Category: Living

Design – art – create festival Come March, Semi-Permanent arrives in Sydney bringing with it a host of inspirational artists and speakers celebrating design. Now in its eighth year, Semi-Permanent draws international superstars to talk about their inspirations, challenges, and opinions on design today. See photojournalist Ashley Gilbertson’s vivid and vibrant images, and graphic artist...

Vertical GardensBid a black-thumbed farewell to withered herbs and desiccated potplants. The only way, for gardens at least, is up. The latest trend in inner-city gardening is the vertical garden, as seen in temples of cool such as the Google building, the Qantas lounge and the Marriott foyer. Simulating the environmental conditions of a cliff-face,...

Sydney Design Festival 2009Forget awkward phases. The Sydney Design Festival, which turns 13 this August 1, is a scarily beautiful teenager.  Prodigious in every subject, the festival offers arts and crafts workshops that will feed your inner nanna, Da Vinci or dilettante, exhibitions that will make you wonder and a speaking program that will forge...

Wrist candy Whatever happened to good old-fashioned time-keeping? To get through the day without checking your computer screen or mobile for the time? Watches are making a comeback and they’re not just gold and silver. If you’re in the market for some seriously fun wrist candy, check out the following stores: Design nuts among you...

KesselsKramer works on show You’re subjected to ads in generous servings each day, so it takes something out of the ordinary to get you to a whole exhibition of them. What about an advertisement for a hotel declaring: “Now more dogshit in the main entrance!” or “Now a bed in every room”? The agency behind...

Magnolia Square launches in Sydney Every now and then, an outing comes up that can make those with kids, their kids, and the friends without kids, smile and prefer to be seen in public all together. Mother and designer Nic MacIsaac established Magnolia Square in Melbourne three years ago, and for the first time in...

Cut&Paste You may have learnt how to cut and paste in kindy, but this tournament isn’t for small fry. You could call it the Olympics of rapid fire digital design. Cut&Paste arrives in Sydney on the last stop of its world-wide tour, having travelled to creative hubs such asBarcelona and Tokyo. This year’s format expands to include 3D...

Fine furnishing boutique I spy with my little eye something beginning with E. E for Edit that is. You may have seen Edit stores popping up around town, but this time it’s found a home for good. Shrug off the banal, and get your creative juices flowing when you walk into this colourful and kooky...

If you’re looking for that j’ai ne sais quoi to take your decor from ordinary to magazine-worthy, Sibella Court may just become your new BFF.   A self-confessed hoarder, she scours flea markets around the world for knick-knacks finding treasure in other people’s trash. Think quirky teapots and bohemian blankets to birdcages and rocking horses. ‘Slap-dash...

Up & Coming Design Expo Sniffing around the weekend markets are for those with a nose for undiscovered talent. And there’s a whole bunch of design graduates who are keen to be sought out. A design expo dedicated to combining the two is making your search and acquire missions much easier. In its second year,...