Table of contents for No. 115 in (inside) interior design review

We’re halfway through 2022 and this issue of inside is all about joy. There is really no more eloquent way to put it. The designs featured are vibrant, their designers sparkling. The invisible thread that weaves them together runs from Tasmania to Brisbane, back to Melbourne via Bangkok. I am not wet behind the ears. I know that interior design and architecture are businesses and, like every business, there is profit to be made and a brand to be built, client demands to be met and lofty ideals tempered by harsh realities, but in these projects, there is also a wish for their occupants to simply feel well. Whether sincere or perhaps less so, it is difficult to scoff in face of such optimism. Australian design has emerged from the…

01 HOMES FOR OUR TIME New homes from the likes of Shigeru Ban and Marcio Kogan alongside up-and-coming names like Aires Mateus, Xu Fu-Min, Vo Trong Nghia, Desai Chia and Shunri Nishizawa. 02 FAYE TOOGOOD: DRAWING, MATERIAL, SCULPTURE, LANDSCAPE (SIGNED EDITION): EDITED BY ALISTAIR O’NEILL The first in-depth look at the work of the globally celebrated and multidisciplinary London-based designer Faye Toogood, this book covers all aspects of her work, from clothes and furniture, to installations and interior design. 03 THE LAYERED INTERIOR Told in Greg Natale’s refreshing, personable style and accompanied by rich visuals, The Layered Interior is a celebration of the design elements that give a home character, such as vintage and contemporary furniture and lighting, artworks, ornaments, and accents thoughtfully combined with colour and pattern – from…

PEOPLE PROFILE For Chongue, gardening began as a childhood hobby, then an escape from the stresses of work. Working in architecture and interiors for seven years at a string of firms, Chongue became disillusioned with certain elements of the industry, and found joy in designing the more tangible moments in architecture rather than less tangible moments like facades, which “you don’t get to touch and experience”. “I ended up doing more interior-focused projects where it was furniture styling, as well as interior architecture, so you’d still design kitchens and everything that happens indoors,” he says. “I would use a lot of plants in my projects’ interiors. Or, when I was designing buildings and working on floor plans, I would be thinking about the green spaces and how the interior always…

In architecture, the Linnean desire for taxonomy and category can be very strong. Order is sought and achieved by labelling this building modernist, that designer minimalist, and the temptation was there for designer Adam Nathaniel Furman and historian Joshua Mardell to do the same. The duo teamed up to write Queer Spaces: An Atlas of LGBTQIA+ Places and Stories at the height of the pandemic – no mean feat given that many of the 90 spaces featured and newly photographed were closed. The result, published by RIBA Publishing, is tender and beautifully written – a powerful resource, in Furman and Mardell’s own words, for “queers and anyone else who is non-normative within the architectural profession to take up space and demand – and command – respect” in its histories and…

30 UNDER30 “This is a generation that will be grappling with the impact of climate change more than ever before and so their feelings, perspectives and ideas are crucial in shaping future-ready design and architecture.”IMOGEN CORLETTE, BVN “The most enticing aspect would be mingling with other fellow designers and, more importantly, having the opportunity to speak with the program’s judging panel.”SIMONA GIACOMAZZI No one could ever accuse the architecture and design industries of lacking in awards programs. There are prizes, accolades and awards regularly announced and presented across the board. But this year sees the launch of something very different. 30UNDER30 is a brand new elite recognition program with a singular aim – to identify the future game changers, leaders and champions in design, and to nurture, encourage and reward…

It’s a scene from another time, the sort of experience that Melbourne does so well – or did so well, before COVID, the rise of fast fashion and online shopping. An Alice in Wonderland-type stumbling across a beautiful corner boutique in some inner city suburb, stepping off the rainswept street into a world of deep-veined panelling and lush colours. Only in this version of the fantasy the girl is Henne – Swedish for ‘her’ and the muse of the Australian women’s wear brand of the same name. As for the shopfront, it’s Henne’s first bricks-and-mortar outlet, sprawling languidly across two terraces in Prahran with interiors courtesy of Brahman Perera. “When you think Swedish, you think IKEA, pale blondes and a pop of orange somewhere,” says Perera. “This is not that.…

SPOTLIGHT KROST Designed in-house and released in 2020, Krost’s Vada storage and display system has flexibility built into its core. Adapting to this ‘new normal’, Vada seamlessly fits in executive offices, boardrooms and other commercial applications with four modules that can be configured to suit many unique requirements. The contemporary storage system consists of a single or multiple wall module in which are slotted units of the customer’s choice. Connecting accessories include floating shelves and open and hinge door cupboards of varying sizes that simply interlock into place through clever engineering and design. Leveraging the material’s remarkable natural strength, Vada features a removable 100-millimetre high kickboard allowing access and mounting of electrical devices to the wall module. Designers can choose from a range of matte and textured finishes well-suited for…

As with every year, this year’s IDEA jury represents the very best in Australian interior design. They are the innovators and the inspiration, the old guard and the new. We thank them for their incredible work so far and for their dedication on the road to November’s much-anticipated Gala. PASCALE GOMES-MCNABB FOUNDER, PGMD Pascale Gomes-McNabb is a critically acclaimed, award-winning Melbourne-based designer. PGMD, Gomes-McNabb’s eponymous studio, works at the intersection of—and draws inspiration from—architecture, art, travel, food, nature and culture. Specialising in hospitality and residential interior landscapes, PGMD’s design projects take a holistic approach, encompassing interior architecture, furniture, objects and lighting. ALEXANDER LOTERSZTAIN FOUNDER, ALEXANDER LOTERSZTAIN STUDIO Alexander Lotersztain is an Argentinian-born Australian designer and founder of the highly awarded multi-disciplinary design studio Alexander Lotersztain Studio and furniture brand Derlot.…

ACE HOTEL SYDNEY WITH THE ACE HOTEL GROUP FLACK STUDIO Anson Smart Located on Wentworth Avenue, the 18-storey hotel was built on the site of a former brick factory, Tyne House. Ace Sydney explores the relationship between private and public in a gritty megalopolis, retaining the distinctively modernist aesthetic of Ace Hotels with a uniquely Australian twist. ARCHER’S DKO WITH MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, PETER ROWLAND, AND STUDIO ONGARATO Nicole England Located at Melbourne Marriott Docklands, Archer’s is a contemporary, sophisticated dining space. DKO drew inspiration from the 1960s New York hotel and restaurant scene when business-types dined alongside socialites. ARU RESTAURANT KERSTIN THOMPSON ARCHITECTS WITH FIGUREGROUND ARCHITECTURE Ari Hatzis Fire is at the heart of Aru’s cuisine; the design celebrates the central hearth. Colours are earthy and warm in line with…

17 UNION STREET BKK ARCHITECTS WITH CLARE COUSINS ARCHITECTS, AND NEOMETRO Derek Swalwell 17 Union Street by Neometro is located within Jewell Station Village and includes 39 apartments. With architecture by BKK Architects and interiors by Clare Cousins Architects, the project exemplifies a building that will wear in, not out. 18 LOFTUS STREET SILVESTER FULLER Martin Seigner 18 Loftus Street is a new residential address in the heart of Sydney at Quay Quarter Lanes and comprises 36 apartments. The design seeks to give the building a singular identity overlaying an incremental transition of form and opening size. ALLENS UNISPACE Dion Robeson Allens’ Perth office successfully transitions its team from a traditional cellular legal workplace to a high-performing open plan environment. The workplace amplifies both the staff and client experience, with…

ALTER SPACE INTERIORS Brent Lukey Formed in December 2019, Alter Space Interiors is a small interior design studio consisting of two directors, Sarah Vautin and Margareth Zavala. Alter Space Interiors believes that design plays a key role in people’s comfort and well-being, helping to make connections whether it is a private residence or public space. ANTHOLOGY Shannon McGrath Helmed by managing director Sarah Townson since 2021, Anthology forges environments that are empathetic, spirited and aligned with her clientele’s aspirations. Developing a reputation for strong artistic talent coupled with a unique ability to envisage then deliver complex and detailed concepts, Townson’s work is a dedication to her life’s passion of architecture, interior design and the creative arts. BRAHMAN PERERA Lillie Thompson Brahman Perera worked in renowned studios, Hecker Guthrie and Fiona…

The IDEA Gold Medal is the year’s most sought-after award, given in recognition of those practitioners who have made an influential and enduring contribution to Australian design culture over the course of a career. The 2021 winner was Alison Page, an award-winning creative at the forefront of contemporary Australian Aboriginal design and storytelling. As a descendant of the Walbanga and Wadi Wadi people of the Yuin nation, and as a leading force in the Australian design scene, she champions the contemporary creative expression of Aboriginal identity. She is an incredible designer, a tireless advocate and a role model to the young people of all backgrounds who view this profession as – in her own words – “some island off the coast, miles and miles away from their reality.”…

STEFANIE MARKIDIS Stefanie is an arts and culture writer working in Melbourne. With a long-standing career in magazine journalism, Stefanie has written for The Melbourne Weekly, Inpress magazine and Ramona Magazine, where she was the founding creative writing editor. Having recently completed a doctorate at RMIT’s College of Design and Social Context, Stefanie brings to inside an appreciation for the conceptual and creative processes of interior design and architecture. CHARLOTTE HUSTON Charlotte is a Melbourne-based journalist originally from Perth. She has written for Australian Design Review for the past year and is a regular contributor for inside. Intuitive and disciplined, she is passionate about arts and culture and the people who make it happen. SARAH HETHERINGTON Sarah is Director of Galleries at Sydney Contemporary, Australasia’s leading art fair, and moonlights…

PRACTICE LUKE FRY ARCHITECTURE & INTERIOR DESIGNPROJECT GLEN IRIS HOUSEPHOTOGRAPHER DEREK SWALWELL Blank slates are a rare luxury in this industry – even rarer when the project in question comes to the studio with the qualifiers ‘unrenovated’, ‘period’ and ‘family home’. Dealt what can only be described as a desirable hand, Luke Fry went modern and minimalist, designing a new pavilion that could co-exist peacefully with the original home in Melbourne’s inner southeastern suburb of Glen Iris. The addition is sinuous in form with curves inspired by the existing arches at the front of the house. Located along the site’s southern boundary, it’s designed to maximise northern light and make the most of the gardens and pool. In fact, inside nature reigns, with the spaces drawing inspiration from, but not…

IDEA 2022 kicks off was officially launched on 7 April in the showroom of its Overall Sponsor. Taking that role for the eighth consecutive year, Miele also hosted the launch event, which saw designers, architects and industry members, including IDEA 2021 winners and highly commended, plus sponsors, from Melbourne and Sydney, enjoying tasty beverages, delicious food prepared on the premises and, perhaps best of all, the chance to witness a chat between David Flack (from Flack Studio) and Yasmine Ghoniem (of YSG), the winners of the Designer of the Year award for 2020 and 2021 respectively. The pair reminisced about their strong friendship and common experiences, including their first meeting in 2017 when they were both on the shortlist for the NGV Rigg Prize – Ghoniem, as part of her…

8 LOFTUS STREET – QUAY QUARTER LANES STUDIO BRIGHT WITH STYLING BY MEGAN MORTON Rory Gardiner Quay Quarter Lanes is the rejuvenation of a city block in the heart of Sydney, providing 31 apartments and two levels of retail. At its core, 8 Loftus Street is about inner city dwelling that doesn’t compromise on life quality, with meaningful garden spaces, fresh air, spatial generosity, material texture and privacy. 17 UNION STREET BKK ARCHITECTS WITH CLARE COUSINS ARCHITECTS AND NEOMETRO Derek Swalwell 17 Union Street by Neometro is located within Jewell Station Village and includes 39 apartments, retail and a public realm development. With architecture by BKK Architects and interiors by Clare Cousins Architects, the project exemplifies a building that will wear in, not out, and support well-being and connection in…

ABN HQ, LEEDERVILLE WOODS BAGOT Dion Robeson With ABN Group’s businesses divisions consolidating into one central location within a new building, the design team established the concept ‘where together, everyone achieves more’ and balanced this with the sense of homeliness and welcome that is synonymous with the ABN brand. ALLENS UNISPACE Dion Robeson Allens’ Perth office successfully transitions its team from a traditional cellular legal workplace to a high-performing open plan environment. The workplace amplifies both the staff and client experience, with inspiration from the local area reflected in the palette and furniture, aligning with Allens’ ESG brief and Reconciliation Action Plan. AMP WORKPLACE AT QQT HASSELL Nicole England After spending over a third of its 173 years as a company at 33 Alfred Street, AMP wanted to create a…

25 POWER AND DATA SYSTEM ZETR Fiona Susanto 25 Power and Data System is an electrical and data system for the future of charging and connectivity in work, education and public spaces. Featuring high output charging and fast data transfer with a clean minimal profile, 25 is a configurable modular system that installs flush into a range of spaces and functions. APPAREL DIDIER Alan Mitchell Inspired by haute couture from the early days of Balenciaga and Dior, to the elaborate performances of Gaultier and Kenzo, the Apparel seating collection is a mastery of curvaceous shaping and voluptuous forms. ARC BAR SOUL SHAPES Stephanie Rooney Arc Bar celebrates the coming together of key design principles, with a focus on balancing both beauty and functionality. The piece offers a contemporary design, with…

ART GALLERY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIAN FOYERNIC BRUNSDON Benjamin Hosking Reorganising the entry to Western Australia’s pre-eminent arts institution, this steel monolith is a single gesture that sets universal accessibility as its datum. This foyer desk flips the common institutional spatial paradigm and uses travertine sculptural objects to bring key functions up to able-bodied height. COTTON ON CHILDCARE PTID Cheyne Toomey This early learning centre playfully reworks an industrial warehouse into a sanctuary for children and families of the Cotton On community in its North Geelong Campus. Contemporary, nurturing and urban, this environment prioritises natural light and outdoor spaces. FIRBANK GRAMMAR PTID WITH JADE NETTLETON Gallant Lee Developed with Firbank Grammar Anglican Girls School to reimagine the school’s original hall from 1909, PTID has sensitively brought the building in line with…

BATES SMART Felix Mooneeram Bates Smart is a multidisciplinary design firm delivering architecture, interior design, urban design and strategic services across Australia, with a staff of over 250 in studios in Melbourne and Sydney. Energetic, risk-taking and nurturing, Bates Smart embraces the challenge of each project and questions assumptions to find a bespoke optimal outcome. FLACK STUDIO Anson Smart The IDEA 2020 Designer of the Year, David Flack is the principal of Melbourne’s Flack Studio – a multidisciplinary practice of designers and architects committed to delivering supremely elegant contemporary interiors. With a respect for the past and an eye to the future, Flack Studio believes that creative flair combined with exceptional rigour creates spaces of sophistication and ease. HASSELL Nicole England Hassell is a leading international design practice with studios…

When Neeson Murcutt + Neille talks of sites, the Potts Point practice prefers to use the word ‘setting’ – a word that draws on broader cultural and historical contexts of place as well as ecological and natural conditions. It also features in the title of this monograph, the second in a series by Thames & Hudson Australia and RMIT University that recognises the work of Australian architects and designers. Setting Architecture maps the 17-year career of Neeson Murcutt + Neille through the context in which its three practitioners work – from Rachel Neeson, together with Nick Murcutt first, then as sole director, and now with Stephen Neille. Photos, drawing and models trace diverse landscapes and urban conditions in New South Wales, the Northern Territory, Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula and rural northern…

“I joined Halliday + Baillie in the year 2000 when everyone was up in arms about Y2K,” says Tanya Rive with a laugh. “So, it seems fitting that I should be celebrating my 22nd anniversary in this post-pandemic environment.” Coming on board initially as head of sales, Rive became a director/shareholder in 2005. Today she is Halliday + Baillie’s director and owner and a welcome sight at its Melbourne studio, which opened in late 2020 as a complement to the brand’s Sydney showroom. With two bricks and mortar outlets, Halliday + Baillie has grown since those heady days of the early aughts, but the way in which it approaches its business and its dedication to quality has not. “From the very beginning, [business partner and Halliday + Baillie founder Marcus…

A lighthouse, in its simplest function, calls you home. Alcorn Middleton’s Toowong Lighthouse is therefore aptly named: it is centred on concepts and materials of home. The Grecian-inspired build draws from home ties to the Cyclades and is sensitively designed for the existing residential footprint and climate of its Brisbane locale. An extension for a growing family of five, the ‘lighthouse’ peers out behind the family’s existing 1930s Californian bungalow. High-set windows atop a double-height void draw sunlight into the living and family area. At night, these supersize windows glow like a beacon. Toowong Lighthouse uniquely orchestrates sculptural forms of Aegean architecture with the modernist foundations of the existing home. The fresh, predominately whitewashed form is embellished with a pop art sensibility, on show through the periscope-style chimney and multicolour…

SHAW CONTRACT FLOOR ARCHITECTURE The Floor Architecture carpet tile collection by Shaw Contract is constructed with nuanced color and punctuated with realistic imprints, making a strong design statement. Building on the existing Floor Architecture collection, four new patterns have recently been introduced to add elevated scale to interior environments. Floor Architecture offers a range of warm and cool neutrals featured in 24 x 24 inch and 9 x 36 inch coordinating tiles. Floor Architecture is Carbon Neutral, Cradle to Cradle Certified, Declare Red List Free, and backed with an environmental guarantee for reclamation and recycling. shawcontract.com/en-au ILVE FREE-STANDING COOKER IN CUSTOM COLOURS Make your kitchen a true expression of your personality with ILVE and its custom colour selections. You can now select from 213 bespoke colours across ILVE’s range of…

Periods of sobriety are generally followed by heady abandonment – as the old saying goes. Just as the Roaring ’20s followed hot on the heels of World War I, so too do this year’s IDEA entries emerge from challenging times with a burst of full fat colour and joyous prints, beautifully indulgent accents and a healthy dose of all things pretty. But there is nothing frivolous about this response. As we return to the world, to international travel, to whatever we consider our ‘new normal’, these spaces are more than just mood improvers; they are the beacons that welcome us back to community, to family, to friends, to work and to the sanctuary we call home. And with the wisdom that may have well served our Jazz Age predecessors as…

WESLEY EDWARD EAGAR CENTRE SCOTT CARVER Ben Guthrie The Wesley Edward Eagar Centre (WEEC) refurbishment supports the reintegration of vulnerable residents into the community by promoting dignity and well-being. Heritage conservation and interior interventions embody the centre’s core principles of ‘home’ and ‘place’ – and the Wesley Mission: “To do all the good we can because every life matters.” The comfort of and respect for guests are at the heart of the design. The considered refurbishment integrates historic built layers, such as the Heritage-listed 1847 Neoclassical Greek Revival façade and chapel interiors being conserved. The 1970s Brutalist extension and interior modifications have been reworked into a more welcoming and safe community space with the addition of a café, stage and lounge area. The WEEC refurbishment redefines the concept of crisis…

AKESA PHARMA PTID WITH JADE NETTLETON Cheyne Toomey Akesa Pharma provides globally leading services in the niche delivery of pharmaceutical products for clinical trials. This workplace is the physical embodiment of its confidence in Melbourne’s place in the world of ‘big pharma’. The project was an investment in regeneration of Heritage space and repurposing for a human-centred, technology-driven future. BVN BRISBANE STUDIO BVN Christopher Frederick-Jones In 2019, BVN decided to move its studio into the BVN designed Annex building with its distinctive, urban tree-house character. It gave the practice a chance to create a memorable studio experience for its people, through both experiential delight and professional success – and to make a genuine connection to Country. CORAS SOLUTIONS EVOKE PROJECTS Kasey Funnell A welcoming and flexible environment was created to…

ACE HOTEL SYDNEY FLACK STUDIO AND THE ACE HOTEL GROUP Anson Smart Ace Hotel is fuelled by a love of the hyperlocal, marrying the pragmatic with the romantic, the private with the collective and the old world with the future. Nothing about the space takes itself too seriously; embracing different dichotomies. ARCH DECO HINDLEY & CO Tatjana Plitt Arch Deco explores resonance and change. Those ideas helped the design team harness the phenomenon of time to give the project an extra dimension. Tone-on-tone colour and space layering was used to reinvigorate this grand double-storey Heritage house in Balwyn. Hindley & Co amplified the great features of the original house and were playful with referencing them in the contemporary rework. ATYP ‘CHILLZONE’ TOBHIYAH STONE FELLER WITH MERRYN TREVETHAN Katherine Lu The…