affair!

Through the design of this home, the family is connected to the changing cycle of the seasons, and the knowledge that a change of wind conditions mean the surf might be pumping! Zana is both romantic and realistic about the open-plan design, explaining ‘having parts of the house situated outside undercover is climatically appropriate for our subtropical bush location, however, we do still have a winter, during which I enjoy how the house forces you not to become too precious!’

When Zana talks about the home being connected to place, she means literally MADE of its surroundings! She describes the interior styling as ‘simple and honest’ with the construction materials visible in the finished design. These earthy and raw tones and textures serve as a backdrop for the family’s collection of handcrafted artworks and object – made by Zana and Sam, their family or swag of creative pals!

Zana’s favourite space is the outdoor bathroom (and only partly because it never really needs a clean!). She communicates the pure joy of standing under a hot shower in chilly winter air under the milky way overhead.

While this might all sound and look like an absolute dream, Zana flags that the build wasn’t without its difficulties. Building with local materials sounded like a sensible and relatively easy idea at the outset, but, incredibly, it wasn’t always the more convenient or cost effective option. Zana explains that counterintuitively ‘I found that using natural and recycled materials over standardised materials bought from the hardware store usually involved extra labour, which was difficult to reconcile with the budget.’

Despite from these minor setbacks, Zana and family cherish the home they’ve created here. It’s been a truly collaborative labour of love, and Zana, Sam and Lumi are fully embracing their current living arrangements, until it is time to hand over the keys to her parents!

This free-standing double storey Art Deco house in St Kilda East was originally built in 1935, and the characteristics of this era still shine through. The curving bay windows and blackwood timber panelling are classic art deco elements, but so too were the dark and dysfunctional interior spaces. The owners had lived in the home for 25 years, and when their children had grown up and moved out, it was time to reconfigure the space to reflect a new stage in their life.

Architect Luke Fry  considered how to transform the solid brick home at the end of a cul-de-sac in a way that respected the exceptional condition it was in, and the art deco character. Luke explains the connection between old and new was important. ‘In some cases it is best to create a clearly defined line between old and new, however, in this particular case the line is very blurred’ he outlines. The result is a gentle update to the ground floor kitchen, dining and laundry spaces, an additional bathroom, and the creation of a better entertaining spaces both indoor and outdoor.

The renovations draw on the past, to create spaces that feel like they always should have been here! The original blackwood timber panelling provided a reference point for the rich colour palette used in the renovation, with the addition of sirius black natural stone, Japanese tiles and grey natural stone. Brushed brass tapware and lighting adds a refined flair.

Outside, the newly developed outdoor living space takes a more modern approach, as the bold steel lines extend from the house out into the garden. Luke explains ‘the steel structure is contemporary, but it takes a number of cues from the original details of the home’.

This art deco gem is now perfectly placed to work for a new era of family life. And the critics agree – the project won 5 awards in 2018, including best renovation in Australia between $350,000 – $800,000 (National Association of Building Designers).

After working for a decade as a graphic designer in Australia and the UK, Jarrad Turner began to apply his interest in design and detail to the physical realm. He would spend his spare time trawling through flea markets and second-hand shops, and eventually he started to buy and sell vintage design. This enterprise first started as a side hustle, mostly inspired by Jarrad’s desire to buy pieces for his own home. He explains ‘I continued to buy and restore items and sell them on, and from starting out of my spare room, it soon took over my graphic design work, and I became dedicated to dealing in vintage design.’

Over the last 15 years, Jarrad has moved from fixing small scratches on one-off pieces, to now opening Nord, where he imports quality items from Europe, undertakes full restorations, and creates refurbished treasures for customers here. The showroom reflects Jarrad’s love of Scandinavian design, which first bloomed when he was studying. He describes ‘once I found a couple of Danish pieces locally, including a Hans Wegner sofa, I was truly able to appreciate the high quality of the craftsmanship and materials used.’ Finely crafted, functional Scandi design continues to be Jarrad’s passion, and a constant source of inspiration for his business.

While the majority of pieces in the Nord showroom are sourced from Denmark, Jarrad has recently expanded his design horizons to include speciality items from Britain, Italy, France, the Netherlands and Germany. Jarrad acknowledges that he’s definitely found his dream job – with plenty of overseas trips to visit suppliers and local flea markets. Online buying can be great, but for Jarrad, being able to see the quality of an item, or stumble upon an unexpected piece is an important part of the process.

Jarrad confirms that there seems to be a huge boom in is mid-century and vintage furniture at the moment, and that customers ‘seem less interested in brand names, and would rather choose something unique and of real quality that tells a story of who they are.’ He also highlights the growing awareness of the environmental impact of disposable items, and the understanding that restoring a beautiful vintage item is an excellent aesthetic as well as ethical choice. Win win!

Nord
261 Albert st
Brunswick
Victoria 3056

Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10m – 5pm

I first met Clare Bowditch around 10 years ago, and since then have watched her career continue to rise, and also, adapt and morph over time. In the past decade she’s turned her hand to so many different creative projects… and it seems there’s nothing she isn’t good at! She won a logie for her role Offspring, she spent two years presenting ABC radio, she’s hosted workshops and events for creative people, and now… of course, she’s finally released her first book!

The book, of course, is ‘Your Own Kind Of Girl’, and it’s a memoir of sorts. Clare’s passionate followers will know her as a ‘heart-on-the-sleeve’ sort of person, and that’s very much apparent in this book – and in our podcast conversation! This is a very candid chat about all the things that have led Clare to where she is now, and to the release of this book.

There really is something quite magical about Clare. She has an uncanny knack for making you feel like the centre of the universe when she’s speaking to you. We very much hope some of that magic comes through in this podcast!

Notes and Links

Visit clarebowditch.com for all Clare’s news and more info on ‘Your Own Kind of Girl’, which is out NOW in all good bookshops.

Clare is currently in the midst of her EPIC national book tour – check out the full book tour schedule here, and follow along on Instagram @clarebowditch.

Architect Daniel Boddam explains that this holiday home was designed to be a ‘calm, coastal oasis where we can feel relaxed and inspired.’ Daniel is no stranger to creating his own spaces, having previously designed his own apartments in both Potts Point and Bondi. For this project, he really upped the ante, custom-designing all the furniture!

The home is guided by references picked up on Daniel’s travels – predominantly Ibiza – as he wanted it to ‘evoke a bohemian spirit of travel and adventure which is also relevant to Bryon Bay.’ The project began with a ‘full gut renovation’, where the garage was divided in two to create a new reading room/study. The kitchen and dining rooms were opened up and relocated to welcome in the natural light, and make the most of the surrounding views. Upstairs, the space was reconfigured to add an additional bedroom (from 2 to 3) with built-ins, a generous bathroom, and a wine cellar.

The renovations also included introducing a new perimeter wall that creates an internal courtyard, connecting the living room and new reading room/study. The garden feels thoroughly tropical with blooming bougainvillea and plenty of lawn for lounging. So Byron! The rear of the home is open-plan and faces out to a re-landscaped area, densely planted with low-level succulents. Daniel highlights ‘every room has a green backdrop where the sights and sounds of the natural environment are invited in.’

What really brings this home to life, though, is Daniel’s new furniture collection, titled Coast – inspired by ‘travel, adventures, and freedom.’ This home renovation was, in fact, the catalyst for Daniel’s collection, which includes an indoor sun lounger (Kelly chair) and  a set of tables at three different sizes that re-interpret the classic shape of the surfboard (Malibu Tables), alongside elegantly simple wall scones, a pendant light, bed, sofas and easy chair. Check out the range online, for your own little piece of this beautiful home!

We’re big fans of young interior architect Andrea Moore (of Studio Moore), who has worked closely with her father Lindsay (a very handy semi-retired vet!) to design and build a trio of boutique accommodation projects at Ross Farm, her family’s property in South Gippsland.  Together, Linsday and Andrea form an unstoppable design and construction duo!

Last year, we featured the first of the Ross Farm projects – The Cabin. And last week, we took you inside the recently-finished quarters of The Dairy, and today we’re focusing on The Barn, the boldest and striking of the three!

You wouldn’t know it to look at it, but The Barn is actually a complete new build. While the Moores had initially hoped to simply refit the existing barn building on site, they were forced to rebuild on the same footprint, then reclad the exterior with the original tin, to create a building as authentic to its origins as possible.

This same attention to detail continues indoors, where locally sourced recycled features sit aside luxurious but hardworking materials such as brass and speckled granite. ‘I wanted to introduce granite as one of the main interior materials inspired by the natural landscape of our beautiful Wilson’s Promontory National Park which is just down the road, known for its giant granite boulders’, Andrea explains.

As with all the other buildings at Ross Farm, each element of The Barn has been designed specifically for the space – including all furniture, cabinetry, light fittings, and hand basins. When rebuilding, the Moores lifted the roof level to allow for a mezzanine, creating a distinctly light and lofty feel. Highlighting windows captures the warm northern light and views out across the Tarwin Valley.

Aside from its striking, contemporary design, one of the main features of The Barn is Andrea’s commitment to design the entire ground level to be compliant with accessibility standards. This meant the door openings, passageways, and the bathroom design were all important considerations. ‘I was determined to make the bathroom beautiful, as many accessible bathrooms are extremely utilitarian’, Andrea tells. ‘We had brass grab rails manufactured for the space, and I exaggerated the use of these throughout the bathroom, together with floor-to-ceiling pink granite’.

The kitchen was designed to mostly ‘hang’ off the wall and look quite monolithic, clad in granite paving stones and brass sheeting. A Fisher & Paykel oven, induction cooktop and dish drawer have been seamlessly incorporated into the fit out. ‘The black induction cooktop is super minimal, which suits the aesthetic of the space and seamlessly sits into the granite benchtop’, Andrea says. Andrea and Lindsay were able to use the Dish Drawer within the wall-mounted cabinetry, integrating it into the scheme with a luxe brass door front.

Like all the Ross Farm buildings, Lindsay and family friend Paul have played a major role in building most of the interiors by hand. ‘Having these crafts on hand has certainly driven the outcome of the project’, says Andrea. ‘Their can-do attitude has resulted in something truly unique, that proudly has the DNA of its makers built into it.’

Fisher & Paykel, New Zealand’s award-winning appliance brand, has become a global force not just in product design, but also in kitchen design. The company is committed to research, development and collaboration and works closely with architects and designers to seamlessly integrate their appliances into kitchens in innovative ways. Visit, www.fisherpaykel.com to find out more.

Melbourne based artist Bruce Rowe plays with striking geometric forms, shadow, reflection and colour in his  stunning ceramic sculptural works. In his exhibition, Recent Works, opening tomorrow at Stahl + Band in Los Angeles (!), Bruce continues his trademark architectural sculptures that evoke a sense of place, by exploring ideas of protection, defense, refuge and boundary.

Bruce’s process is driven by the tactile experience of making, and rather than being inspired externally by specific buildings or landscapes, he explains that ‘the art is revealed through the work.’ His work often begins with drawing, and then creating studies and maquettes to test ideas, different clays and glaze finishes.

Working with ceramics demands patience and discipline, and Bruce highlights that for some of the larger pieces, the final result was not revealed for up to six months. It is a good thing that Bruce finds great joy in the process of making, as he highlights ‘the ceramic process cannot be rushed or pushed to completion.’ With some works requiring multiple firings, extended periods of drying, and an uncertain outcomes… he still feels ‘a genuine sense of excitement heading to the studio to work!’

All of the artworks in Recent Works are created using purpose-made clay bodies, which create a range of different finishes and surfaces. The exhibition includes three types of work – free standing sculptures, sculptural wall reliefs and box framed form studies. Installed on walls, plinths and standing in the gallery, Recent Works creates its own landscape, and a sense of place illuminated by golden LA light.

If you happen to find yourself in LA, we’ve heard a rumour that there will be a signature cocktail on offer at opening night, the ‘Aussie 75’ featuring gin, champagne and fresh lime. The exterior of the gallery has also been painted with a stylised depiction of one of the works. Architectural inception!

Recent Works
Bruce Rowe
November 9 -29th
Stahl + Band
2308 Abbot Kinney Boulevard
Venice 
California

We love forays into the more experimental varieties of Modern architecture almost as much as we love a good Australian Mid-Century beach shack (they’re design cousins really), so today we present a meeting of both.

This soaring A-Frame house has an orientation of twin wins –  breezy, surf-side South and sun-drenched North nestled in the understated beauty of salty, tea-tree coastal bushland. Inside is not your usual rag-tag A-Frame interior but a stunning and sensitively refurbed 3- level home with endless timber lining and a clever use of era-specific pop; original MCM furniture, new light fittings, dotty kitchen and that red Pirelli in the bathroom (a person favourite in flooring) which indicates a skillful knowledge celebrating the era, without turning it into a retro side-show.

Bravo and claps all round!

View the listing here, and original MA article here.

Run by Patricia Callan and Pete Bakacs, Modernist Australia is the passion-project/website dedicated to raising the profile of mid-century design and modernist principles in Australia. For more swell eye-candy, visit Modernistaustralia.com.

‘Our garden philosophy is to create a green sanctuary that evokes a sense of calm, and brings the wonder and character of plants and nature close into people’s homes’, landscape designer of Frances Hale of Peachy Green shares. Together with her team, Fran creates divinely lush, layered gardens, harnessing the rich natural resources unique to each garden – soil, aspect, climate, shade and native species.

Originally from New Zealand, Fran arrived in Melbourne almost 20 years ago, ‘to pursue a career in a city where design matters to people’, she explains. She knew she wanted to centre her future around something related to art and design, and wisely decided to realise that creativity in gardens – ’I thought it would be good for the soul’, she explains (seriously, who has the whole work/life balance thing figured out that early?), ‘although I’m not sure I knew at that stage quite how much I would grow to love working with nature’ she admits.

In 2011, Fran started her landscape design business, Peachy Green, first working out of her home, and steadily growing her practice to the ‘thriving little business’ it is today. Now, Fran and her team work from an exceedingly lovely workspace in Fairfield at the bottom of the new Nightingale 2.0 building, which she has recently decked out in layers of luxe textures and confident, bright bursts of soft peach and forest green (how fitting) with the help of Nick Harding at Ha Arch, as well as Hip V. Hype. ‘The office started as a dream of convenience – to ride the kids to school then roll downhill to the office’, Fran tells. ‘The sign popped up in my neighbourhood in the window of Nightingale 2.0, an organisation and movement that leads in such a positive direction for our cities and communities, it felt like the perfect home for Peachy Green.’

When I asked Fran what she wanted to achieve in a Peachy Green garden, her answer focused first on the emotive potential. ‘That feeling where you don’t need to go out, but would rather spend the day at home because it holds everything you need to rejuvenate’, she says. ‘To step out and experience the garden with all your senses in all the seasons is a joy, and I love seeing how happy a garden – or even a pot plant – makes people feel’. 

This sentiment is naturally echoed in Fran’s relationships with clients. ‘When designing a garden that often follows a complex renovation or build, it is impossible not to get caught up in the significance of finishing off a long journey – sometimes many years in the dreaming/planning/making’, Fran muses. ‘Getting to the heart of what they really want to feel when they are in their garden creates the most rewarding outcomes for everyone’. 

Finalists in the 2019 ArchiTeam Awards have been announced, including these incredible projects from the ‘Residential New’ and ‘Residential Alterations and Additions’ categories!

ArchiTeam is a membership association founded in 1991 to empower small, medium and emerging architecture practices. Members are invited to enter the cooperative’s free architecture awards, recognising outstanding residential, commercial, community and unbuilt projects.

In collaboration with Big Plans Melbourne, this year’s winners presentation on November 13 will see finalists’ work projected at 1:1 scale around a North Melbourne warehouse. Ticket sales are open to the public.

From a glamorous revitalisation of a mid-century home, to a new rural build clad with metal sheets, there’s a lot to be excited about in these awards!

Tickets to ArchiTeam Awards 2019 opening night announcement can be purchased here. Payments collected will be donated to the Koorie Heritage Trust.

2019 ARCHITEAM RESIDENTIAL AWARDS FINALISTS

Residential New Award

Blade House, Takt Studio
Bundeena Beach House, Grove Architects
Clifton Hill Terraces, Field Office Architecture
CLT, EM Architects
Elemental House, Ben Callery Architects
House at Otago Bay, Topology Studio
Leongatha Shed, Wolveridge Architects
Springhill House, Lovell Burton

Residential Alterations and Additions Award

Attic House, Madeleine Blanchfield Architects
Brunswick House, Winwood McKenzie Architecture
Cable House, Tom Robertson Architects
Charles Street, Lande Architects
Clad Pad, Mihaly Slocombe
Cloud Cottage, Takt Studio
East Malvern House Reduction, Rosstang Architects
Existenzminimun, WHDA
Fitzroy Terrace House, Taylor Knights House
1602, Olaver Architecture
House in the Woods, Warc Studio
House in Yarraville, Circle Studio Architects
House N, Joyce Architects
Interact, Warc Studio
Lilyfield House, studio203
Limerick House, Solomon Troup
Mason House, Bryant Alsop Architects
New Modern, Bower Architecture & Interiors
Residence AD&H, Open Studio
Torquay Compartment Apartment, Winter Architecture
Wedged, Alison Dodds Architect

This sleek, contemporary home at Cape Paterson in the eco village development ‘The Cape’  was built with a specific agenda – to show that sustainability can be beautiful! The Sociable Weaver (TSW) is a developer committed to creating practical, economic and environmentally conscious homes, and in this project worked with architect firm Clare Cousins to create a home that exemplifies this ethos, without compromising on style.

Dave Martin of The Sociable Weaver explains the intent of the project: ‘we wanted to show that we could create a home that was 10 star, carbon positive, as close to zero waste as possible, incorporating building biology dynamics, and ultimately beautifully designed.’ Dave was familiar with the work of Clare Cousins Architects, and saw the potential of aligning the environmental principles of TSW, with the design credentials of the celebrated Melbourne architecture firm.

The coastal home uses passive solar design and cross ventilation to avoid the need for heaters or air conditioning, while double glazing keeps the warmth in. Other eco credentials include the use of Forest Stewardship Council certified hardwood, photovaltic solar panels on the roof, and the use of natural sealants and paints. While the home was designed to showcase The Sociable Weaver’s sustainable build credentials, Dave highlights ‘we ultimately hope the standard of this build becomes mainstream.’

Being green isn’t always easy, and Dave highlights the difficulties of balancing a zero waste philosophy (amazingly, only three garbage bags of landfill were created in this project!), with high standards for the build itself, and of course, a commitment to carbon neutrality. He describes it was like ‘designing a Swiss watch – all components must work in unison, as they have an overall effect on the energy rating.’

The 10 Star House is an exciting project for its ability to demonstrate just what is possible when forward-thinking architecture meets environmental ideals. Dave describes ‘by doing this, it creates a ripple effect – bringing these philosophies and building projects more into the mainstream.’ For The Sociable Weaver, this home has set a new benchmark for the future.

Australian skincare company Sukin do everything they can to ensure our environment is protected. From partnering with Reef Aid to ensure the Great Barrier Reef has a future, to fully offsetting their carbon footprint. Discover the world of natural, and read more about their sustainability efforts at the Sukin Journal.