Favourite Quotes.Bonjour! It's Si here again from the FrenchByDesign. Dana asked me to compile a selection of quotes I posted on my blog in the last few months. People often ask me why I post so many quotes…. For some reason, I have a thing for quotes...
Little Trace Of // Evie Group.Evie Group is a young Sydney based design studio founded in 2010 by industrial designers Alex Gilmour and Dominic Chong. The philosophy behind the brand is to create designs that are carefully considered, elegant and timeless in their...
The Slow and Green: Yoyogi Village by Kurkku.'Retail villages' have been an emerging occurrence in Tokyo as of recently, and Yoyogi Village is one such concept which integrates a green, slow space/ sanctuary with an exclusive retail experience for the sophisticated urban crowd. The...
Ashkan Honarvar’s Vanitas Collages.I have a slight (borderline clinical condition) addiction to collages. Pattern, colour, texture - what's not to like! One of my favorite collage artists is Ashkan Honarvar. He's a genius when it comes to communicating social issues...
Erik Madigan Heck.Erik Madigan Heck is a New York–based photographer with a signature style for which I have nothing but extreme levels of admiration, love and affection. Oh ok, and slight envy dammit! His work contains multiple rich layers and crosses...
Peter Marino Brings Parisian Sophistication to CHANEL’s New Sydney Boutique.CHANEL's new Sydney boutique occupies a redeveloped Market Street landmark featuring Australia's first dedicated Watches & Fine Jewellery space. Peter Marino recontextualises CHANEL's architectural codes through a sophisticated interplay...
Audo’s Monuments Installation Proves Restraint Can Be as Powerful as Ornamentation.Monuments showcases Audo Copenhagen's evolution beyond traditional showroom concepts. The installation spans Audo House's diverse environments—café, restaurant, concept shop, exhibition rooms and courtyard—each reimagined to explore...
DualSpace Studio Transforms a Kuala Lumpur Store into a Cinematic Experience.For Kuala Lumpur's Calaqisya Store, DualSpace Studio drew inspiration from Wes Anderson's meticulous aesthetic. The space features custom wood panelling that conceals functional elements, membrane ceiling lights casting golden warmth, and...
At Above The Clouds Melbourne Store, Pattern Explores Restraint as a Form of Richness.Above The Clouds' Melbourne expansion showcases Pattern Studio at their most considered. The young practice has refined their signature "unexpected dualities" theme into something more nuanced for the Collins Street store. It's retail...
Inside Sunnei’s Rule-Breaking Milan Flagship Where Retail Meets Cultural Hub.Milan's coolest fashion brand Sunnei has completed their multifaceted flagship by unveiling a gallery space within their headquarters. This final piece transforms the "Store-Café-Gallery" concept into Milan's newest cultural destination....
Earth, Craft & Hospitality: Clare Cousins Architects’ Warm Minimalism for Fisher & Paykel Melbourne Experience Centre.Within a meticulously restored 1920s garage on Brunswick Street, Fisher & Paykel's Melbourne Experience Centre showcases three distinct kitchen environments through a material palette celebrating local provenance. Clare Cousins Architects,...
Euro-Inspired Design Meets Burleigh Beach Charm at the New Mondrian Hotel.Australia's first Mondrian hotel has transformed Burleigh Beach's hospitality landscape through Alexander CO’s sophisticated design approach. The 24-storey tower houses two distinct venues: LiTO ground floor restaurant featuring dramatic...
African Influences Meet Australian Landscape in Monarto Safari Resort by Studio Gram.At Monarto Safari Resort, Studio Gram bridge African and Australian design cultures. Innovation emerges through restraint rather than spectacle, creating spaces that foster genuine emotional connection while respecting both cultural...
Mid-Century Meets Modern Sandwich Culture at S’WICH II Surry Hills.At S'WICH II Surry Hills, mid-century meets contemporary sandwich culture. The bold duotone palette of red and steel grey creates what Studio Shand call "pop simplicity"—interiors that pull you in and make you stay. Drawing inspiration...
Audo’s Monuments Installation Proves Restraint Can Be as Powerful as Ornamentation.Monuments showcases Audo Copenhagen's evolution beyond traditional showroom concepts. The installation spans Audo House's diverse environments—café, restaurant, concept shop, exhibition rooms and courtyard—each reimagined to explore...
Voce at Triennale Milano Elevates Music to Museum-Worthy Art Status.Milan's cultural landscape gains a new dimension with Voce, Triennale's dedicated sound space. Designed by Luca Cipelletti within Giovanni Muzio's historic Palazzo dell'Arte, the venue combines cutting-edge acoustics with respectful...
Blade Runner & Kill Bill References Meet Japanese Ryokan In This Houston Dining Fantasy.Houston's dining scene just levelled up with Haii Keii, an immersive restaurant where reality bends through portals of perception. Designed by Gin Design Group, this surreal Japanese ryokan reimagined draws from Blade Runner's neon...
Uchronia’s Fearless Transformation of Fashion Designer Eli Mizrahi’s Paris Apartment.When Uchronia was given complete creative freedom to transform a 1860s, 300-square-metre Parisian apartment, they went all in! Rather than playing it safe with neutral palettes, the design studio embraced bold colours as the driving force...
Graphic Precision: Atelier HA’s Colourful Pigalle Apartment.Atelier HA transforms a modest Pigalle apartment into a study of graphic precision and colour confidence. The design strategy focuses on two key interventions: a dramatically graphic kitchen with lacquered fronts and patterned tiles, and a...
Casa Cometa: Madrid’s Floating Home Born from Near-Collapse.Madrid's Casa Cometa transforms architectural emergency into design poetry through Bardo's innovative approach. The project's breakthrough came via collaboration with structural engineer Manuel Ocaña, creating a lightweight system that...
House of Horns: WOJR Transforms California Ruins into Sculptural Residential Masterpiece.Architectural alchemy at its finest, WOJR's House of Horns transforms abandoned foundation ruins in California's Santa Cruz foothills into an 800-square-metre sculptural residence. The project's defining elements—a monolithic fireplace...
Paris Apartment Restoration Brings Le Corbusier’s 1930s Heritage Back from Architectural Limbo.Located within the same building where Le Corbusier lived and worked until his death in 1965, this apartment restoration showcases how contemporary design sensibilities can honour architectural heritage. RREEL's archaeological approach...
Architect George’s Steel and Timber Veil Transforms a Dense Surry Hills Federation Home.Light rules everything around this Surry Hills transformation. Architect George turned "bringing light into the urban home" from client brief to architectural poetry. Federation heritage meets contemporary family living through strategic...
Tabula Studio Transforms Client Experience Through Tactile Design in Bilbao Office.Architect Nerea Apraiz has transformed a 92-square-metre former consultancy into an immersive client experience where materials, finishes, and design solutions can be touched, tested, and experienced firsthand. From showcase toilets...
1970s NoMad Building Gets a Contemporary Makeover as Financial Firm HQ by Float Studio.Smart design decisions define Float Studio's NoMad headquarters project. Working within the historic building, the team created a financial firm workspace that honours 1970s architectural...
The World’s Leading Ergonomist Reveals Why Your Design Philosophy Needs a Human-Centric Upgrade.In an exclusive conversation with the world's preeminent ergonomist Professor Alan Hedge, Dana Tomić Hughes uncovers why ergonomics deserves a seat at your table as a vital design philosophy. From the science of microgravity to debunking...
Studio Manifold’s Design Double-Header in Melbourne’s Collingwood.In a heritage-listed building on Collingwood's Peel Street, Studio Manifold has designed two distinct but philosophically aligned projects I can only describe as a design double-header. Mane, a gender-fluid retail experience, and Two Birds...
A 1950s Beijing Forklift Factory Fosters Creative Synergy Between an Architecture Studio and a Modern Florist.A forgotten industrial 1950s cottage finds new life as a creative sanctuary in Beijing. Office AIO's renovation creates distinct zones for its architectural studio and modern florist Florette, maximising the 90-square-metre footprint...
This ClubHouse Brings Mid-Century Magic to Istanbul.Geo ID has transformed a former Istanbul gym space into a sophisticated members club that blends 1950s mid-century style with contemporary comfort. The space showcases an inspiring marriage of materials – polished oak walls, exposed...
