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Design

This Month

The best tips from a stylish high-flyer

British handbag designer and sky-high daydreamer Anya Hindmarch is a woman on the go.

Steve Jobs and Bill Atkinson (right) brought the Macintosh to life.

Bill Atkinson, who made computers easier to use, dies

A designer for Apple, he created software that made it possible to display shapes, images and text on the screen and present a simulated “desktop”.

Icebergs surround the Falkor.

When contemporary design and millennia-old ice sheets collide

Designer Brodie Neill has found inspiration on the front lines of the climate crisis – the iceberg strewn waters of Antarctica.

May

Toorak mansion with Merlo touch flips for $15m

The acclaimed garden designer has sold his latest mansion project for about $15m.

Penelope Seidler in Venice to open her exhibition at SMAC.

Australia’s architectural titan takes Venice by storm

The late Harry Seidler’s wife, Penelope, reflects on his contribution to the built environment at a major retrospective.

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Artist and furniture designer Ella Saddington has designed a new collection inspired by armour.

When modern furniture meets medieval armour-making

Australian designer Ella Saddington’s new collection employs the smithing processes used in historical warfare to create glam lamps and tables.

The Pillars, a new tech-focussed networking club in Sydney with  co-founders (left to right) Steve Grace, and Bradley Delamare and (centre) Rosie Cardoe, head of memberships.  Thursday 24th April 2025 AFR photo Louie Douvis .

A new $25k members’ club opens in Sydney

The Pillars aims to connect entrepreneurs and investors over ice baths, fancy dinners and all-hours parties on a hidden terrace.

April

An icon of mid-century design is back in business

The furniture of acclaimed Australian designer and artist Clement Meadmore has gone back into production, thanks to the efforts of his son and granddaughter.

March

Gallerists Joanna Strumpf (left) and Ursula Sullivan with a shimmering pink ceramic piece by sculptor Linda Draper.

The Australian gallery that made art fun turns 20

Sullivan+Strumpf co-founders Ursula Sulllivan and Joanna Strumpf have been turning the gallery scene on its head since their share-house days of wild parties.

February

The new building (right) follows the curve of the 2003 building; a new sculpture park meandering between.

One couple’s decades-long devotion to Australian art has a new home

The Eva and Marc Besen Centre is a state-of-the-art gallery and storage space where back-of-house and front-of-house are one and the same.

The dos and don’ts of designing a cruise ship

As Celebrity Cruises hands over the design of its latest liner to its customers, we consider the pros and cons of giving seafaring travellers what they want.

January

New shows, ‘worship-worthy’ products you need to know about

A few things to inspire from the Currency section of our Arts & Culture issue out on January 31.

December 2024

Shiny baubles and practical must-haves to take you through summer

From diamonds to barbecues, this week’s Spend edit has been curated with everyone in mind.

Becker Minty Linear tumblers.

Stuck for ideas? Two top Australian designers share their wish lists

You’re bound to be inspired once you read what designer Blainey North and architect William Smart have chosen.

Hip industrial designer Henry Wilson has a brilliant new store

One of Australia’s most esteemed creatives now has a shopfront for his instantly recognisable pieces.

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Billowing drapes offset the monumentality of Gerard’s restaurant designed by J.AR Office.

These award-winning restaurants and bars are designed to take you away

At the recent Eat Drink Design awards, judges noted a refreshing shift towards “otherworldly design” in hospitality venues.

Michele O’Neill, standing in the centre in front of the fireplace, is Co-owner, La Chapelle, a 10th-century chapel restored as boutique accommodation in Provence, France

How Aussie expats celebrate Christmas with foreign flourish

Boxing Day might not include beach cricket for these five living abroad, but some customs from home can be honoured.

November 2024

Jeweller Bibi van der Velden takes inspiration from everywhere - except, perhaps surprisingly, from jewellery itself.

Mammoth tusks and jellyfish: how to bring jewellery ‘alive’

Starting with a sculpture helps jewellery designer Bibi van der Velden define in her mind her collections of ‘wearable works of art’.

A 1950s chair designed by Janine Abraham and Dirk Jan Rol.

The 70s furniture trend making an unlikely (but welcome) comeback

This humble yet sustainable material is getting a high-end makeover.

The New Bahru lifestyle precinct is housed in a former high school built around a shaded lawn.

Singapore layover? Check out New Bahru

This well-designed collection of creative businesses – from food to wellness and retail – will easily account for a day.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/design-hq9