Four years ago Klaus and Anne Schindhelm made the opposite of a tree change. They moved from a large house and garden on a one-acre property in Sydney’s leafy Northern suburbs to an apartment in Rozelle, less than one-tenth of the size. What was most important when searching for their new property, in addition to easier access to amenities and a sense of community, was space for a garden.

They bought the apartment for this reason. It’s a gorgeous north-west facing space, wrapped by a huge roof terrace. Walls of glass doors slide open on two sides of the living area, connecting the space seamlessly to the L-shaped garden. Tubs of dragon tree (Dracaena marginata) provide screening from neighbouring apartment buildings as well as providing a lush green outlook from the living room. But the backyard, if you can call it that, is where the action is.

When Anne and Klaus bought the property, the garden consisted of a large raised section of lawn surrounded by a few shrubs. ‘I think it was after Klaus bought the third lawnmower that we got in touch with Adam!’, Anne tells me. She’s talking about Adam Robinson, a landscape designer and roof garden design guru. ‘We started off by saying we wanted a few pot plants, and then Adam saw the lawn space and convinced us we should do something about it.’

The bones of the space have been retained – the composite decking, wide timber stairs, raised planter with long timber bench seat and sunken lounge area were elements of the initial design. The centrepiece, which was originally just a big rectangle of lawn, is what Adam focused on.

Adam proposed a simple design – replacing the lawn with a garden consisting of recycled timber sleepers leading to a water bowl at the end of the space. The planting is low and textural – grasses like matt rush (Lomandra ‘Tanika’) and leatherleaf sedge (Carex buchananii) jostle with clipped germander (Teucrium fruticans) and box (Buxus spp.) Gorgeous big spheres of copper spoons (Kalanchoe orgyalis ‘Copper Spoons’) line the glass balustrade, their colour bouncing off the rusty tones of the carex. A green carpet of creeping thyme (Thymus serphyllum ‘Albus’) grows amongst the sleepers, transforming in summer from green to white as it flowers. Whilst the location is incredibly harsh, the planting scheme feels anything but. It’s a delightful mix of succulents, Mediterranean and native plants – happiest with the tough love of full sun and harsh winds.

The pair loved working with Adam. ‘He always listens and gently prods you towards the correct decision,’ says Klaus. ‘Left to our, well my, imagination, we wouldn’t have gone anywhere near this outcome’. He and Anne are very happy with the end result. ‘We love the garden – it has a really nice movement and flow. The grassy plants look great in the wind, and it’s spectacular at night when it’s lit up.’

The plant palette was unfamiliar to Anne, a gardener most familiar with natives and camellias. She’s enjoyed learning more about succulents and when I compliment a pot of Cotyledonorbiculata on the outdoor table, proudly claims ownership. “I picked that one!”

It’s easy to see why Klaus and Anne fell in love with the apartment enough to move from their big garden in the suburbs. From my perch on the couch in the living room all I can see are plants and sky. The vastness of the vista stretches far beyond the boundary of the garden. There’s space galore, but it doesn’t need maintaining; and there’s garden enough to actively garden. Win, win.

AMES

Ames – Vibrant Living immediately caught my eye at the fair, for their bright designs and commitment to traditional craftmanship. They manufacture all their furniture, textiles, rugs and homewares ethically in Colombia, combining traditional techniques with a modern aesthetic, that reflects the local landscape and culture.

I was especially blown away by their handwoven rugs, chairs and the most incredible woven framed mirrors!

Kindred Design: Zacarias 1925

The Kindred Design stand was a showcase of contemporary Filipino craft, and I was SO amazed by the fresh and innovative designs from a country with such a long history of traditional craftsmanship.

What really blew me away was Zacarias 1925 label. This brand mixed leather and rattan to weave architectural baskets and bag designs, using traditional techniques. The label is an offshoot of established Filipino brand S.C Vizcarra, which has been producing woven designs for three generations. This was a truly stunning example of how traditional materials and styles can be reimagined for a contemporary audience.

Molo

This stall was one of the first things that I saw when entering the huge fair, and I was so excited by the work that Molo produce.

The Canadian geniuses have created a paper concertina system that is used for wall dividers, furniture and lighting. Just so unique! These guys are giving a new meaning to ‘flat-pack’ furniture, as their elegant expandable structures are fully collapsible. Create a wall out of thin air/a thin paper!

Schneid Studio

Schneid Studio is a small German brand, producing elegant products with a contemporary twist. Their work uses natural raw materials, striking colours and bold shapes. There is something so refined about their work, but also a gentle sense of humour and joy comes through!

The team is committed to sustainable practices, and working with local makers.

Ferm Living

Honestly, I was SO impressed with Ferm Living’s stand, and all of their products. The Danish company has created a range that is both sophisticated and quirky, considered and attainable.

Ferm Living has identified a gap in the market – of refined homewares at an accessible price-point – and delivered above and beyond!

Serax – Bela Silva and Marie Michielssen

Serax is a Belgian business, started by two brothers who over the past 30 years have grown from a small-scale company run out of a garage, to a multinational organisation with over 65 employees.

The company works with designers, and while I loved EVERYTHING on their stand – Bela Silva and Marie Michielssen delivered something really different. The Carnets de Voyages collection by Bela Silva of jugs bowls and dishes bring the history of the hanging gardens of Babylon and Portuguese azulejos tiles to the dinner table.

I was also so impressed by The Earth collection by Marie Michielssen, whose large pots and planters appear as handcrafted ceramics, but are actually lightweight fibreglass and papier-mâché!

Teixidors and Faye Toogood – Criss Cross

The textiles from this Barcelona-based social enterprise Teixidors immediately grabbed me, and I was so excited to hear the story behind these beautiful designs.

Teixidors employs people with learning difficulties, who learn textile handcraft and produce these stunning works in their small workshop just outside Barcelona. The Criss Cross range was released at the fair and is a collaboration with UK design royalty Faye Toogood.

Teixidors artisan textiles are available in Australia at Hub.

Giobagnara

Giobagnara is an established and much loved Italian furniture brand who have combined handcraftsmanship with leading-edge technology. I could not get over these tubular shapes and the strikingly unique looking product of the Stéphane Parmentier x Giobagnara range.

These leather-clad coffee tables, and stools are inspired by the classical Greco-Roman beauty, the Puglian landscape, and refined Japanese aesthetic.

Kang Min-Kyeong

The Korea Craft and Design Foundation stand was a real highlight for me, as an opportunity to view a collection of meticulously handcrafted homewares, and learn a little about Korean design culture and history. The intimate and delicate works of Kang Min-kyeong really grabbed my attention, as the artist uses a traditional ‘kwiyal’ technique (brush paste) on her coiled ceramics.

TIPTOE

I didn’t expect to find a ‘build-your-own-adventure’ experience at the fair, but French brand Tiptoe provided a new angle to sustainable design!

The idea is brilliantly simple – Tiptoe provide the designer modular long-lasting legs, and you can place this universal clamping leg on whatever you have at hand. The idea is that the furniture can adapt to serve changing needs across a life-time, and is such a creative and beautiful design solution to waste and the circular economy of furniture.

Paola Paronetto

Ever since Annie highlighted Paola Paronetto’s work at the 2018 Maison & Objet fair, I have been wanting to see these incredible ceramics! The Italian artist uses paper clay – a blend of paper pulp, natural fibres and clay, that gives an unusual and delicate finish.

A huge thanks to Maison & Objet for hosting me – such a truly memorable experience and so inspiring seeing the very of global design, all under one roof!  

Winner: Residential Architecture
Vokes & Peters, Subiaco House

Located in a leafy Perth suburb, Vokes and Peters’ winning project is a home that blends indoor and outdoor, offering both privacy for the residents, and connection to the community.

A series of discrete, interconnected rooms are arranged around a central courtyard, elegantly balancing private outdoor space with a connection to the street.

Local planning controls (and neighbourhood conventions) preferenced a single storey design, which presented a challenge to the architects, as the concept was to prioritise private open space at ground level. Through inventive design measures, the architects used terracotta roof tiles to shroud the upper storey of the building, resulting in an appearance that was consistent with the neighbours.

The architects explain that while the appearance of the home is relatively understated, ‘the site planning is a radical departure from the established norms of the area’. This subtly rebellious design provides a secret garden for the residents, as well as an unexpected layout, where the kitchen is placed on the edge of the public footpath. The interplay between private and public provides unconventional moments of connection and engagement with the neighbourhood.

Winner: Interior Design
Matt Woods, Perfect Storm

Known as ‘the concrete bunker’ for its use of rendered finishes and rejection of ornamentation this sleek Camperdown apartment is both luxe and surprisingly utilitarian.

Matt Woods redesigned the inner-city warehouse for a couple seeking a minimalist lifestyle, with an interior to match. Distancing itself from the classic ‘Sydney’ converted warehouse aesthetic, Perfect Storm is a unique design concept that strips the space back to its bare essentials.

The space comprises a custom kitchen and a mezzanine bedroom, overlooking the living room space and a small terrace. Taking inspiration from Brutalist architecture, the backbone of this concept was to create a space that was completely free of clutter and unnecessary decoration.

The streamlined space also celebrates the neighbourhood’s industrial heritage in its pared back, geometric interior.  The mood is intentionally dark and brooding, balanced by ample natural light.

Winner: Landscape Architecture
Clapham Landscape Architecture, The Enchanted Garden 

The brief for this project by Clapham Landscape Architecture was to provide an entry garden to gently invite visitors into the new display building for the Yarra Bend development in Alphington.

The concept was to create a vibrant, welcoming and sustainable precinct that communicates the layered heritage of the site, and fosters an exciting space for diverse communities to live and visit.

The design of the garden is informed by the surrounding bushland corridor, the flowing Yarra River, and local engagement with the walking and bicycle paths that weave through the landscape. The running water course in the garden echoes the Yarra, while the vertical elements are clad in reflective polished aluminum.

While the garden takes many cues from the surrounding natural landscape, the designers have also introduced many contemporary elements to highlight the modern intents of the Yarra Bend development. The trees are all planted in a grid pattern, amidst a material palette of polished aluminium, concrete and rough cut porphyry stone.

The landscape designers have also introduced a soundscape, that plays the sounds of local fauna activities recorded along the local river banks. This layering of frogs, insects and birds have welcomed local birdlife to the garden.

Winner: Lighting Design
Zachary Hanna, Trapeze Lamp 

Trapeze by Zacahry Hanna is a multifunctional, suspended lighting piece able to function as both a sconce or a pendant. The creation of Trapeze was driven by experiments into mechanics and physics.

The piece consists of two mounting plates, between which two wires are slung and stretched apart to mount the central lighting tube. It is primarily designed to be secured between two perpendicular surfaces in a corner between walls and ceilings or floors, although Trapeze can also be stretched between two parallel surfaces such as a hallway, or suspended from the ceiling as a pendant.

The central light in Trapeze is designed to be manually rotated to change intensity and direction as desired. It can be pointed into a room to provide direct illumination, or towards another surface to create a softer ambience. The minimal, utilitarian form is deliberate as to showcase the surrounding environment rather than drawing attention to itself.

Our judges were impressed with the simple elements utilised by Zachary Hanna to create a clever, timeless and original piece honouring classic 20th-century designs.

Winner: Furniture Design
Koskela, Learn

LEARN by Koskela is a new concept in primary classroom furniture that helps to create an interactive environment for learning for both students and educators.

Over 12 months, the team at Koskela developed a range of easily adaptable, multi-use furniture for primary education classrooms, with high environmental and ergonomic performance. This collection is designed for both newly designed classrooms, and for established school environments that are unable to be upgraded.

The range is comprised of three key components – desk, screens, ottomans – that can be configured in multiple ways to create spaces for collaboration, presentations, student break out and reflection. Each piece is lightweight and well-proportioned, making them easy to shift in a flexible teaching environment.

One per cent of all sales of the Koskela LEARN range will go towards developing social enterprise products with Australian Indigenous communities.

Winner: Textile Design 
Georgina Whigham, Woven Bag Series

These handwoven linen and cotton bags counteract the mass-produced, monotonous and disposable nature of traditional shopping bags.

Each bag is crafted in Canberra on a four-shaft floor loom with yarn sourced from a family-run Canadian mill. In order to produce as little waste as possible, the textile dimension is first meticulously calculated, right down to the width of the thread count and length required. The bags are then woven in one continuous piece before being folded like origami into their final form. This entire production process takes around eight hours.

These bags are produced under the label name George, the brainchild of Georgina Whigham, an exhibition designer at the National Gallery of Australia. After studying a Bachelor of Industrial Design, Georgina was accepted into Kawashima Textiles School in Kyoto for a three-month intensive course. It was here she learned traditional and ancient Japanese dyeing techniques as well as how to weave on a six-shaft floor loom.

By applying the ancient craft of handweaving, Georgina aims to restore people’s appreciation and perception of this everyday product. Each bag is created with longeivity in mind, utilising craftmanship quality that encourages being valued and cherished.

Winner: Floral Design 
Melanie Stapleton + Katie Marx, Flowering Now

Flowering Now was an ephemeral exhibition of innovative and abundant floral installations from 13 Melbourne florists. A personal project initiated by Melanie Stapleton of Cecilia Fox and Katie Marx, the collective show explored the interplay of transience and longevity – radiant blooms were celebrated alongside the process of gentle decay.

This collaborative project brought together Melbourne’s flower community to come together to explore their practice, sharing a love of nature in ways that defy traditional understandings of floristry, and create a space for local florists to experiment with original ideas free from commercial demands.

Each florist created a self-funded work of scale in their own style, creating a symphony of colours, textures and design in the shared space. Many of the florists chose to work primarily with local product, and to exclude floral foam and any other plastics in their work.

The first event of its kind in Melbourne, the immersive exhibition took place over a weekend in April of 2018 at the Collingwood Arts Precinct and was open for members of the public to enjoy.

Winner: Styling & Art Direction 
Tyrone Wright & Carly Spooner, RONE Empire

Empire is a self-funded project initiated by Tyrone Wright, where the Melbourne artist’s engrossing murals combine with awe-inspiring sets, sculptures, cinematic lighting, scent design, augmented reality, and a thrilling soundtrack at one of Melbourne’s most iconic Art Deco mansions. 

The installation transports audiences back to the glamorous heyday of the 1930s property. The whole experience combines beauty with decay, and plays with the juxtaposition of collapsed empire and a romantic past. 

 The Burnham Beeches property takes on a film-set like quality, as interior stylist Carly Spooner furnished and styled fourteen of the estate’s empty spaces to create a distinct series of moods as visits travelled from room to room.

Over a seven-week period, over 26,000 people visited this mind-blowing and immersive spectacle. 

Winner: Handcrafted
Nicolette Johnson, Dark Tower

Dark Tower by ceramic artist Nicolette Johnson was designed to feel commanding and sculptural, while continuing to perform its essential functional purpose as a vessel.

The preliminary sketches were designed to possess the classic characteristics of a vase – an open form, enveloping an empty void inside. They also capture a simultaneous sense of past and present, where antiquity and modernity mingle to create an object at once ancient, mythic, surreal and futuristic.

The coiled stoneware vessel is made of two separate parts: an hourglass and an ovoid shape, joined together to create a single totem-like form. The intricate piece is finished with a metallic black oxide glaze. 

The arresting form of the work is created by Nicolette Johnson’s application of over 1000 spherical protrusions, all sculpted by hand and applied to the surface of the pot one-by-one. A modern realisation of the tradition of decorative pottery practice.

Nicolette Johnson is represented by Sophie Gannon Gallery.

Winner: Sustainable Design
Seljak Brand, Closed Loop Merino Wool Blanket

Seljak Brand’s closed loop, merino wool blankets are recyclable and made from off-cut materials otherwise bound for landfill.

The blankets are created with the intent of using waste as a resource, thereby eliminating landfill and the extraction of new resources to reduce carbon emissions two-fold.

Each blanket is crafted using a centuries-old process at Tasmania’s Waverley Mills, Australia’s oldest and last fully-integrated wool mill. The production process utilises offcuts from the factory floor, which are shredded, spun into new yarn, then woven into beautiful finished products.

Every blanket is made from 70 per cent recycled merino wool and 30 per cent recycled mohair, cashmere, cotton and polyester blend for strength. For every 10 blankets sold, one is donated to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.

Seljak Brand was founded by sisters Karina and Sam Seljak in 2016. By pioneering a closed loop production cycle, the label highlights waste as a design flaw that can be overcome.

Winner: Emerging Designer
Edition Office, Architecture 

Founded in 2016 by architects Aaron Roberts and Kim Brigland, Edition Office has quickly cemented itself as one of Australia’s most dynamic new design studios.

Approaching their work from a holistic perspective, Aaron and Kim have a keen interest in both the cultural narratives of architecture alongside its experiential qualities.

In their short time the firm has worked across an impressive breadth of projects, including single residential houses in both urban and remote locations, medium density housing projects, design studios, offices, art galleries, artist studios and archives including seminal institutions Station Gallery, Gertrude Contemporary and ArtBank, and recently the ‘For Our Country’ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island war memorial in collaboration with artist Daniel Boyd.

Their award-winning residential project ‘Hawthorn House’ completed in 2018 has received widespread critical acclaim, with accolades from some of the most prestigious awards programs across the country.

Winner: Collaboration
Tyrone Wright and Carly Spooner, RONE Empire. 

Initiated by artist Tyrone Wright, Empire is a temporary, self-funded project bringing together multiple creative collaborators, to realise one impossibly ambitious immersive installation.

In a careful balance of beauty and decay, the iconic Burnham Beeches property was reimagined as a grand, crumbling relic of an abandoned empire.

The heritage 193s mansion was brought to life with Tyrone’s distinctive handpainted murals, alongside furnishings and decorative details sourced by stylist Carly Spooner, installations by Loose Leaf, bespoke scent by Kat Snowden, multi-channel sound design by Nick Batterham, and art by Callum Preston. A remarkable and visionary collaboration of epic proportions.

A huge thankyou to everyone who has supported the inaugural TDF Design Awards. For the full list of all winners and commendations, visit the TDF Awards website!

Design Manager of Simone Haag, Sarah Shinners, explains that the brief for furnishing this modern, one bedroom apartment was to create a ‘feminine, fun, yet functional’ space. The client was downsizing, and ready to embrace the next chapter of her life ‘surrounded by beautiful things, in a space perfect for one.’

Against the beautiful bones of this this development in Clifton Hill, Simone and Sarah worked with local furniture makers, artists, and object designers to bring the space to life. Sarah describes ‘90% of the pieces in this project are Australian made’. The pair collaborated with many talented local craftspeople to create custom furniture pieces for the space, including Harbo Furniture who created the custom curved sofa, and Glencross Furniture who designed and created the timber shelving, sofa end table and sofa frame. Making use of all space available, the sofa converts to a single bed, and includes a secret storage space tucked in behind.

Bespoke furniture allowed for every inch of this small space to be used efficiently. From a design perspective, Sarah highlights ‘we needed to find the balance, in creating a layered space that didn’t feel too overcrowded.’ Careful customisation and planning allowed the space to come to life, as ‘off the shelf’ furniture pieces would have resulted in an impossible game of apartment tetris. Sarah succinctly emphasises ‘proportions were absolutely key in this scheme.’

The owner had lived in Europe for many years, and had already learned the tricks of apartment living before settling in this home. ‘This lovely client was well travelled, open minded and wasn’t afraid of colour… in fact she encouraged it!’ Sarah explains. The client’s personality and lifestyle is now infused through the space, and together, the design team and owner demonstrate that colour can make a space feel larger, not smaller… ‘it doesn’t have to be white, white, white!’ Simone concludes!

When we found ourselves in need of 12 bespoke trophies for the TDF Design Awards, the first person who came to mind was Amanda Dziedzic. Our working relationship with Amanda first started way back in 2011, when she contributed a sell-out series of her distinctive glass bonsai to the first-ever TDF Open House event. Eight years later, we’ve come full circle, with Amanda crafting these sculptural keepsakes for winners of the very first TDF Design Awards – happening TONIGHT!

Referencing the distinctive colour palettes associated with each of the TDF Design Award categories, Amanda designed these one-of-a-kind masterpieces in collaboration with Lucy, and our art director, Annie Portelli.

While Amanda has been honing her craft for almost a decade, this multicoloured technique was a new challenge that took months of experimentation to perfect. ‘These pieces aren’t about form, they’re all about colour’, Amanda tells. ‘I wanted them to look sort of painterly’.

The colour comes in concentrated, solid form. First, Amanda chops a piece of colour off the solid bar, heats it, then picks it up hot. She then works each one into the glass form, dragging each colour through the next to create a distinctive layered effect. Each individual trophy took an hour to craft. 

Despite the extensive experimentation process, there’s still a high degree of chance left in the final forms. Amanda explains, ‘I had an idea of what I wanted them to be, but it’s a real surprise to get them out of the kiln the next day!’

The result is an exquisite series of delicate, yet robust bespoke glass forms that are more than just a token keepsake. These trophies are a true symbol of Australian craftsmanship and design.

We are SO proud of these spectacular creations. And if you love them too…  stay tuned! We have a TDF Collect exhibition with Amanda coming up in the not-too-distant future!

Be sure to check out the WINNERS of our TDF Design Awards, to be announced first thing tomorrow morning after our Awards ceremony tonight!  AHHHH! 

If a scene begins with someone staring contemplatively out the window, it more than likely snaps to them being scolded for not paying attention. A jolt back to reality! Yet there’s something magical and vital in the act of being so deep in thought, you get lost in space.

Artist Kat Macleod believes this too. ‘In an attempt to justify the amount of time spent gazing out the window into the garden, lost in thought, I have discovered that when I’m daydreaming, new ideas appear and develop. They thrive without the stifling restrictions, doubts and the mundane reality of planning and executing them in the real world,’ explains the Melbourne-based creative.

Her new exhibition, Reverist, opens tonight at The Jacky Winter Group’s Lamington Drive. Not only born from the creative space afforded by reverie (definition: ‘a state of being pleasantly lost in one’s thoughts’), her large-scale drawings actually explore the way the human body behaves in a state of deep thought and contemplation – from the gentle gestures to absent-minded interactions that occur throughout this seemingly still and private process. ‘Our eyes also play an intriguing role,’ adds Kat. ‘Where does our gaze fall when we are in a state of reverie?’

In her signature style, Kat has used paper, paint, ink, pencil, hand-stitched fabric, and hand-embroidered Japanese Miyuki glass beads to create this body of work. She is also releasing a new range of limited-edition prints on linen, with hand finishes.

Since our last feature, the self-confessed home-body and night owl has relished setting up her little home studio. She has created Reverist in between gazing out that beautiful big window that overlooks her garden, and then often again after putting her three little boys to bed. ‘I find the challenges of being a creative are surprisingly similar to the challenges that come with being a parent: dealing with time management, self-doubt, tiny humans, love, discipline… all while revealing your true self to a bigger community,’ she tells. ‘I try my best to keep my head down and enjoy the simple things and just keep doing and appreciating what I enjoy, which is hanging out with my family and friends and drawing’.

Aside from personal art projects, Kat has also been continuing her award-winning design work, for selected clients including Melbourne Central and architects Kennedy Nolan. ‘I love how big and broad Melbourne is,’ says Kat. ‘We live with bushland and parks all around us, but it’s still so close to get into the city for my design projects, visit the NGV, pick up materials from my favourite art shops or stop by Lamington Drive.’ Stop by this Collingwood gallery to witness this stunning body of work in real life, from this evening onwards!

Reverist by Kat Macleod
September 19th to October 12th
Opening night, Wednesday, September 18th, 6-9pm
Lamington Drive
52 Budd Street
Collingwood, Victoria

Jenna Holmes, owner and creative director of Plant Mama, moved into her Collingwood home in early 2018 (after moving out of a divine historic Richmond home that was demolished. Devastating.) While the shopfront on Johnston Street looks unassuming from the outside, enter Jenna’s jungle house and find an absolutely enormous two-storey haven – complete with a resplendent Edwardian staircase – right in the hustle and bustle of Collingwood!

Located just a hop, skip and a jump away from both Smith st and Hoddle Street, Jenna’s rented home is located in an area dense with other small businesses. ‘It’s apparently been called “The Friendship Strip” for years – Nicholson Street, Abbotsford to Smith Street, Collingwood’, she says. ‘We all support and know what’s going on with each other, everyone goes to the same café every morning.’

Jenna initially moved in with her friends, who joined forces to transform the space – starting off by painting the interiors all white. When the Plant Mama business started to expand (quickly!) she found she ‘needed a bigger studio’, so she took on the whole space herself, and put her own twist on it. While some would have baulked at the task of overhauling this space and making it feel homey (it really is enormous, especially by Collingwood standards!), Jenna’s can-do attitude and aptitude for paintbrushes and power tools made her the perfect woman for the job.

Given this property is a commercial space, Jenna has been able to make more substantial changes than a regular residential rental. ‘This is the first place that I have been able to paint the walls, and when I realised I was able to, I went completely nuts!’ Jenna ran to Bunnings (literally ran) and purchased Dulux colours Persian Pastel, Highland Green and Government Green paints. Not surprisingly, this bold palette acts as a dramatic backdrop for the many plant vignettes set up around the house. She also renovated the back courtyard, her favourite part of the home, to create a peaceful sanctuary. Because of the layout of the home, Jenna is able to close the residential space off and rent out the incredible downstairs (plant-filled, of course!) living spaces for photoshoots and events, which helps her offset the costs of living in such a coveted spot.

Jenna delightfully describes her home aesthetic as ‘chaotic 70s European/Italian.’ The space is filled with beautiful second-hand pieces, as well as artwork by her brother Cam Holmes, and she emphasises that the thrill of the hunt is half the joy. With its high ceilings, the space is bright and light, and provides a perfect setting for ceramics, paintings and other creations by talented friends. And plenty of plants, of course!

Plant Mama’s amazing Collingwood space is available for event and photoshoot hire! Click here for more info. 

Fran Derham and husband Mike engaged old friend and architect Nick Byrne of Byrne Architects to design their family residence in a remote rural spot, off the Surf Coast of Victoria. Mike and Nick had gone to school together, and the couple was impressed by his work designing unique properties down the coast.

From an architectural perspective, the form of the building is inspired by vernacular Victorian shed design, and this is echoed in the materials of Australian hardwood and corrugated steel. Nick highlights how the use of multiple species of timber in the interior creates a warm atmosphere that is ‘recognisable as a country home, yet with a strong sense that it is a piece of modern design embedded in the landscape.’ Fran echoes this sentiment, describing how the use of timber offers helps to ‘bring the outdoors indoors, and really allow guests to melt into both the house and the surrounding countryside in absolute comfort.’

For owner and accommodation manager Fran, the best part of the day is sitting with a glass of wine in front of the fire and watching the moon rise: ‘it pops up in the silhouetted cleavage of the state forest beyond’ she swoons!

The Wensley is available to book via Airbnb here. Visit The Wensley website here! 

All of my childhood memories are in some way linked to food. One of my most vivid memories is seeing lilac and navy blue baskets sitting on the kitchen sink. I would watch my mum fill them with warm curds and the baskets would sit there steaming, fogging up the kitchen window. We would walk a few blocks to our local beach in South Australia and collect seawater. To make ricotta, the Maltese way, this was a necessary step and it was always a day-long process. We would eat the still-warm ricotta on toast drizzled with olive oil, sometimes with sliced tomatoes or with chopped mint and basil.

Spring is a particularly joyous time for food, and my first thoughts jump to the new vegetables which signal the end of winter – peas, asparagus and broad beans. The latter, a staple growing up, are wonderful when young and tender, and double podded to reveal a vibrant green bean. We never ate them like that as children though. Usually picked towards the end of the season when they were large and tough, we would eat them with their outer jacket still on, almost grey in colour once cooked.

I recall sitting on our back step podding hundreds of them with my grandmother and drying them out to last the year. I still occasionally leave the jackets on if they are small beans, for things like spring vegetable stews or more robust dishes, but double podded and only lightly cooked is usually my preference. With peas, fresh ones are only at their best for a day or two after being picked, before the sugars turn to starch and lose much of their sweetness.

If you’re not buying direct from the farmer’s market or growing them yourself, snap-frozen peas are often a better alternative – although the meditative quality of shelling peas is worth it even if they aren’t as sweet as could be! The pods can be boiled with plenty of water to make a stock too, perfect for a pea risotto or adding into soups.

Here, my two childhood foods of ricotta and broad beans are joined with other spring vegetables – peas, asparagus and the first of the zucchini to make a rather simple but incredibly satisfying meal. I’ve served them on slices of toasted sourdough but thin slices of baguette to make them smaller into crostini would be a great alternative, and make for a simple spring dinner party snack. Buffalo ricotta is so incredible if you can find it (usually at good Italian delis). Substitute it with a good quality cow’s milk ricotta is unavailable.

Spring Greens With Ricotta (serves 4)

Ingredients

4 slices sourdough bread
Extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, halved
200g buffalo ricotta
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Spring Greens

250g podded broad beans
150g fresh or frozen peas
1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into 2cm lengths
1 small zucchini, finely sliced
Large handful mint, roughly torn
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
Zest and juice of a lemon

Method

Drizzle both sides of each slice of bread with olive oil. Heat a heavy-based fry or grill pan, cast iron is ideal, over high heat. Toast the bread on both sides until golden and slightly charred. Rub the toasted bread with the cut side of a garlic halve and then set aside.

Blanch the broad beans in boiling water for 1-2 minutes or until just tender. Drain then plunge into a small bowl of iced water. Blanch the peas and asparagus in a separate pot for 1-2 minutes or until tender –  they can be cooked in the same pot as will take a similar amount of time to cook. Drain then again, plunge into a small bowl of iced water. This stops the cooking processing will keep them vibrant in colour. Drain the peas, asparagus and broad beans. Now you need to double pod the broad beans by simply slipping off the tough outer shell to reveal bright green and tender broad beans. Place in a medium bowl along with the peas, asparagus, zucchini and mint. Dress with the olive oil, lemon zest and juice. Just before you are ready to serve, season with sea salt and pepper.

Spread the toasts generously with the ricotta and season with some salt and pepper. Top each toast with the spring greens, drizzle with extra olive oil and serve.

What else I’m cooking with…

Artichokes, the first of the strawberries and soft herbs like mint and basil which are starting to reappear.

What I’m eating…

The half roast chicken with sauce ‘vin john at Embla. The most amazing roast chicken you may ever eat, no exaggerations!

Sisters Emma Read and Sarah Hall co-purchased this sweet weatherboard cottage on South Australia’s stunning Yorke Peninsula in 2015. With the intention to renovate it and eventually rent it out on Airbnb, Emma and Sarah got to work on transforming the rundown space into something special. 

Emma, who prior to purchasing the house had been travelling in Sweden, was inspired by the beautiful traditional summer houses she had stayed in while on holiday. The white timber cottages filled with holiday treasures became the main reference for the interiors of this project. Incredibly, during the process, the sisters discovered that the cottage had been a kit home, and had been imported from Sweden by the South Australian government as social housing! ‘Everything made sense’, they explain, and this Scandi holiday feeling was truly brought to life. 

Romantic and cosy spaces have been filled with soft linen and a little vintage flair, with plenty of cozy areas for lounging. An excellent priority! These include a rustic outdoor zone (including an outdoor heated bath and shower), and daybeds in the kitchen/dining room for napping! The pair explain, ‘we converted the garage into a large lounging space with plywood, painted concrete and rugs that could handle sandy feet and wet bathers, and filled the space with loads of books and jigsaw puzzles.’ Ultimate holiday vibes. 

Reflecting on this project, Emma and Sarah describe the finished product as ‘seaside elegance, yet rustic enough to feel comfortable’. Pack your favourite books (the sisters note that they were reading a lot of Famous Five and Secret Seven to their kids whilst renovating the property) and a pack of playing cards, for an idyllic getaway on the doorstep of the Innes National Park!

My Sister and The Sea is available for booking on Air BnB here!