Garden

A Lush New Line Of Contemporary Furniture From Jardan – The Design Files

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In a year when we have all been required to spend a LOT more time at home, legendary Australian furniture brand Jardan offer a distinct sense of at-home escapism, with this new collection of cosy, enticing contemporary furniture, inspired by the Australian landscape.

Described as a return to place, the new Living Forms collection embraces rounded, sculptural shapes. The proportions of each piece nod to the current trend towards chunky and organic forms, while the tones and textures of the upholstery evoke the muted colours of the Australian landscape.

This combination of curved lines and neutral shades bring a relaxed, calming vibe to the collection, which is also reflected in the material choices. Blonde timber is a consistent finish throughout, as both a subtle touch (the Lola armchair) or a statement feature (the Marlo modular sofa). Textured fabrics and short pile velvet lend further tactility to the collection.

New silhouettes

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Garden

A Stunning Coastal Home, Created From A Revolutionary Building Material

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Director of FMD Architects Fiona Dunin has long been interested in CLT (cross laminated timber) as a sustainable, strong and attractive building material. In fact, she’s been exploring this material for over 10 years, and finally had the chance to use it in this recently completed home on the Mornington Peninsula.

Back when this project began, CLT was gaining popularity in Europe, but the material was yet to reach Australia’s mainstream market. ‘It was difficult to access as it was all imported, and specialist engineers who were familiar with the product were limited,’ Fiona says.

With the support of her clients, builder, and Vistek Structural Engineers, the architect patiently waited for CLT’s wider introduction to the Australian market, while researching the material further to ensure a highly considered outcome. ‘As time has progressed, both the consultant’s and our knowledge of CLT developed significantly. The material is now being manufactured in

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Garden

You’re Invited To The Design Files + Laminex Design Awards 2020! – The Design Files

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Today we are excited to announce that the 2020 The Design Files + Laminex Design Awards 2020 will be hosted as a livestreamed event, on the TDF Design Awards website, on November 5th at 7pm.

Although the in-person Awards event we’d originally planned didn’t quite work out this year, this new format means we’ll be able to reach way more of you than would have been possible at an in-person ceremony! And don’t worry, being the ‘Golden Globes’-level dreamers that we are, we’ve got a few fun surprises up our sleeve!

It’s not just the Awards finalists who will be winners on November 5th. To celebrate this massive night on the TDF calendar, we’ll be giving away 10 spectacular one-of-a-kind hand blown sculptural glass paperweights crafted by Melbourne-based artist Amanda Dziedzic, created to match each of the unique trophies our awards winner will go home with.

To be in

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Garden

The Original Instagram Secondhand Furniture Seller

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I used to live with Pip Newell in a sharehouse in Northcote, where I saw Curated Spaces, her secondhand-furniture re-selling business, hatch and grow almost by accident. When I first moved in with Pip in early 2017 she was studying photography, and had just started selling furniture on a popular Facebook group (in the days before Facebook Marketplace) to make a little bit of money on the side of her nannying job.

‘I didn’t have any special furniture at the time – I was still at university and didn’t have the budget to match the interiors that I dreamt of, so I started sifting through the online haystack, and soon realised that there was this entire world of treasures to be found’, Pip says of the early days of Curated Spaces.

It was a bit of a joke amongst our housemates that you’d never know what the place

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Garden

Studio Martin on Refined Rattan

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Interior Designer Amanda Martin, and her sister, Architect Lauren Martin bring a wealth of experience to their fledgling design studio, Studio Martin. Lauren completed her Masters of Architecture at RMIT, and started her Architectural career at Baldasso Cortese and later Preston Lane, working across large Education and Health Care projects, as well as smaller Residential work.

Meanwhile, Amanda studied Interior Design at Monash University, including six months at Monash’s Prato Centre in Italy. After returning to Melbourne, she landed a role at HASSELL, across a range of both residential and commercial interior design.

With these solid foundations, the sisters bring a unique and highly personalised approach to their design projects. One distinctive hallmark of their work is an unexpected juxtaposition of textures, like lux velvet and stone, with more natural, textural elements.  Working in close collaboration, they always get the balance just right!

Today we get to know this

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Garden

A Rustic, Inner-City Family Home Of 33 Years

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Looking at images of this layered and lived-in home, it comes as no surprise it’s been in the one family for 33 years. 

Angela Richards, nurse and right-hand woman at Albert Park boutique Albert & Victoria, and her husband Sandy, business consultant and start-up investor, bought this 1860 Victorian Italianate terrace in Port Melbourne back in 1987.

The couple initially rented out a room to friends to help with mortgage repayments, but over time the property became their much-loved family home. Their three children have now moved out, so these days the grounds are shared with nine-year old white rabbit Gypsy, and bantam chickens Rose, Violet Ivy, Daphne, Clementine and Dulsie! 

From the street, the house looks almost exactly as it did in 1860, but numerous changes have been made inside. After 10 years living in the home, two rooms were added above the garage (once used as a

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