And so my obsession with all things Japanese continues. How’s a girl to move on when Japan keeps smashing out so much boundary pushing and obscenely beautiful work? This particular one deviates so far from my Western understanding of family living, it’s hard not to be both bewildered and amazed. Plus the ceiling has kindly given my eyeballs a nice little joy ride…

G’day and welcome to the December 2013 edition of Yellowtrace Spotlight – the last one for the year! In this month’s design news you can read about the new Jac + Jack store by George Livissianis; Mr Miyagi in Melbourne by Eades & Bergman; Young Bloods Diner by March Studio; new lighting from RUBN, furniture by Ross Gardam, NOMI and Caon Studio for Anomaly; beautiful new scarves by Good&Co; and Behomm.com – a travel revolution for designers and visual artists…

I wish this was my house. It’s not – because life is not fair, and also because it belongs to Mette and Martin Wienberg, both architects. Both Danish architects at that, meaning my predisposition to like this place is as strong as Sarah Lund’s determination to fight crime, as severe as her eyebrows, and as enveloping as one of her jumpers…

Henry Bourne is a photographer of interiors, architecture, portraits, travel, landscapes, reportage and still life. Although he is damn good at all of it, today I wanted to focus on his interiors, architecture and still life images. Cause, you know, that’s kind of my thing. I became especially interested in his work after I realised he also photographed two interiors previously featured on Yellowtrace…

The multifaceted designer, Faye Toogood, opens her London home, and discusses her affinity for using unusual juxtapositions in her decorating.

Toyo Ito’s library at Tama Art University is comprised of a series of concrete arches. The arches, which are of varying span lengths, are arranged in an irregular patterns driven by the slope of the surrounding landscape. The arches intersect to form slender, loosely cruciform columns which ever so gently connect with the earth. The purity of the idea permeates both inside and out, with the irregular rhythm of the arches marching across the facade. Where are the services? Who knows. The concrete ceiling is largely uncluttered, with the exception of a series of halo pendants floating between the arches…