Day: January 14, 2021

The standard process when updating an outdated lean-to is to replace the structure with a much larger, modern extension.

At one stage this might have been the course for this Brunswick property, but an existing edible garden on site inspired Blair Smith Architecture to consider other ideas. 

‘The original lean-to had a poetic utility and modesty I wanted to somehow distil,’ says Blair. ‘The site already had a detached [14m²] brick studio, and an edible garden started by the previous owner, so part of the brief was to insert something new that could retain those elements.’

Clearly the original lean-to with its lack of aspect, awkward layout, and poor thermal performance had to go, but there were other elements of this structure that spoke to Blair. 

Rather than creating a much larger extension that would see the garden destroyed, he settled on a more understated design encompassing the kitchen, dining

Despite being stranded without a studio for most of 2020, there were some upsides to last year for graduate artist Anni Hagberg. For one, she was selected to exhibit at Fresh! – Craft Victoria’s annual exhibition of outstanding graduate artists. For another, she took out The Design Files Emerging Maker Award AND The John Wardle Architects Craft Prize while she was there. Not bad!

Her prizewinning work was a collection of porcelain sculptures titled ‘Integrity’. Made from a combination of scrap metal and broken glass, and coated in a glaze made from leftover wood ash and gold lustre, these works reflect Annie’s interest in working predominantly with found materials, to create her industrial-feel pieces.

‘I usually start with collecting waste materials which I use throughout my works – this can be anything from broken glass and scrap metal to charcoal or residue from welding,’ Anni says of