(inside) interior design review

As the new managing editor of Australian Design Review and inside magazine, putting together issue of inside, otherwise known as the Interior Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) shortlist edition, has been a process of connective curiosity. I’ve been curious to learn more about each of the entrants — well over this year — and inspired by the interconnection between so many of them. While the entrants span the entire country, and all architectural typologies, what they all share is a distinctly Australian design aesthetic and a resolute commitment to innovation, beauty and human-centred design. Perhaps one of the greatest challenges with editing a shortlist edition is knowing where to start. The sheer volume of excellent — and therefore print-worthy — architecture, interior and product design has blown me away. This is…

HELENA MORGAN Helena Morgan is a Melbourne-based journalist originally from the far north coast of New South Wales. She is the assistant editor of Facility Management and her work has been published in Australian Design Review, Scenestr, The Age, Beat Magazine, Backbeat Podcast, Stew and University of Melbourne student publications The Junction, The Chariot, The Citizen and Farrago. JANUARY JONES Based in Melbourne, January Jones has more than 10 years’ experience in the media industry as a journalist, editor and podcaster. She has written for many local and international publications including The Age, SMH, Domain, Body+Soul and inside. MYKE BARTLETT Myke Bartlett is a journalist, editor and author based in Perth. He writes on the arts, design, pop culture, politics and parenting for The Guardian, The Critic and anyone else…

Glenn Murcutt believes architecture “is not about a material, it’s about place-making”. “It’s about prospect, refuge, climate, topography, flora, fauna, it is about making beautiful spaces that link with the landscape,” he says. The Australian is one of the world’s most celebrated architects, having won the Alvar Aalto Medal, the Pritzker Architecture Prize and the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal. He is known for his highly considered process of discovery that responds uniquely to the Australian landscape. Working in close collaboration with Murcutt, architect Nick Sissons, Murcutt’s former student and assistant, presents a selection of never-before-seen projects, documenting the journey between some of the esteemed architect’s most notable works. Using extraordinary true-to-life renders, Glenn Murcutt: Unbuilt Works reveals 10 previously unknown designs in remarkable detail, including original hand-drawn plans,…

SHOP INSULA MODULAR SOFA BY PATRICIA URQUIOLA FOR KETTAL The Insula modular sofa is Patricia Urquiola’s take on the traditional seating found in Arabic Majlis, where community members gather to discuss local matters, receive and entertain guests. Like the original Majlis, the Insula’s main purpose is for socialising. A low, rational modular sofa in smooth shapes with a roll backrest, its many configurations mean it can be adapted to all types of gatherings, both indoors and outdoors. mobilia.com.au SHOP GEOMETRICA COLLECTION BY BEELINE DESIGN PHOTOGRAPHY MARTINA GEMMOLA The new retro-futuristic furniture range from Melbourne brand Beeline Design takes cues from both the Memphis Design Movement and the Art Deco period. Doubling as works of art, each piece features an interlocking base and a spun metal shape. Geometrica comes in a…

DESIGNER BRAHMAN PERERAPRODUCT ALBERO BOOKCASE, DESIGNED BY GIANFRANCO FRATTINI FOR POLTRONA FRAU “The Albero, Italian for ‘tree’, was designed in the late 1950s. A freestanding floor-to-ceiling bookcase, the Albero gently revolves 360 degrees. [It is] a sculptural standout for its complex and gravity-defying joinery. I have had the pleasure of using this piece in a couple of residential projects. One, [in] a beloved bar for a home on the slopes of Mount Buller; the other in the library for a home in Melbourne.” PORTRAIT TIMOTHY KAYE PHOTO OF ALBERO VIA MOBILIA DESIGNER YASMINE GHONIEM, YSGPRODUCT BAR CABINET CHIN CHIN BY CLAUDE MISSIR “Who doesn’t love the sunshine? This bar cabinet by Claude Missir (from Lebanon) is an instant mood booster with its buttery yellow tones inside and out – aptly called ‘Chin Chin’.…

Clare Cousins needs no introduction. Since founding her award-winning eponymous architecture practice at the age of just , Cousins has been at the forefront of exceptional Australian design across multiple typologies for close to two decades. Regardless of whether she’s designing elegant, responsive and inspiring single residential homes or multi-residential developments such as Nightingale, Cousins lives and breathes values-driven good design. Good design, in her view, is not a nice-to-have but something everyone should have access to. It was Cousins’ commitment to good design — the definition of which we’ll get to — combined with her desire to have autonomy over both her work/life and design decisions that led her to take a leap of faith and go out on her own in . “I felt taking on the challenge…