Issue 105

Issue 105 comes out September 8th. Order on its own or as part of a subscription.

Cover photo by Tim Clark Studio

In this issue, we profile developer James Tutton, who before joining Neometro co-founded Smiling Mind, an app, book and digital not-for-profit teaching young people the preventative skills to maintain their mental health.

Then, our first architecture feature transforms a long narrow Marrickville semi through a process of radical frugality, retaining the front rooms and replacing the poorly built lean-to with a sequence of three gables stepping down the site. Inside, compression gives way to release, culminating in a light-filled “Great Room” at the rear. Architecture by Panov—Scott.

Next up, our second architecture feature replaces a dilapidated shed on a bush block above Tasmania’s Spring Beach with a modest pavilion. Reminiscent of post-war shacks, it balances communal gathering with private retreat and settles into the coastal bush as if it has always been there. Architecture by Scale Architecture.

For our third architecture feature, an inner-city terrace in Sydney’s Surry Hills becomes a calm retreat just steps from the main street. With courtyards carved into the narrow site, the design brings light and greenery deep into the home. Finely crafted like joinery, it celebrates southern light and a quiet urban oasis. Architecture by Architect George.

Our fourth architecture feature sits lightly on a corner block at Aireys Inlet, designed through years of friendship between architect and client. Timber decks and large glazed openings bring light into central living spaces that glow like lanterns at night, while garden design slows stormwater to nourish new planting. Architecture by Multiplicity.

And for our last architecture feature, a compact 1940s bungalow in Auckland has been reorganised to “put life where the sun is.” Service areas were shifted south, living spaces opened to the north and west, and a bright yellow palette brings warmth and joy. Architecture by Pac Studio.

Our first landscape feature unfolds at Quondong Wahgunyah, home to The Play Project, a paediatric therapy clinic founded by Kait and Marcus Cummins to build independent living skills. Designed by Kathleen Murphy Landscape Design, the garden takes a naturalistic, diverse approach, weaving indigenous flora with exotics through a sequence of connected rooms.

And our second landscape feature shows how gardens can be both playful and restorative. Founded by ecologist Elizabeth Blacklock and bush regenerator Erryn Blacklock, BUSHY Landscapes combines ecological science, bush restoration and landscape design with a strong sense of fun, turning even small urban plots into thriving habitats and places for joy.

In our Not Wasted feature, Barcelona-based studio TAKK create a bedroom for their daughter Roma inside their vast loft, built from leftover materials including concrete blocks, timber and recycled insulation. Raised on wheels with a pitched roof, the small structure moves through the apartment, questioning fixed layouts while offering Roma a space that is part bedroom, part lookout and part stage set.

And finally, our travel feature takes us to Tasmania’s east coast, where the Saffire Freycinet lodge is sited above a peaceful cove with surreal views of The Hazards. Days are filled with hikes, swims and oyster tastings, while evenings bring exceptional local cuisine and the comfort of a retreat deeply connected to its setting .

And of course, our regular segments Upfront and Upfront Garden share a curated spread of projects, products or creations that we love. This issue is full of smart initiatives, from a 21-square-metre mobile home to the creative response from one of Melbourne’s felled plane trees. A New Normal (led by Finding Infinity) has once again united the cream of the country’s architects, designers and artists to address key issues of the moment, and a team of great minds – McIldowie Partners with Joost Bakker (Future Food System) – has built a solar-powered, carbon-sequestering school with near zero-waste as a place for regenerative learning.

Also featured in Upfront and Upfront Garden: Dirk du Toit, Sarah Nedovic, Made by Morgen, Jason Parker, Elise Cakebread, Bar Studio, Taylor and Hinds, Lane Group, Scholé, Robin Boyd Foundation, Alexsandra Pontonio, Volker Haug Studio, Flack Studio, Jane Sawyer, Craft Victoria, Pihlmann Architects, La Biennale, Hayley Pryor, Retreat House, Chris King Constructions, Main Studio / Bronwen Main, Mark Tuckey, Grace Moore Film, Ma House Supply Store, Andy Ward, Assembly Label, Mr and Mrs White, and Bonnie and Neil.

Issue 105 comes out September 8th. Order on its own or as part of a subscription.

Issue 105 contributors—Writing by Penny Craswell, Rebecca Gross, Catriona McLeod, Kath Dolan, Claire McCall, Jenny Lyon, Lara Chapman, Ellie Keft, Tom Bodycomb. Photography by Derek Swalwell, Brett Boardman, Tim Clark Studio, Trevor Mein, Samuel Hartnett, Joanne Ly, Marnie Hawson, Elizabeth Blacklock, José Hevia, Tamsin O’Neill, Adam Gibson, Adrian Grasso, Lillie Thompson, Michael Pham, Pier Carthew, Nicole Williams (Pardu), Hannah Nikkelson (Assignment Studio), Earl Carter.