From the editor

It would be an understatement to say the last 12 months have been a rollercoaster. This time last year, I was writing my letter for the very first issue of Design Anthology Australia, and since then much of Australia has been ravaged by bushfires and the entire world has gone into a tailspin brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, many of us have spent an inordinate amount of time in our homes over the past few months, in varying levels of isolation.

If we are to look to a sage for guidance or solace in these unprecedented times, then who better than one I admire greatly, Alain de Botton.  The Swiss-born philosopher and founder of The School of Life wrote in his book The Architecture of Happiness, ‘We need a home in the psychological sense as much as we need one in the physical: to compensate for a vulnerability. We need a refuge to shore up our states of mind, because so much of the world is opposed to our allegiances.’ Our homes can and should also be a physical manifestation of ourselves — our realities, our dreams and hopes. 

But there are also so many people around the world who don’t have the luxury of a permanent roof over their heads. One of the silver linings of this catastrophic year is a greater appreciation for my own living space, and this has inspired me to donate to a local charity that supports the homeless by providing meals, shelter and clothing (amongst other vital services). My choice from my home town is St Mary’s House of Welcome in Fitzroy — a refuge that aims to help people of all religions, races, sexual orientations and physical abilities. 

If we have the good fortune of living somewhere we appreciate, the least we can do is pay some of that forward, and I hope you’ll consider joining me in donating (money, time or otherwise) to a worthy cause. 

Stay safe and well.

Suzy Annetta
Editor-in-Chief

Inside the issue

Dossier

News
A curated round-up of our favourite new books, fashion, lifestyle and home products from Australia and New Zealand

Profile
Quick-thinking, cerebral and highly industrious, designer Dale Hardiman is spearheading a local design movement founded on collaboration

A Day in the Life
We spend a day with industrial designer Tom Skeehan, founder of Canberra-based studio SKEEHAN

Profile
Inspired by her travels and experiences abroad, interior designer Katie Lockhart creates a globally minded sense of home

Studio Culture
We take a look inside the Adelaide space of furniture, object and art makers Studio Mignone

Wanderlust

Hotel, Auckland
Set within the Britomart precinct, The Hotel Britomart is Auckland’s most design-driven and eco-conscious accommodation

Photo Essay
With overseas travel restricted for the time being, we look closer to home for inspiration with a visual tour of the Australian landmass through the eye of photographer Kara Rosenlund

Vernissage

Profile
Architects Dayne Trower and Simona Falvo create sculptural models that investigate their ideas through abstraction

Gallery, Hastings
Parlour Projects founder Sophie Wallace is on a mission to make contemporary art more accessible

Home

Mornington Peninsula
A stretch of coastline is a fitting foil for this monolithic home, designed by Carr to marry landscape, architecture and interiors

Melbourne
Hecker Guthrie renovated this family home with sensitivity to the original architecture, reinstating a sense of heritage infused with contemporary sensibilities

Omaha
Fearon Hay Architects responded to an unusual coastal site with an adaptable home designed around a courtyard

Melbourne
This 1970s Wayne Gillespie-designed home has been updated with a sense of honesty, simplicity and integrity

Sydney
This waterfront home reveals understated luxury through bespoke pieces and a rich material palette

Byron Bay
In designing the two pavilions that make up this linear home, DUO Architects tapped into the client’s childhood memories of a mid-century icon in Canberra

Architectonics

Living Infrastructure
Sydney firm Junglefy is bringing green elements back to cities

The Flâneur

A City Reborn
A flâneur is an urban explorer — a connoisseur of the street. In our rotating column, guests share their musings, observations and critiques of the urban environment in cities around the world. In this issue, author Penny Watson tracks Perth’s cultural trajectory through landmark developments and adaptive reuse projects