The Monocle Minute
On Design

With temperatures in the northern hemisphere taking a turn for the worse, Monocle makes the smart decision to head Down Under. In this Australian design special, we have a gander inside a Georgian terrace that’s been transformed into a harbourside haven, take a seat in the new restaurant of a revamped landmark overlooking Canberra and speak to stand-up comedian and design enthusiast Tim Ross. Here to get the ball rolling, Nic Monisse is happy to be home.

As an Australian design editor based in London, I often find myself going in to bat for the excellence of Antipodean design. Usually, Australia’s sheer distance makes it hard for my colleagues to actually verify my high opinions. But this week, with a Monocle crew heading to Sydney as part of Monocle Radio’s coverage of the UBS Australasia Conference 2024 (and for a Monocle party too), my celebration of Australian creativity would finally be scrutinised. Thankfully, it cut the mustard. Here are some takeaways from my conversations with designers in Oz.

Build it
Maybe it’s Australia’s remoteness that makes us such an entrepreneurial bunch. The creatives here consistently find ways of getting great work done on their own terms. A case in point is Reddie (see ‘Around The House’, below). The studio makes furniture using reclaimed Indonesian teak wood and, rather than rely on outside suppliers, it decided to build a factory to deliver its own projects. The result is flawless execution and control over one of the most complex parts of a supply chain.

Retail action
Sydney-based designer Tamsin Johnson regularly visited France, searching for European mid-century and antique furniture to incorporate in her work. She now displays these pieces – including 1970s Italian swivel chairs (pictured below left) – in her studio-cum-stockroom just a short walk from her William Street shop. It allows clients and the general public to see her work before installation and to make purchases if the pieces haven’t been allocated to a project yet.

Perfect product
Australian product and furniture design is some of the best in the world. Much of the work that comes from here is practical, pragmatic and beautiful. Look no further than the newly launched Louvre Light by Laker (pre-order here), which is available in a walnut finish (pictured, below right). Its namesake louvred front gently casts light around a space, while also making a striking structural statement.

Dog days
If my new friends Rafa and Peach are anything to go by, a dog is always a good addition to a design studio. For an industry that can take itself very seriously, having a pooch in the office can offer much-needed light relief.

Match up
Do away with business cards and pass on matchboxes instead. People, it seems, are more likely to hang on to them for the lighting of candles and the occasional lung lolly. Whether intentionally or not, they call a Sydney landmark to mind – Brett Whiteley’s “Almost once”, an eight-metre-tall pair of matches marking the path to the Art Gallery of NSW from Woolloomooloo. I’m grateful to both Melbourne menswear shop Informale and Sydney-based Henry Wilson for replenishing my pockets with fresh sets of red heads.

Beauty queens
While Ben Berwick is busy developing Solgami (see ‘The Product’ below) with the intention of making better thermal and solar insulation systems, the architect also acknowledges that “pretty places” are crucially important for a greener agenda. “If you build something that people don’t like the look of, they’ll knock it down,” he says. Sustainability starts with beauty.

Mr Fixit
Sadly, there are fewer and fewer Australian manufacturers. But, in Melbourne, perhaps there’s a hint of a revival in repairs. Sewing machines were in the shops of brands including Urban Lupe, Pphh Store and Crumpler on Gertrude Street in Fitzroy. It’s a small but significant start in correcting the dearth of skilled makers.

Nic Monisse is Monocle’s design editor. For more news and analysis, subscribe to Monocle today.

Australian design studio Arent&Pyke has transformed a Georgian terrace overlooking Sydney’s Walsh Bay into a contemporary residence that’s both cosy and practical without neglecting its sandstone roots. The architects worked to ground the home in its historic harbourside setting, evoking the nearby wharf’s industrial origins with stair treads lined with a hardy sisal runner, rope armchairs and rustic wooden stools. Original features, such as sandstone walls and timber floors, have also been restored. “Like us, our clients didn’t want the design process to be about removal and concealment,” says Juliette Arent, who co-founded Arent&Pyke with Sarah-Jane Pyke in 2007. “Rather, it’s about enhancement and evolution.”

The bedrooms in the upper floors are defined by pastel hues and plush furnishings, contrasting with the earthy sandstone surfaces of the ground floor. New additions to the home have been made to enhance the building’s livability. Notably, an internal courtyard now contains a galley-style kitchen that encourages outdoor dining in Sydney’s typically balmy weather.
arentpyke.com

With its panoramic views of the Australian capital, the 12-sided restaurant building at 60 Red Hill Drive has been a city landmark since its completion in 1963. Originally designed by Czech architect Miles Jakl, it was reimagined in 1981 by Italian-born Enrico Taglietti, who added futuristic convex bay windows. Now, after three years of closure, the building has reopened as the home of two new dining spots: Lunetta and Lunetta Trattoria.

Restaurateur Tracy Keeley (and her sons, Matthew and Nicholas) tapped Sydney-based architecture studio Acme to breathe new life into the historic dodecagon structure. The bay windows have been retained, while natural materials, including stone and timber, are now prevalent across the two floors.

The result pays tribute to the original building’s strong connection with nature, while providing a unique setting for top Australian hospitality. “The architectural vision is rooted in the building’s evolution,” says Acme co-founder Vince Alafaci. “The heritage has been preserved [but it has] been infused with renewed relevance for contemporary use.”
lunetta.au; acme-co.com.au

Tim Ross is a Melbourne-born broadcaster, journalist and stand-up comedian who now lives in Sydney. Though he is best known for his design documentaries, he has also curated exhibitions at the Powerhouse Museum and authored several books. He joined Monocle Radio’s pop-up at this week’s UBS Australasia Conference 2024 (pictured right) to talk design and development in Sydney and beyond.

Australia is often overlooked in global conversations about design. Why should the nation be proud of its work?
Australia’s isolation initially led to the country being ignored. But this isolation helped to establish a rich experimental tradition, which was partly a result of the persistent feeling that we needed to prove ourselves on the world stage. Our light, space and climate have enabled forms of architecture that aren’t seen anywhere else. It’s a really exciting time for Australian design.

Your documentaries tend to focus on mid-century design. Are there any links from that period to the work that’s being done now?
That period will always influence architects. Looking back at some of the more experimental styles – such as group housing or cluster housing from the 1960s – can teach us a lot. It’s less about specific details than how careful clustering can effortlessly foster a sense of community.

What cues can the design world take from Sydney?
If you look at the skyline, it’s obvious that a lot of the buildings are new. They have been smartly designed and excellently executed. Attention to detail is paying off and we’re starting to see the results of their architects’ care for the built environment. There is also an element of embracing the older apartment buildings from about 50 years ago. There’s a new kind of Australian dream: of “apartment living” in somewhere that has been designed well and has good access to amenities. Australians thrive on being in the thick of the action – near the beach, cafés, the city centre. These are the things that have made Sydney a place where people want to be.

For more from Ross, tune in to ‘The Globalist’ on Monocle Radio.

Visit the Monocle Shop pop-up at the Museum of Sydney tomorrow, Thursday 14 November, from 10.00 to 17.00.

“An enormous amount of energy-related carbon emissions comes from heating and cooling buildings,” says Ben Berwick, the director of Australian architecture practice Prevalent. “We can build new, high-performing buildings – but what are the options for those that already exist?” That question vexed Berwick for a decade and ultimately led to the creation of the Solgami Ambient Light System: a carbon-neutral, manipulable screen that provides natural illumination, insulation and temperature regulation.

Intended to replace conventional window blinds, Solgami can be attached to the inside of windows. “It’s almost like double glazing that both insulates and cuts out infrared and ultraviolet radiation ­– the main heat-carrying components of light,” says Berwick. “Changing the façade of a 50-storey building is a very complex and expensive procedure but we can use this technology to retrofit such places at a large scale. We’re giving people who have a sub-performing space [in terms of sustainability] a way to upgrade at a lower cost.” Maybe old dogs can learn some new tricks, after all.
prevalent.archi; solgami.com

For Australian designer Mark Gowing, change is his industry’s only constant. “The one thing that has always defined it is that it has never stayed the same,” says Gowing, whose 30-year career in type has been anything but typical. He has worked for Artspace Sydney, provided identity and branding for Hopscotch Films and created poster designs for Euroluce Lighting Australia – earning him a gold medal at the International Poster Biennale in Warsaw, as well as awards from type organisations in the US, Japan and Mexico.

As designers attempt to figure out the role of AI in their industry, change is once again in the air. “I realised that I needed to focus on the way that I practise because it had become very diverse and difficult to manage,” Gowing tells Monocle when we visit his studio in Sydney’s Newtown neighbourhood. So, he decided to move with the times by launching The Letters, a practice offering retail fonts but also helping customers with “their trademark, their logotypes and high-level typographic problems”. It’s an exciting development from one of Australia’s top design talents. Those looking to raise their type game should reach out to Gowing – or consider one of his type-inspired artistic commissions (pictured, at bottom).

For more on Gowing, pick up a copy of Monocle’sNovember issue, which is on newsstands now.

Taking pride of place alongside B&B Italia’s plump Tortello armchair in our November issue’s furniture round-up is the Jepara shelf. Made from reclaimed teak wood, it’s an impressive work from Caroline and Andrew Olah’s Sydney-based brand, Reddie. The duo, who make furniture in their own factory in Indonesia, are committed to responsible production processes and create striking pieces for both residential and commercial contexts.

Among the highlights of this design are the sleek metal corners that connect the shelves to the frame and provide a striking contrast with the solid wood. It would also make a perfect place to put a La Boite multiroom speaker (pictured, supplied by Silvera in London).
reddie.com.au