Innholdsfortegnelse for Habitus #33 - Nature i Habitus

Pianca has a legacy of creating high-quality furniture in Galarine, Italy, for over 65 years. Designed with sophistication in mind, their wardrobe solutions can be seamlessly integrated into the home, turning the functional item into a design statement. pianca.com / meizai.com.au Designed by Belgian-born, Tuscan-based architect and product designer Michel Boucquillon, Pitella’s ECCO BATHROOM ACCESSORIES brings tender love and care into the often-overlooked sanctuary of the home. pitella.com.au Franco Crea is an eco-conscious Adelaide-based designer who is inspired by minimalism and symmetry, infusing his pieces with a strong sense of elegance and sophistication. His UNITY table embodies this philosophy, with striking timber lines and angles making the base. catapultdesign.net.au…

Behind the warm and friendly face of Vietnamese architect, Vo Trong Nghia, is a quiet and determined force in the world of architecture. Awards, accolades and a swell of interest have pursued this man since 2006 when he established Vo Trong Nghia Architects (VTNA) in Ho Chi Minh City. But despite the attention, Nghia remains the antithesis of a ‘starchitect’, pursuing architecture for humanitarian and environmental reasons with great sensitivity and finesse. His innovative practice has redefined ‘green’ architecture, demonstrating the structural and poetic prowess of bamboo and proving that affordable architecture is not only attainable but also desirable. The path forged by Nghia is shaped, like any, by circumstance and opportunity. As the youngest of seven brothers growing up in rural Vietnam without electricity or running water in the…

In an empty theatre people look up in wonder at towering trees. The twilight landscape feels infinite, misty and magical. But Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto’s ‘Forest of Light’ installation for April’s Milan Furniture Fair was entirely artificial, a trick of lights, sounds, fog and mirrors. Spotlights in the pitch-black building created a shifting canopy of treetops responding to viewers’ movements. Nature had come to the city… Milan goes green You could be forgiven for thinking you were in a jungle on Italian furniture brand Zanotta’s stand at 2016’s Salone del Mobile, with furniture peeping from greenery. Moroso, Vitra and Diesel Living with Seletti also went potty for plants, tapping into our craving for nature. And flower-obsessed Dutch designers led the way, with their vibrant ‘Masterly’ installation filling a courtyard with…

This busy couple was operating from two neighbouring townhouses they designed in 2000 in Prahran, with one used for work and the other a living space for themselves and their three children, Alex, Manning and Paris. As more space was required on both fronts, Rob McBride and Debbie Ryan took the next step of acquiring an adjoining site occupied by run-down 1940s-era apartments. Too large a site for one house (approximately 1,400 square metres) the couple was approached by a neighbour to develop the site as two large townhouses. While the three-level building, including basement car parking, appears as one monolithic form, the site has been more adventurously subdivided than simply a straight line down the middle. “We wanted to respond to both briefs – our neighbours’ as well as…

This is why we’re here,” says architect Robin Williams of the glorious coastal panorama stretching from Cape Schanck to Cape Otway that gradually reveals itself as we scale a sand-dune inspired entrance ramp-cum-living-or-sleeping-space at his St Andrews Beach house, Villa Marittima. “It changes all the time,” he says. “The sky changes. The colour of the sky. The colour of the ocean. The calmness of it. The ferocity of the winds. The storms coming over the ocean – you actually see the big grey rain clouds come in as a band. In the city when it rains, you feel like it’s raining everywhere. Whereas here it doesn’t. You see exactly what’s happening with all the elements.” Focusing attention on the sensual delights of the natural world and encouraging inhabitants and guests…

Nature doesn’t just characterise Joshua Yeldham’s subject matter. Its influence can also be seen in the creative processes that underpin his art. “Nature works by repelling, attracting, repelling, attracting, all the way down to an atomic structure,” Joshua says. “As artists we think we should just keep on being attracted, attracted, attracted to our work, our creativity. My pictures destroy themselves if I start hoarding creativity to a point where I won’t let it collapse. It’s such an important part of any creative path, to learn to push through the complete collapse of your project, or your idea.” It’s a process most people try to resist, fearful that collapse signifies an ending rather than an important step in the process of renewal or the act of becoming. “I have had…

As a city, Sydney is home to a number of intriguing iconic buildings, from those that have stood since colonial times, to more modern works reflecting contemporary life. While it’s one thing to walk past these buildings, the experience of entering and exploring them is another entirely. Sydney Living Museums presents Sydney Open, a magical unlocking of doors where the public gets the unique opportunity to take a sneak-peek inside some of the city’s most exciting buildings. Since 1997 Sydney Living Museums has welcomed over 62,000 Sydneysiders and visitors alike to more than 400 buildings to explore, discover and learn about the city’s architectural gems. Mark Goggin, Executive Director of Sydney Living Museums describes Sydney Open as “a celebration of the city’s architectural heritage, showcasing contemporary architecture and innovative urban…

Building anything in a previously untouched natural landscape requires a greater degree of sensitivity than usual. When that landscape is a 135 million-year-old rainforest in a UNESCO World Heritage site, the level of deference owing to the site itself trumps all other considerations. For Ben Vielle, one of the partners at M3 Architecture in Brisbane, who was asked by an existing client to build a holiday home on the fringes of the Daintree Rainforest, the idea proved irresistible. “The family came across this piece of land which was just an incredible find. The site runs from the start of the controversial Bloomfield track to the beach at Cape Tribulation. It’s just beautiful. They sent us an aerial photo of the area with an ‘x’ marking where they thought their site…

The resin forms from Dinosaur Designs are completely handmade in their Australian studio, giving each piece a lovely, warm, and personalised touch. The MOSS collection uses earthy tones drawn from its namesake, and the resin spoons feature unique marbling to give them a fresh touch to any table setting, both indoors and out. dinosaurdesigns.com.au There’s nothing quite as warm and inviting as a beautiful timber floor that shows off the natural texture and detail of wood. Royal Oak Floors ensures that their timber flooring is sustainably sourced and available in an array of tones to fit any interior. royaloakfloors.com.au Instyle’s latest leather offering comes in nine neutral colourways, sourced from the finest European raw hides, and possessing a luxurious velvet feel to the touch. The nubuck leather is aptly named…

Behind Capra Designs is Melbourne-based couple Bianca Lambert and Thomas Wilson who fuse their backgrounds in carpentry and making into wire plant stands and hangers that suit a range of indoor and outdoor spaces. The wire displays are designed with attention to form, balance and function, with each pot individually, and immaculately, hand-crafted. capradesigns.com The EON Pendant Light is an alchemical glass orb pendant that hangs suspended in a bent brass rod geometrical frame. Its spherical body is comprised of hand-blown glass in a crackle, clear, or bubbled finish, giving the orb a spun sugar texture that is reflected in the soft light and shadows the light throws against surfaces. adesignstudio.com.au The story behind MAKA HAMMOCKS stems from Yaiza Dronkers Londoño’s journey to reconnect with her Colombian roots, and an…

Joost Bakker is a man with a vision. “My dream,” he says, “is that in 20 years’ time our food will be grown in the very suburbs in which we live. And all building rooftops will allow for that to happen. “I have no doubt,” he continues, “that by the time I’m 60 [17 years from now] suburbs will have more biodiversity than the densest rainforests. And it will be our buildings that grow the vegetation we eat.” As unlikely as it seems, Joost’s dream is no pie in the sky. The Melbourne City Council recently mapped out the city’s rooftops to determine available space for sustainable greening projects. That exercise found about 328 hectares of free rooftop space suitable for extensive green roofs (that is, light vegetation and smaller…

The Bay of Islands in Northland is one of New Zealand’s favourite holiday destinations. The safe harbour, beaches and abundance of sea life – classed as an ‘outstanding landscape’ in the district plan – have drawn communities for hundreds of years. So the owners of this holiday home wanted to be culturally and environmentally sensitive with their building project. Having owned the land for 40 years, now with four children and many more grandchildren, their plan was to build a new sleep-out and simply extend their old bach – a third time. But while the sleep-out got underway, they cleared some of the planting around the old bach to reveal it was more dilapidated than first envisaged. The family decided it was time to replace it, but to retain as…