Table of contents for No. 112 in (inside) interior design review

In the first issue of inside for 2021, I can’t help but dwell on 2020. The world as we know it has changed. The industry as we know it must too. Our headlining feature addresses diversity in the Australian design industry. In my first year at the helm of inside and Australian Design Review, I have come across this issue again and again. As an editor, as a writer and an awards coordinator in our industry, I am committed to highlighting, celebrating and promoting diversity in all its forms across all my platforms, but I know there is more that I can do, that I need to do. In this, I cannot thank the Melbourne interior designer Brahman Perera, journalist Hayley Curnow and all the designers, photographers and artists featured…

Living Outside is a collection of residential gardens representing the most ambitious and inspiring contemporary interpretations of mid-century Australian design. It features projects that embrace their unique landscapes, from coastal cliffs and expansive grassland to tropical forest and even urban neighbourhoods. One such project, Lune de Sang, designed by CHROFI, gets a mention for its dual purpose as both garden and a native forest that can one day be sustainability harvested for finely crafted furniture, while architect John Ellway’s Terrarium house, which features a front door disguised in a wall of green, is described as an “experiment in creating an overgrown indoor jungle”. But Living Outside is not just a pretty collection of blooms. Inaugural creative directors of the International Festival of Landscape Architecture, authors Sharon Mackay and Diana Snape…

Outdoor entertaining may not have an actual physical roof to go through, but there is no doubt that its popularity is soaring right now. The reasons couldn’t be simpler. To begin with there is the sheer delight felt at being able to entertain at all, after months of isolation and catch-ups with family and friends strictly limited to video calls and social media contacts. While other countries are still facing rolling lockdowns and severe restrictions on movement caused by 2020’s COVID-19 crisis, the success so far of Australia’s response to the pandemic means that face to face meetings and celebrations are once again possible. At the same time, what we now know about the virus and its transmission shows us that, while no environment is completely safe, outdoor settings are…

Issho... was ever a product more serendipitously named? Before you scratch your head quizzically, let us quickly explain that issho is Japanese for ‘together’. And ‘together’ is one of those words like ‘lockdown’, ‘contactless’ and, sadly, ‘superspreader’ that has seemingly come to define the times – most often in the context of ‘we are all in this together’ (even when sometimes perhaps we weren’t...). But with renewed optimism, thanks to vaccine announcements, successful strategies and eased restrictions leading to Australians everywhere finally being able to genuinely reunite with family and friends, ‘together’ is now taking on its happiest connotations once again. And what better way to celebrate with those we have missed than by getting together around any home’s cornerstone point – the dining table, groaning with great food and…

01 Sheathed in an ordered monolith of off-form concrete, Piccolo house’s precision cut-outs are subtly angled to reveal coloured reflective glass elements that reinterpret the autumnal tones of the brickwork in the neighbouring laneway. 02 Akin to a block of stone being carved into, the mass references the lintel as a symbol of strength providing the structural framework for the building. 03 As one multi-use building, the development encompasses retail, hospitality, commercial and luxury multi-residential into one unified concept.…

01 This home evokes a strong connection to the Rose Seidler House designed by Harry Seidler in 1950 as well as the mid-century residential architecture of Palm Springs. 02 The use of rich golden brown hues and the deep forest green cabinetry complement the site’s natural bushland of flora and fauna. 03 The curved shapes evident in the joinery are a nod to the minimalist yet playful geometry of modernist design. 04 The terracotta flooring in the main living quarters is carried into the private spaces of the home, thus providing a seamless and uniform experience underfoot.…

In 1968, Danish designer Verner Panton penned a vividly coloured lamp that embodied the experimental attitude of its creator. Now, more than five decades later, fellow Danish design brand &Tradition has reimagined this iconic lamp as a portable piece suitable for indoor and outdoor use, and available exclusively in Australia from Cult. Following in the footsteps of Arne Jacobsen and Poul Henningsen, Panton embraced functionalism through his furniture designs, an ethos that was common among Danish designers of the era. But Panton eschewed convention in his use of materials and colours, working with psychologists to better understand the role colour played in shaping an environment. He once famously said: “Most people spend their lives living in dreary, grey-beige conformity, mortally afraid of using colours.” The original Flowerpot was the embodiment…

This is my first year at the helm of IDEA and it has been a huge eye opener. In what has been such a difficult year, the projects entered have all been incredible and the people behind them inspirational. Win or lose, every single project entered deserves to be celebrated and I can’t congratulate enough all our highly commended and shortlisted designers and studios. Our remarkable judges pulled through in the most difficult of circumstances and it is a testament to their tireless work that we are able to share with you this year’s extraordinary winners. Thanks also to all our sponsors. We are proud to be associated with the very best retailers, manufacturers and associated industries, whose support encourages the Australian design profession and applauds its triumphs. Here’s to…

PRACTICE FLACK STUDIO A MASTER of intrigue, Flack Studio has an enviable portfolio of projects that constantly deliver on delight, performance and innovation, tackling each with conviction and a flawless style to create truly unique solutions. Flack Studio has brought a sculptural eclecticism to its 2020 portfolio, balancing extensive research with carefully curated spaces time and again. Its outlook is highly intentional and its aspirational attitude commendable. But beyond the aesthetics of its interiors, Flack Studio is IDEA’s Designer of the Year for its commitment to pursuing charitable endeavours and driving collaborative events. It is a mentor to many in the Australian design community, supporting young designers, artists and makers in Melbourne and beyond. Congratulations to David Flack and the entire Flack team. Your unique outlook on design and dedication…

PROJECT GLORIETTA PRACTICE ALEXANDER & CO. THE success of Glorietta is in its ability to sit prettily as a hospitality insertion within a new commercial office building. This is no small feat as it demands a commitment to elements that are designed as whole objects that have an interplay with one another. Through its use of timber, rattan banquettes with apricot leather, rusty red tables, brass, cream hues and natural linens paired against a vaulted cloudscape sky of woven rattan, Alexander & CO. has succeeded in giving a harsh, anonymous space a soul. It has crafted Glorietta into not just a bar and 220-seat restaurant, but also a cultural reference point in Redfern, encouraging other businesses to activate the surrounding precinct. With warmth and authenticity, Glorietta exudes the narrative of…

SARAH HETHERINGTON Sarah Hetherington is director, Galleries at Sydney Contemporary and moonlights as a freelance art, architecture and design writer. She has contributed to a range of arts magazines including Vault, Art World, The Art Market Report and Eyeline. She is also a member of the International Association of Art Critics (AICA). STEPHEN A RUSSELL Stephen A Russell is a freelance writer based in Melbourne. With a focus on covering inspired arts and design practice, he is also driven by social justice issues. A Scottish import, he has called Melbourne home for 14 years now, and enjoys the architectural flourishes of this fine city. OLIVIA CHETKOVICH Olivia Chetkovich is a graduate of architecture and an innovative thinker with experience in architectural education and publication. She is passionate about how culture…

PROJECT SUBTYPE PRACTICE NOISE NOISE NOISE Noise Noise Noise pays homage to Sydney’s second oldest Heritage site – 350 George Street – with a ‘conceptual retail space’ dipped in gold. Drawing inspiration from the building’s marble-lined semicircular foyer, bronze grand staircase and trachyte stone façade, Subtype Sydney is an expressionist example of a playful retail design set. Like its sister concept stores in Melbourne and Auckland, the sneaker gallery sits within a linear and grid-line all-white space, between evenly spaced matte white shelving. A feat in its own right, all the store’s walls are self-supporting and built to not impose upon or affect the Heritage architecture of walls or floors throughout. As an intended juxtaposition to the seriousness of the Heritage site, the studio tonally layered primary yellow throughout the…

Chelsea Hing views her projects as an expression of her life philosophy, rather than being guided by a design philosophy or aesthetic that is recognisable across her body of work. “Our approach to design is to consider what’s important,” she says. “What’s important to invest in, what are the design values that you want to see in residential houses, and how do people want to live? “Our homes provide our clients with a sense of connection with each other, and fulfilment in their lives, as well as a sense of respite and a place to have fun. Those elements underpin how we tackle anything, and there should always be a side sense of humour.” The client’s individual characteristics inform the way the practice nurtures that sense of connection, depending on…

Last year was full of uncertainty and unexpected curve balls, but one gift the worldwide hiatus granted was the opportunity to slow down, recalibrate and reconsider some of the ways and means with which we, as architects and interior designers, work. The 2020 Shaw Contract Design Awards understood this in its commitment to celebrating the most powerful and inspiring ideas that have the potential to effect genuine change for the greater good – projects that promise to benefit the community and the occupants of the space involved. For the first time in its 15-year history, the 2020 program was judged entirely online. But rather than hinder, this shift online allowed Shaw Contract to expand its selection panel to include elite industry leaders from all over the world. Representing Australia and…

There’s a precedent for Zenith Perth finding its home in the walls of a Heritage build. The previous Western Australian base for the innovative commercial furniture designer was the candy-coloured former Plaistowe Chocolate and Confectionery factory built in West Perth in 1915. But it’s the latest Zenith Perth showroom on Queen Street in Perth’s luxury Raine Square precinct that sees a seamless melding between Heritage features and the open, industrial atmosphere that has come to epitomise the Zenith brand. The headquarters for F. D. Sewell & Co Importers and Indent Agents was built in 1906 and many of the idiosyncrasies of the original three-level stand-alone character brick have been retained. Perth-based TRCB Architects, interior architects Milieu Creative and fitout builders OPRA Projects delicately peeled back the many additions to the…

Exploring and embracing diversity can offer unique opportunities to engage with new identities and experiences. But diverse stories are not often told in mainstream media or represented in mass-produced products. Valuing difference and finding ways to genuinely engage with and represent diversity is both a challenge and an opportunity for our age. Here, we speak to four Melbourne creatives who are doing just that. With culturally diverse backgrounds and a unique approach to design and storytelling, they speak to the power and capacity of difference. Esteemed designer Pascale Gomes-McNabb grew up in a culturally diverse community in Australia and abroad, where she was blissfully unaware of her differences. Stepping outside these familiar circles, she harnessed her individuality to ambitiously develop a design practice and restaurant business in parallel – owning,…

There are few joys as simple yet supremely rewarding for an architect than to stand in a newly completed space they designed and see it used in exactly the way they intended. That validation washed over BKK principal Tim Black as he joined Katrina Sedgwick, director and CEO of the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) for television interviews about the Melbourne cultural institution’s $40 million renewal. Standing in the transformed Flinders Street atrium, dominated by the grand sweep of the new hero staircase in spotted gum and blackbutt, something caught his eye. “At a moment of pause, the film crew were occupying the living stair and urban lounge in precisely the way in which we would hope,” Black says. “It really delighted me that people were naturally drawn…

“Dream Outward, Trust Inward. There were a lot of people along the way who told me I was too ‘unrealistic’ with the magnitude of work I wanted to make.” When did you first become interested in the world of music and art? From very young I wanted to make art. I grew up going to festivals, so I was surrounded by circus, performance, art and music. Art makes sense to me and is how I transmute all that I experience. Can you tell us a little bit more about the performers within your video work? The collaborators for my NGV Triennial immersive video installation EYE HEAR U MAGIK 2020 are all Indigenous, Pasifika women coming from a multitude of backgrounds. I try to be as intuitive as possible when working…

Haymes Colour Library Volume 14 Embrace is inspired by the concept of embracing the unexpected challenges of the current world to find solace within the home space through colour. The Australian paint brand’s latest colour library explores how we can use colour to relieve stress and promote mental well-being within the environments we can control and have access to, as well as discovering ways to promote self-care. The new library features a set of three unique colour palettes: Grounded, Calm Mind and Happy Home. Haymes colour and concept manager Wendy Rennie says the palettes are designed to provoke comfort and reassurance, providing designers with the hues to curate nurturing environments that connect users to the world around them. “These palettes have been put together to provide colour combinations that not…

PROJECT PRIVATE RESIDENCE PRACTICE RICHARDS STANISICH RICHARDS STANISICH has created bright and colourful spaces in this substantial Sydney renovation and addition to a single-storey house designed by Harry Seidler. Built in 1958 as a tribute to the modernism of the city, Private residence takes out IDEA 2020’s top prize for the way in which its designers have respectfully, but playfully, restored its original design, while adding their own stamp. Illustrating maturity in its field, the practice consulted Seidler Architects and Penelope Seidler in particular to reinstate the clean lines and rational planning that had been lost in subsequent renovations. From there, it inserted a design that maximises light and creates a flow of space throughout, infusing a playful use of colour and the grain of the period to every room,…

PRACTICE ESOTERIKO ESOTERIKO’S body of work shows a creative firm with a capacity uncommon among its peers. Bold, courageous and beautiful, the work is imaginative, yet restrained with a fabulous attention to detail. Founded in 2017, with a focus on both commercial and residential projects equally, the Sydney studio’s projects respond to each client and individual sites while evidently coming from the same hand. Spatial clarity, consideration of form and sophisticated palettes dominate its 2020 portfolio. The beauty of the projects submitted to this year’s awards program was uncomplicated and concise. Each intervention embraced the real and often raw essence of the materials and colour, transforming spaces into evocative interiors that were highly personal and truly memorable. Anna Trefely illustrates a talent beyond her years. She is original, international and…

PROJECT CANDELABRA 0001 PRACTICE THOMAS MAXAM STUDIO THE debut product from Melbourne’s Thomas Maxam Studio is a theatrical piece that combines Baroque flamboyance with memorable engineering. After two years of tinkering with stainless steel and brass, designers Thomas Cohen and Maxam Whiteley have produced a piece that is versatile enough to adapt to any meal setting, be it formal dining or takeaway with friends. Exuberant, joyful and festive, Candelabra 0001 combines four candleholders with an elegantly old-fashioned scuttle to hold and ignite matches, all of which stack together to form a spectacular tower. Having bonded over their appreciation of design and the Australian way of life, Cohen and Whiteley seek to create collections of interactive objects that hopefully become permanent fixtures in a person’s interior landscape, and Candelabra 0001 is…

PROJECT TRANSURBAN MELBOURNE PRACTICE HASSELL THE Transurban workplace reflects the fabric of the modern cities the company helps to shape. From arrival, the interior avoids both clichés and generic solutions to explore the true operative needs of the client and the three-dimensional visual interpretation of its brand. Hassell has interpreted Transurban’s role in the community – operating a city’s transport infrastructure – through its material choice. Reflective stainless steel ceiling panels against quarry tile floors and earthy timbers simulate road networks, contrasting the inner city and natural environments that Transurban’s projects inhabit. By delivering a space with authenticity, Hassell has designed a central station in which staff can meet, well-supported for collaboration and innovation. A dramatically lit circular void connects staff across 14,800 square metres, over eight levels, to a…

PROJECT 2019 NGV ART OF DINING – THE CHRISTOPHER BOOTS TABLE PRACTICE CHRISTOPHER BOOTS STRIKINGLY lavish, the 2019 NGV Art of Dining – The Christopher Boots Table was inspired by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo’s The Banquet of Cleopatra, in which the Egyptian queen proves she can stage a feast more lavish than the legendary excesses of Roman ruler and future lover Mark Antony. Inspired by these notions of dining, empire, history and intrigue, Christopher Boots produced an experience in excess of colour, texture and pattern, transporting the viewer to a world of fantasy and wonderment. But the installation also stands out in its category for its use of sustainable materials, which, by their very nature, present a stark contrast to the lavish lifestyle enjoyed by Cleopatra herself. Boots’ table is an…

PROJECT PARK HYATT NISEKO HANAZONO, JAPAN PRACTICE BAR STUDIO PRESENTING as a luxury lodge, the volumes of the Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono are, at times, vast, yet there is a distinctly intimate mood that connects the entire project beautifully to the landscape. Shaped by the adjacent hillside and curving around a natural amphitheatre, the hotel and residences embrace their natural environment, drawing Mount Yōtei, the ski hills and the mountains of Hokkaido in through floor-to-ceiling windows, acknowledging the longstanding relationship to landscape that exists within Japanese culture. This infuses the structure with a feeling of retreat, which flows from the village-like atmosphere of the resort into the generously-sized, residential-feel rooms with their warm, welcoming and well-appointed furniture, lighting and fireplaces. Throughout the Park Hyatt, BAR Studio has used strong architectural…

01 BY DESIGN: THE WORLD’S BEST CONTEMPORARY INTERIOR DESIGNERS EDITOR PHAIDON EDITORS PUBLISHER PHAIDON PRESS RRP $90 A richly illustrated, authoritative global survey of the best and most creative interior designers and decorators working today, including Studio KO, Faye Toogood and Vincent Van Duysen. 02 REM KOOLHAAS, OMA + AMO/SPACES FOR PRADA EDITOR BENJAMIN WILKE AND REM KOOLHAAS PUBLISHER ORO EDITIONS RRP $60 An exploration of the projects that OMA has developed or completed with Prada – a large number of which are installation scale environments that manifest in the form of runway shows and exhibitions. 03 MPAVILION ENCOUNTERS WITH DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE EDITOR ALEXANDRA ZAFIRIOU AND ROBERT BUCKINGHAM PUBLISHER THAMES & HUDSON AUSTRALIA RRP $62 A chronicle of the first six years of the MPavilion project with contributions from…

The best meetings are unplanned, and in the 21st century, often not in-person meetings at all. In early 2018, Studio Anagram founder Akihito Tachibana discovered Haymes Paints’ newly launched Artisan Collection on Instagram. Tachibana had founded his furniture and product engineering group less than a decade earlier as a way to bring the dreams of architects and designers to life. Now he was contacting us, keen to know more about the Artisan Collection’s textural look and feel – yet another reason why it’s so important to properly curate your social media presence! Despite being a design-driven nation, the Japanese have only recently begun to use paint on their walls. Traditionally, homes were made from soil and using paint is a trend that never really caught on in the way that…

01 The ACMI team wanted the redevelopment to be an experience-led architectural transformation, appointing Melbourne-based BKK Architects to work in parallel with exhibition and experience designers Publicis Sapient. 02 The outcome was to create a seamless transition in scale and experience – from city to museum, from street to laneway, from foyer to exhibition, from the physical to the digital. 03 Internally, ACMI has been designed to be experienced in three main ways: watching, playing and making.…

Cushla McFadden and Jade Nottage established Tom Mark Henry (TMH) in 2014 and the practice has since grown to a dynamic team of 10. The savvy duo met while at university and, after graduating, eventually decided to open a studio that celebrated and prioritised the creative process. Named after their fathers and grandfathers, the award-winning practice spans a mix of residential clients as well as commercial, including workspaces, hospitality, a hotel and, increasingly, mixed-use briefs that include a focus on wellness. “We are driven by the creative development of the concept, the inception of ideas and extensive research through to delivery to the client,” says McFadden. “We love the actual process of design, including the documentation; however, we are passionate about the concept stage. The impact that design can have…

MERYL HARE was born in South Africa. The daughter of an Anglo-American mining company man, she was raised in Zambia and Swaziland and immigrated to Australia in 1988, where she formed Hare + Klein Interior Design in Sydney. With no local contacts, she soon found her feet with architects and craftsmen, laying the foundation of a more than three-decade long career spanning both residential and hospitality, and establishing herself as a doyenne of the Australian design industry. Leading her clients through a graceful journey of texture, colour and consideration while also nurturing the next generation, Meryl is truly a designer of the highest distinction. Her contribution, particularly to residential spaces, brings joy to those who inhabit her creations. She is renowned for her intrinsic ability to interpret the ways in…

PROJECT MARIE REAY TEACHING CENTRE, ANU PRACTICE BVN LOFTY, spacious and airy, the Marie Reay Teaching Centre is a beautiful environment. Breaking the standard sustainability criteria, the spaces carefully express structure with a subtle use of natural materials and colour, fostering a warmth and welcoming atmosphere that is hard to achieve in large commercial environments. BVN adopted the Ecological Footprint methodology by the Global Footprint Network as its evaluation measure and has achieved an interim certification of 0.6 Planet rating courtesy of its embodied carbon reduction, solar power generation, reduced operating energy, rainwater capture and use of recycled materials throughout the project. Inside and out, there is a strong commitment to the exploration of CLT (cross laminated timber) with an ambitious design outcome, resulting in a civic building with soul.…

PROJECT PRIVATE RESIDENCE PRACTICE RICHARDS STANISICH A TRIUMPH in restraint and respect, in Private residence, Richards Stanisich has not only saved an iconic Harry Seidler home from being manhandled or even demolished; it has rebooted a design classic with such consideration, restraint and care, there was no debate as to its claim to, not only, the IDEA 2020 Residential Single award, but also the year’s Overall Winner prize. Richards Stanisich celebrates the existing building and reinforces contemporary Australian design in every inch of this project. Very little of the original 1958 home remained, making the studio’s job all the more difficult and, therefore, the end result all the more remarkable. The essence of 1950s modernism is alive and well in Private residence, but there is nothing kitschy about it. Instead,…

PROJECT MIDDLE PARK RESIDENCE PRACTICE FLACK STUDIO THE marriage of so many interesting and often contradictory materials, objects, colours, textures, furniture and art is what makes Middle Park residence an absolute standout in this category. There is a talent to combining disparate elements in a wholly conducive yet exciting way and Flack Studio has exemplified it in this Melbourne family home. Middle Park residence’s colour story is rich and multidimensional. Shade, tone and hue meander throughout, as the use of colour shifts from low to medium to high. There is a sophistication to Flack’s colour placement that goes beyond it being used as a device to draw attention. Like an elegant stage set, layered with confidence and vigour, Middle Park residence is a masterful example of how colour can be…

PROJECT GEELONG PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE PRACTICE HASSELL THE contribution of the Geelong Performing Arts Centre to the community and streetscape of the city cannot be overestimated, as this design from Hassell provides a world-class facility and a space that is both visually and experientially dynamic. Striking from the street, the translucent box that embraces the arts centre hovers and contrasts against the newly unearthed Heritage church with confidence and grace. A wonderful play between function and aesthetics, this cantilevered construction is quite simply an example of excellent design, as the choice of materials, combined with the carefully exposed structure, provides ethereal spaces for performance artists, while offering the passer-by a glimpse of the movement in the rehearsal studios beyond. Within the foyer spaces, a floor-to-ceiling timber batten wall conceals amenities,…

PROJECT REAL ESTATE AGENCY AS LUXURY BRAND – THE RUBINSTEIN GROUP PRACTICE ESOTERIKO EVOCATIVE with exemplary attention to detail, Esoteriko playfully carves volume within a challenging and tight space to deliver an extremely beautiful interior fitout that acts simultaneously as a workplace, a social hub and a physical representation of its real estate brand, subtly reflecting upon residential design as a nod to the very product it aims to promote. Esoteriko masterfully translated a nonnegotiable grey and blue branding palette and flamboyancy into a subdued space of restrained extravagance, the sculptural vaulted ceilings and terrazzo floors of which evoke a European atmosphere. Designed with flexibility in mind, the fitout features a large open area for entertaining and connecting, interspersed with smaller social and private spaces. This same flexibility has been…