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Interior design

May

Modern high tech toilet with electronic bidet in Japan.

The unlikely rise of the Japanese toilet

Thanks to COVID and then a jump in tourism, Japanese-made bidets called Toto Washlets are enjoying a spurt of popularity in the West.

AFR, A breakfast nook located in a kitchen corner of a newly purchased luxury Sydney harbourside apartment designed by Arent&Pyke for an empty-nester couple. Supplied 12th March 2025 photo: Anson Smart

Why the kitchen in this Mosman home has a sofa

With no children at their Sydney home, an empty nest couple did not need to rush in their cooking and dining room. So they set out to make it leisurely.

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.

Discreet space: Model and SJB architect Olivia Domazet in a second-floor apartment at the SJB-designed Casba apartment building, in inner-southern Sydney’s Waterloo.

An apartment to be nude in

Good balconies are crucial for apartment living, allowing connection with the outside without putting your life on display.

Volker Haug’s pendant lighting.

Meet the Melbourne-based master of lighting design

Lighting maestro Volker Haug is celebrating two decades of business with an exhibition as part of Melbourne Design Week.

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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.

A fabulous fungus composition by Dr Lisa Cooper.

Forget flowers – how about a bouquet of mushrooms?

The textures, colours and shapes of fungi are being used for mycelium arrangements – that can be dished up for dinner later.

April

New York’s Chrysler Building is a beacon for the art deco movement.

Why art deco is back (and even Elon loves it)

Minimalist furniture is out, opulent interiors are in, as sales of home decor inspired by the French 20th century aesthetic soar worldwide.

March

NEED TO CHECK WHICH PART OF THE WILDE THIS IS - ST

The designer reinventing bourgeois-chic interiors in Europe

In his latest hospitality foray, Paris-based, Milan-born Fabrizio Casiraghi has lent his restrained but opulent aesthetic to a new members’ club in Milan.

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.

January

The recently completed Balzac Hotel in Paris.

How design studio Festen is redefining Parisian elegance

Interior power duo Charlotte de Tonnac and Hugo Sauzay are shaping the look and feel of the city’s hotels

Lane Cove resident Meegan Eves has recently installed a personal sauna on the balcony of her apartment.

The hot new home trend everybody is obsessed about

People’s new-found focus on wellness and longevity is fuelling demand for the once-niche trend of saunas, but with a twist.

December 2024

Catherine McIsaac is a home owner who turned an old penthouse on Saint Georges Terrace in Perth’s CBD.

Prestige home upgrades the elite can’t get enough of

From bold colours and loud textures to amenities that rival five-star hotels, home renovations in 2025 will be big on personality, moxie and luxury, experts say.

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.

November 2024

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.

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October 2024

Luca Guadagnino.

Hit films and now a hit hotel: The design genius of Luca Guadagnino

The director behind Challengers and Call Me By Your Name has a new movie, a new five-star hotel in Rome and a just-opened craft festival.

September 2024

A meeting room in Flack Studio features the work of Sydney Ball, set off with a moody portrait by Darren Sylvester.

Interior design maestro pays tribute to his famous colour muse

David Flack was inspired by abstract painter Sydney Ball as a schoolboy; now he is curating an exhibition of the late artist’s work.

An original 1970s French sofa has been reupholstered in plush velvet and trimmed with cord.

The interior decorators in the spotlight for their beautiful spaces

Looking for a home refresh to enhance your signature style or soften hard lines? These three women have the know-how.

August 2024

Hermès for your home? See what the luxury brand has in store

These covetable products may be new, but they include plenty of retro nods.

Ultra-luxe pyjamas, Wedgwood dog bowls and other unexpected delights

Elevate the everyday with our selection of household items and wardrobe staples given an extra-special twist.  

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