The Fish Creek House by ArchiBlox is an ‘an eco-friendly, off-grid haven’ that offers a modern (and decidedly more comfortable) take on the corrugated Australian shed! The brief was to create a home that ‘respected its habitat and had minimal impact on surrounding wildlife’, and to reflect their values of stepping lightly on the land.

What has emerged, is an ‘eco-luxe’ cabin, that balances aesthetics with environmental responsibility. The architect explains that this project ‘encapsulates the future of living ethically, while remaining open-plan and functional.’

The property is imagined in two zones, entertaining and rest, that are connected via a central entryway. The sleeping area is located on the North-West side for privacy, dreamy views and protection against harsh coastal winds. The living zone opens out with glass sliding doors, to allow for air circulation and connection to the landscape.

Low environmental impact was a priority for this build, and passive heating options include a pergola, window awnings and raking ceilings. Where possible, sustainable and renewable materials have been selected, and the home also boasts solar panels, a wood burner, rainwater collection operation and septic system.

In addition to low-impact materials, the construction of the home was strategically imagined to maximise off-site prefabrication. The ArchiBlox team highlight ‘the building was designed and built at our facility ensuring minimal disturbance to eco-systems and the land.’ This particularly reflected the values of the owners, whose interest in permaculture inspires them to ‘minimise their carbon footprint, and improve their overall well-being.’

The interiors reflect the ethos of both the clients and architects, brought to life with a landscape-inspired Dulux colour palette including tones of Army Fatigues, Natural White, Woodland Grey and Black Ace.’ The architects highlight that a good lick of paint was a ‘budget friendly, simple solution to enhance this small home’s big personality.’ Meanwhile, ‘simple extravagances’ include an outdoor bath fed with rainwater, star gazing skylight and metallic central chimney with bronzed tiles, bringing bold design flair to this ‘shed 2.0’ !

This compact cottage in Cammeray, New South Wales felt dark and disconnected from its surroundings when architect and studio director Eva-Marie Prineas first engaged with the site. She explains that the original cottage and previous add-on featured ‘poorly lit interiors and the separation of living spaces from the garden.’

The architects demolished a pre-existing renovation and reconsidered how to bring light and airiness to the cottage. Due to the home being located within a Heritage Conservation Area, any new additions needed to be concealed from the street view. Eva-Marie describes how this restriction helped to ‘inform the dramatic form of the addition and the dynamic interior spaces.’

The act of concealing the renovation helped direct the ‘step-down’ design, which nestles the new extension into the garden. This change in level between the old and the new maintains the existing roof-line, but creates a connection to the backyard. Eva-Marie highlights how the renovation conjures ‘dramatic internal volumes’, with a north-facing skylight that runs across the full width of the new addition, allowing for light to flood into the home.

The newly illuminated interiors are enhanced by a pared back materials palette, including white painted recycled brick, grooved joinery, natural stone and Pandomo floors. This grey-and-white minimalism is enlivened with warm timber veneer joinery, and luxe brass details in the light fittings.

The house shies away from an open-plan configuration (the dining, living and kitchen areas are all distinct but connected) – but embraces an ‘open-out’ model where every room has a physical or visual link to the outdoors. The renovation has only added nine square metres of floorplan to the original cottage, but this connection to the garden and surrounds has dramatically expanded the sense of space.

This dynamic cottage renovation was shortlisted for the 2018 Houses Awards, and won ‘Best Use of Lighting’ in the House and Garden 50 Top Rooms. Fitting accolades for a truly transformative renovation!

When Paul Ghaie (co-founder of wine, boutique beer and cider purveyors, Blackhearts and Sparrows) moved into an apartment in Rose Street, Fitzroy, he was living two doors down from the brothel Club Rose. The club shut down in late 2017, and Paul jumped at the opportunity to purchase the site. After securing the property, Paul and partner Lucy Wallace (a hospitality professional) engaged Fieldwork Architects to transform the building, which featured obligatory showers in every room, mirrored ceilings, Roman columns, and two spa baths… into a home.

The modern design is refined but a little quirky, with material references to the unusual history of the building. Paul explains that the brief was for something that was both beautiful and practical. He highlights ‘there are so many subtle touches that aren’t too flashy or shouting “look at me”…well, maybe other than the pink windows in the bathroom and the neon in the back building.’

I’m not sure I’d describe this home as ‘subtle’ – but the architects have cleverly balanced sharp contemporary designs (the clean line of the staircase, sleek bathroom tiles, the blush and olive dining nook) with moments of aesthetic sass! Paul and Lucy wanted to avoid a ‘sterile white box’ and have used Dulux ‘All’s Ace’ pink, as well as coloured lighting the create mood and reflect a unique sense of character.  Neon lights in the rear courtyard illuminate the night with the glowing declaration ‘Exquisite Ladies’, which Paul explains is a ‘not so subtle reminder of the history of the building – and a lot of fun when we have visitors.’

The kitchen is the hub of this home, where Paul and Lucy put their combined hospitality skills and wine knowledge to use, cooking for friends. The aged brass bench top is a centrepiece in the room, and Paul describes ‘there’s a little history of meals and parties past in each mark and scratch’. The space is brought to life through the couple’s art collection (especially the vibrant Rhys Lee painting) and the lighting by Pip from Studio Wonder.

This unconventional home reflects both the history of the site, and the personality of the owners. In Paul’s words – ‘we don’t take ourselves too seriously.’

You know that scene in Forrest Gump where Forrest is drawling on about Jenny and him going together like peas and carrots? Well, that’s how I feel about beetroot and horseradish. They’re just destined to be together.

Often, store-bought chrain (a bitey horseradish cream / paste) will come pre-loaded with beetroot – for colour more-so than flavour, but here, the beetroot takes centre-stage, with fresh-grated horseradish buzzing through the cream and garnish.

Ingredients (serves 6-8)

For the Horseradish Cream

1 tbsp fresh horseradish (or jarred, if need be)
200g creme fraiche
1 tsp nice vinegar (I love chardonnay vinegar for fancy flavouring)
1 heaped tbsp pure cream
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground white pepper

For the Salad

2 bunches baby beets, including the smaller leaves, washed and soaked in cold water for at least an hour
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt flakes and pepper
1/2 bunch of Dill, soaked in cold water, fronds picked.
Cucamelons & Borage flowers (optional)
Fresh horseradish, grated (if available)

Method

Heat oven to 180C

Trim the leaves off the baby beets leaving 5cms of cleaned stem attached. Reserve the smaller beet leaves to use in the salad.

Place beets on a bed of a couple of sheets of foil.  Drizzle over some olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap beet parcel up tightly and place in oven for 2 hours, then leave to cool without opening.

Once cool enough to handle, slip the skins off and place on a serving plate

Scatter over the reserved leaves, dill fronds, cucamelons (if using) and borage flowers, drizzle with some extra olive oil, salt flakes, pepper and a fresh grating of horseradish. Serve with dollops of horseradish cream.

Top tips

Horseradish is quite seasonal, so if you can’t find any fresh stuff around, use the best quality jar you can find – the less ingredients, the better. You could also sub in fresh wasabi if that’s more readily available, or even mix wasabi paste into your cream instead (remember to explain to your guests that the green-tinged cream is intentional!)

Buying baby beets with the leaves still attached is a marker of freshness, indicating that the flavour is going to be at its sweetest. If you can’t find baby beets in their entirety, use peppery rocket leaves for extra green stuff instead. Remember to use only the smaller leaves in your salad, saving the large ones to put through the juicer or into a pot of soup.

For many people (myself included), picking apples evokes idyllic images of children running through rows of trees, laden with ruby red fruit, wooden step ladders, wide brim straw hats and cane baskets overflowing with nature’s bounty…!

And while the majority of mainstream apple production in Australia looks vastly different to this romanticised version, it turns out that it’s a remarkably accurate description of the ‘pick your own’ business run by Jade Miles and partner Charlie Showers near Stanley in North East Victoria.

The picture-perfect orchard, Black Barn Farm, is open every Saturday from mid-January to mid-May for both locals and tourists from as far as Melbourne to enjoy their very own farm experience.

On any given weekend, up until the bitter cold of winter sets in, you’ll find Jade and Charlie working amongst the rows of apple trees, running their ‘pick your own’ stand, or selling their numerous varieties of heirloom apples, pears and quinces at a nearby farmer’s market.

Their 11-year-old twin boys Harry and Berty have inherited their parent’s penchant for commerce, and run their ‘Dough Bros’ apple cider doughnut stand just inside the orchard gates, taking advantage of customers that build up an appetite after all that strenuous apple picking. Meanwhile, seven-year-old Clementine, the youngest of the family, can be found helping Mum and Dad train a newly acquired pony to carry baskets of freshly picked apples back to customer’s cars.

‘It’s a hectic but incredibly rewarding lifestyle, and the realisation of a long-held dream for us,’ says Jade.

After searching for ten years, the couple found their perfect piece of land just three years ago – ‘East facing, with the right type of soil and guaranteed water’ – and hit the ground running. They established Black Barn Farm, a 23-acre biodiverse orchard, nursery and community-based learning space.

In the years leading up to the land purchase, they had diligently worked towards their goal, completing permaculture design certificates, founding the Beechworth Food Co-Op, and even spending six months in Vermont in the United States, researching the local food systems. ‘We really wanted to see how things operated in those well-established orchards in Vermont, especially from a small-scale family oriented farming perspective,’ says Jade.

It was this trip to the US that cemented their plans, and made them realise the mammoth task ahead. ‘Vermont showed us just how far we have to go in this country culturally in order for our regional and rural communities to thrive.’

‘Our food is predominantly grown in rural areas, and yet these regions are largely ignored and really struggling. As long as our farmers are sending their product, which has become nothing more than a commodity, off to an unknown destination and getting a price that is dictated to them, they will never, ever be celebrated.’

It’s this concern for a food system that is largely broken that drives Jade and Charlie’s commitment to their small-scale, regenerative, community supported farming enterprise.

‘We don’t want to just grow a piece of fruit, put it on a truck and send it away – we want to connect with the person that’s going to eat it so they know where it came from and value it. As long as people don’t value their food, our regional communities and food systems will continue to erode.’

Two years after purchasing their farm, while the family was busy caring for their newly planted apple trees, an unexpected opportunity arose to lease an established orchard nearby. After some initial hesitation, they decided to take advantage of the opportunity and opened a ‘pick-your-own’ stand much earlier than anticipated.

‘The trees on our farm won’t be ready until early 2021, but we’ve leased this established site near our property and kind of leap-frogged ahead.’

While they run the ‘pick-your-own’ at the orchard and attend local markets on weekends, their weekdays are filled with caring for the orchards, farm work, and operating a fruit tree and perennial plant nursery. They also run regular workshops, permaculture courses and farmer gatherings, as well as youth wellbeing programs and school camps, often in partnership with local community organisations.

Jade’s background in tourism and marketing, combined with Charlie’s experience in hydro-engineering and soil management has been key to their success. ‘The business is equal parts farming, education advocacy and community connection enterprise.’

In November this year, the couple will follow through with plans to build a three storey black barn, a timber post and beam structure cut into the natural slope of the hillside. The barn will have a café and workshop space, complete with kitchen gardens and a large nursery.

‘The key to what we’re doing is diversity – diversity of business model and varieties of produce – not having all our apples in one basket so to speak. The diversity of what we offer is what will make us strong.’

 Will Work For Food is a creative partnership between writer Karen Locke and photographer Honey Atkinson, who are working to elevate the importance of sustainable, ethically produced food. Find out more on their blog Willworkforfood.com.au.

The Kangaroo Valley outhouse by Madeleine Blanchfield Architects is a bathroom in the bush like no other. The mirrored exterior reflects the leafy surrounds, creating a shimmering camouflage that renders the bathroom almost invisible!

The outhouse has been installed on a low hillside, 30m from the accommodation on site (which we featured a few weeks ago!). The mirrored cube hovers above the ground and can be easily removed, without leaving a lasting impact on the natural environment.

The bathroom cuboid plays with ideas of concealment and exposure, as the one-way mirrors provide 360° views from within, but ensure privacy for the user. The architect explains, ‘the sense of being “exposed” in the bathroom plays on the sense of place, being out of the confines and control of the city and immersed in the natural environment.’

The mirage-like structure mimics the surrounding lush landscape, and ‘only the subtle lines of the cube’s edges are visually legible.’  However, when the light levels are high internally (at night), the mirror does become partially see-through from the outside also… (noted!) – this illumination helps with the journey down the path from the nearby cabin accommodation at night.

With a lux interior fit out containing a freestanding bath, shower and toilet, the mirrored box applies sustainable technologies, including natural ventilation, solar-powered lighting and greywater recycling / septic tanks. The architects explain ‘the outhouse heightens the sense of place, makes one consider their location and the vulnerability of humans in the uncontrolled landscapes.’ Plenty to ponder as you are submerged in the bath, under the starry skies!

Behind an unassuming Victorian shopfront on Fitzroy’s Gertrude st, is this incredibly creative home, which brings together historic art references, local craftsmanship, and a truly incredible use of colour!

Interior Designer Kate Challis purchased the property over 15 years ago. ‘Gertrude street was quite different back then…’ she recalls ‘…no barista insight and a rough reputation, but we loved it’. What they purchased was a charming 19th-century shop front with an adjoining residence, and Kate and her family lived here for a number of years, before embarking on a proper renovation.

In collaboration with Ridolfi Architecture, Kate completely reworked the original floorplan, moving the kitchen and dining to the street-facing end of the home, and the formal lounge to the rear. The former shop window was blanketed in double-glazed frosted glass, ensured a sense of privacy, whilst remaining sympathetic to the neighbouring shopfronts. Finally, the family added an extra bedroom upstairs, and roof garden above the rear garage.

In a decorative sense, the project has been heavily influenced by Kate’s love for art (she has a PhD in art history) and is inspired specifically by two Australian female artists, Margaret Preston (1875 – 1963) and Valerie Sparks (b. 1961). The deep sea green paint in the formal lounge was inspired by Margaret Preston’s work ‘Western Australian Gum Blossom’ (1928) and painted in a distemper finish, popular in the nineteenth century. Meanwhile, the incredible photo mural on the walls in the kitchen/dining rooms was a collaboration with Valerie Sparks, a Melbourne artist, and is a customisation of her ‘Le Vol’ series’. Other bespoke details include a lighting commission above the dining table by Melbourne designer Christopher Boots, and custom pendants by local lighting studio Volker Haug.

‘I set out to see how far I could push the boundaries between art and design’ Kate explains. ‘As a family home it needed to be functional, but I also I wanted to create an immersive atmosphere in the tradition of grand homes of the past.’

Since launching her interior design practice in 2015, the home has also become a valuable example of Kate’s distinctive design aesthetic, including her love of brave colour, and her tendency towards bespoke details, often created in collaboration with local artists. Kate often brings her clients home to show them what can be achieved within a period home, and give them the courage to be bold!

Kate has relished the opportunity to design her own home without compromise, and to add a new layer to this building’s rich history.  ‘The property was originally a turn of the century shop front… and by the early 1970s was home to Melbourne’s first feminist bookshop, the ‘Shrew Women’s Bookshop’ Kate explains. ‘With such a strong and powerful history, I wanted it to feel otherworldly and be totally unexpected’.

Twenty-one years after presenting ‘Suspended Breath’, Rosslynd Piggott is back at NGV with her exhibition ‘I sense you but I cannot see you’. And it, too, is one awe-inspiring show!

Acclaimed for creating sensory art that is slow and deliberate, elegant and intelligent, Rosslynd provides an opportunity for us to engage with the elusive and ethereal.

Themes the imaginative artist has returned to throughout her celebrated career come to the fore in this new showcase, including dream states and Surrealism, synesthesia and sensory perception, the beauty of the natural world and, intriguingly, the containment of air! What might that look like? Think scientific glass vials, containing air captured at 65 locations across Europe.

That’s just one example, there are more than 100 artworks, from paintings, drawings, sculptures and installations, presented, several of which have never been seen in Australia.

Don’t miss an exquisite group of engraved Murano glass sculptures that Rosslynd made in collaboration with artisans on Murano Island, Venice from 2013- 2017 ‘The episodes in Venice were very special and rather dreamlike,’ recalls Rosslynd, who has the great privilege of holding a solo show at the Museo del Vetro and hopes this work will be ongoing.
Also, look out for her re-created installations ‘Double breath (contained) of the sitter’, 1993–94, which features items from the NGV’s Collection, such as nineteenth-century furniture, shoes and garments.

‘My art practice is aligned to the experiences in my life – so there are some constant ideas that thread their way through time and shift in shape and material,’ summarises Rosslynd. The 61-year-old will next be immersing herself in her studio for painting and planning her next trip to Venice. ‘The path of an artist is a long one,’ she advises. ‘Go slow.’

‘I sense you but I cannot see you’ by Rosslynd Piggott
April 12th to August 18th
Level 3 NGV Australia, Federation Square
Swanston Street and Flinders Street, Melbourne

Joshua Cocks studied Urban Horticulture… in fact, he’s still studying it; opting to undertake his University of Melbourne Associates Degree part-time so he can gain practical experience in the field along the way!

It’s an approach that has paid off dividends. As part of this degree, Josh was required to undertake an internship. Approaching Eckersley Garden Architecture through mutual connections (he’d previously laboured for his Dad’s business Parterre Landscapes), he scored a one-day-a-week gig. At the same time, he worked at Warner’s Nurseries in the advanced tree potting team.

Both jobs set him up with invaluable horticultural and construction skills he utilises each day as a Senior Landscape Designer at E-ga. ‘The practical knowledge I have gained over the years has been so influential in the success of my current role, and also helped me to better grasp what we are studying,’ he tells.

Along this career journey, the 26-year-old has built genuine connections with his industry, and he’s learnt to value the opportunities these can present. We recently caught up with Joshua, on a site visit to an amazing new project he’s been working on (stay tuned for a closer look at this garden in a few weeks)…

The most important verb in the get-your-dream-job lexicon is…

…relationships. I believe that the relationships that you build through your life are the most important factor in finding your dream job… and being happy in it.

Without being close to my Dad and having the chance to work for him,  I wouldn’t have met the guys from E-ga. Through this relationship, I was able to get my foot in the door to the landscape design industry. Then also, without becoming great friends with my colleagues, working in our small office and through the design process would be a much more difficult task.

Thirdly,  a lot of the relationships I have built through working in landscape design have inspired my designs. For example, going to industry nights/event to see the work of other landscape designers and architects is always really inspiring.

I think referrals are almost everything; you can trust a recommendation like that more than a resume (which people can really write anything on). Many of my colleagues at E-ga have come to the business through a similar process too.

I landed this job by…

…being introduced to the E-ga crew while working for my father’s business (he has been constructing E-ga gardens for almost 20 years!).

It sort of sounds like the job was just handed to me, but I don’t think I would still be here, five years down the track, if I didn’t have anything to offer.

Getting jobs these days is all about being there at the right time, or already having your foot in the door.

A typical day for me involves…

My typical day generally begins by being woken up by my hungry fur-baby (Rocky) who sleeps on the end of the bed. This is followed by, most importantly, coffee and a walk around the streets of Clifton Hill –  walking Rocky in the morning is most important or he’s a menace once cooped up in the office for the day.

Then it’s a run, cycle, train or drive to Richmond, where our office is located. My choice of transport is dependant on what my day has in store for me!

The work day starts at 8am, which seems to be a little bit before a lot of other businesses open up, allowing for some free time to catch up on emails. From there, it’s designing/drafting, office meetings, and communicating with clients, contractors, suppliers and architects. There are a lot of other tasks that vary day to day, like site meetings, site analysis, and trips to visit product suppliers, like plant nurseries and other material suppliers.

I have recently taken up the job of revisiting projects that have been completed, to take photos for our social media or just for our records. I am still quite a novice when it comes to the camera, but I am finding that being able to go spend a few hours shooting a garden isn’t just improving my photography skills, it’s also helping me to improve my designing as well. I’m able to see an established plant palette or aged materials and whether they work – something you don’t get to see on paper when you are drawing.

The most rewarding part of my job is…

Other than getting to bring to life your designs and have a client and others able to experience and appreciate it… I would also have to say it’s putting your head together with other people who you enjoy working alongside to bring ideas to fruition. One particular and memorable example of this is when I worked with my colleagues Rupert and Clare for the 2018 Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show. Together we brought to life our ‘Australian Case Study Garden’ (or ‘A Mongrel’, as we liked to call it). Much to our disbelief, we ended up winning the Best In Show, a Gold Medal and the Best Use of Plant Life awards.

On the other hand, the most challenging aspect is…

…the trial and error of planting design. We are working with a living medium, which is as rewarding as it is challenging.

Plants are living organisms, and have specific requirements for survival. It’s not as simple as throwing two plants in together because aesthetically they look great side-by-side. There are considerations of soil type, light aspects, and then upkeep… just some of the important factors in making our designs really work.

The culture of my workplace is…

Some days you can get trapped in the rambles of conversation, and other days everyone knows how to sit down, focus on work and listen to the music playing throughout the office. Overall we are a very collaborative and pretty free-flowing team. If anyone is in need of information it is easy to go and ask the person you know has better knowledge of the matter, or if you have big ideas that you aren’t quite sold on, there is always someone there you can bounce that off and get fair and honest feedback.

Another important part of our workplace culture is the space we work in. We are lucky enough to have multiple areas where we can get work completed, take meetings with clients, get away from the desk (into either the lunch space or our courtyard garden). The office is also dog-friendly, which means Rocky is welcome to come to work whenever it works with my plans… generally, he makes the call to get up for work or not in the morning.

 My favourite plant/landscape design element is…

Eriobotrya japonica or the loquat.

The Loquat tree has beautiful glossy, deep green leaves and bears delicious fruit. But it is not my favourite for design purposes…

This is my favourite plant because it reminds me of my childhood. We had a giant loquat tree in our back garden which we built a tree house in. My sister, brother and I would spend hours sitting up top eating all the loquats. This was always a regrettable decision, as we would have horrible stomach pains afterwards. But we would still do this every time the tree came into fruit.

Over the years, my career has changed…

I have moved in my role, from an assistant designer up to a senior designer. With this,  I have made major improvements in my ability to present and speak to clients (public speaking has always been hard for me). My design style has evolved over the years through uncovering new sources of inspiration from working closely with others and experiencing different projects and other designers’ works.

In the next five years, I’d like to…

… explore more of Australia, the parts that I haven’t explored like the southern parts of the West Coast and deeper into Kakadu. I spent a lot of my childhood travelling all over Australia with my parents; this country is so vast I still have loads to see and many favourite spots to revisit.

That said, I’d also like to explore more of the world and revisit Southeast Asia and Southern India. Plus expand on my studies into Landscape Architecture to then maybe work on broader scale projects and public realm landscapes. And I also have dreams working overseas in landscape design!

Paul West has worked in all areas of food production, from growing fruit and veg to WWOOFing on various properties across Australia, to working at wholesale markets, retail grocers and at top restaurants, including Vue De Monde.

It was such a joy to meet Paul, and to chat with him about his career and his philosophies on food and on sustainable living. What surprised me, was just how incredibly funny Paul is – he had me, and the audience in fits of laughter for most of this conversation…  he certainly knows how to tell a good story – enjoy!

Links + Further Reading

Follow Paul West on Instagram here.

We spent the afternoon with Paul at CERES learning why it’s never been more important to grow your own food.

He hosted River Cottage Australia for four seasons.

He is huge advocate for WWOOFing (Willing Workers on Organic Farms), a hospitality service operated by a network of national organizations that facilitate homestays on organic farms.

There are still a few tickets available for our final live event @ Mercedes me with Editor Justine Cullen.

Mercedes me is a collaborative space in Melbourne’s CBD, where café culture meets Mercedes-Benz lifestyle. Stay up to date with their varied program of events by following @mercedesmestore.melbourne.