living in design living in design

# 17

See how an Argentinian-born designer lives in his Brisbane apartment and how material and colour create inspiring spaces. Cultural collisions always

stimulate creative ideas for living.

habitus # 17Products in your home can be more than just beautiful and functional. They can inspire a whole new way of living, providing the means to express your personality and values.

When we are exposed to different environments, new channels of creativity are opened up. Our people this issue cross geographical borders in search of inspiration for their particular crafts.

56. ALEX LOTERSZTAIN He’s the Argentinian-born, Brisbane-based designer with plenty of personality. Peri Mooney drops in to Alex’s penthouse and discovers an interior that transforms his slick commercial aesthetic into a colourful and comfortable home.

71. dANIEL LATORRE CRUZ While the UK is home to product designer, daniel Latorre Cruz, it’s in his homeland, the Philippines, that he finds his inspiration. Aya Maceda visits his studio and meets one of the new generation of creative visionaries.

79. SHAREEN JOEL Melbourne designer, Shareen Joel, started out in a boy’s club – the design team of Ford. Now Alice Blackwood discovers she has created her own empire: an eponymous studio that delivers on industrial, interior and design strategy, and a brand new venture – a website that ‘shares’ design.

91. SATYENdRA PAKHALE Where cultures collide is where creativity takes place, and designer Satyendra Pakhale is at the eye of the storm. From India to Switzerland and Amsterdam, Satyendra craves an intellectual and emotional connection with the tribe of humanity through his products and projects, as Nicky Lobo finds out.

26. dESIgN NEWS The latest products sourced from the best brands across the globe.

37. SPRINg CLEANINg These beautiful items make the act of cleaning a pleasure, not a chore.

39. STATIONERY disconnect with technology and get touchy feely with paper products.

41. CUTLERY The sculptural qualities of cutlery turn them into works of art.

45. OUTdOOR dININg Venture outdoors to enjoy the good weather, some good food and the pleasure of good company.

#45

#56

habitus # 17Around the Region we see homes for individuals, couples, and families – both nuclear and extended – that allow them to live in their own unique ways.

We drop in to South Africa’s legislative capital and dwell on the merits and myths surrounding the word ‘icon’ in architectural terms.

98. YOUNg ST STUdIOS A travelling, yoga-obsessed photographer puts down roots in a warehouse home that doubles as a photographic studio. Kath dolan visits the space designed by grant Filipoff in Melbourne.

109. RANdWICK HOUSE Suburban living at its best. Paul Mcgillick visits a family home that has received a thoughtful and contemporary addition by Studio Internationale to a heritage-listed house in Sydney.

122. LONgLEY HOUSE Tasmania’s landscape offers no end of views; the challenge is how best to capitalise on them. Jane Burton Taylor discovers a house by Room 11 that does just that.

137. VINEYARd HOUSE Marshall Cook looked to the peasant history of wine-making when designing this home on New Zealand's south-west coast of the North Island. Andrea Stevens finds a house that is modern, but retains a soft, rural feel thanks to its sensitive use of materials and space.

153. CASTLECRAg HOUSE The residents have been living in the Andre Porebski-designed for nearly 40 years. Stephen Crafti visits and learns they enjoy it just as much now, as ever before.

167. T-HOUSE A home for an extended Singaporean family of green thumbs was the brief given to Ling Hao Architects. Narelle Yabuka finds a complex interplay of forms, light and air that is attractive to both residents and local fauna.

180. SHAKIN’ STEVENS Bold colour can be a brave decision in an interior. Matt gibson Architects have made it work beautifully in this award-winning home for a family in Melbourne, Annie Reid reports.

196. CAPE TOWN This harbour city has established creative precincts and several design jewels in the lead up to its upcoming status as World design Capital for 2014. Elana Castle shows us around her hometown.

203. BOOK REVIEW The idea of the ‘icon’ is discussed by Paul Mcgillick through the lens of some recent books. What does it mean? Who decides what an icon is? And what is its value?

#196

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Gated communities get a bad press. But there are gated communities and there are gated communities and it is worth looking at how they differ and whether or not they are all as inimical as their critics claim. Firstly, gated communities are not new. They go all the way back to

walled cities. In modern times, we could arguably see the famous Siedlungen of pre-War Berlin and Vienna as gated communities since they were substantially self-contained and the individual apartments accessed from a central courtyard which itself was accessed from the street through a portal.

Secondly, evaluating such communities turns around the degree to which they are either inclusive or exclusive. Historically, their origins have been exclusive – protecting the community from external threats. And that remains true today in cities where the crime rate effectively forces those who can afford it to take defensive measures.

With a gated community like Singapore’s Sentosa, the emphasis is also on exclusivity. It not only aims to keep the hoi poloi out, but any attempt to build community is purely tokenistic. The inevitable impression is that in this hugely expensive suburban precinct no one has the slightest idea of who their immediate neighbours are. In any case, many of the owners don’t even live there, simply using their houses as weekenders or party venues.

The Siedlungen, on the other hand, were certainly protective, but even more about community-building and affordable and innovative housing.

For a gated community to be more than defensively snobbish it needs to have a demographic and typological mix and to possess amenities which genuinely bring people together and build a sense of community. Perhaps the Mera Golf Estate outside Ipoh in Malaysia will become such a community. It has a mix of housing types with a scale of affordability while the golf club – which is literally in the centre of the estate – is a community hub because it is not just a golf club, but offers a shop, gym, yoga classes, café etc.

One scenario sees gated communities becoming more and more common as people get fed up with crime, anti-social behaviour and civil disturbance making their lives a misery. The opposing view – dating back at least as far as Jane Jacobs’ pioneering book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961) – is that gated communities give a false sense of security and that community and security can be better achieved through open communities with “diversity, density and dynamism”.

Watch this space!

PAuL MCGiLLiCk | EDiTor

the first wordI recently had occasion to visit a number of gated and guarded communities in Malaysia and Singapore – the former is walled off with entry through a security gate, the latter is open with public roads, but with a security presence.

left | editor, paul mcgillick. riGht | deputy editor, nicky lobo.

issue #17 habitusliving.com

Fed up with ugly cases and unstylish technology accessories, Amasia have finally answered our prayers with the KinodAi iPhone and iPad stand. The mutiple iPad/iPhone holding stands are handcrafted from Hinoki wood and finished with a subtle limewash. The relationship of technology and wood is always a sophisticated and complementary mix – keep it natural with Amasia.

amasia.com.au

Los Angeles-based James Perse products are now available in Australia through a dedicated online store. The collection includes limited edition furniture such as lounge chairs, tables and beds for indoor/outdoor living. But there’s also plenty of fun stuff for those who live an active life, such as a paddle board, pool table, bicycle, ping pong table and this doG BEd in Teak with waterproof covering in Belgian linen.

jamesperse.com.au

It’s official – colour has made a comeback and the new BATLo tapware designed by Julio iachetti for i.B. Rubinetterie is proof. Featuring red, blue and green powdercoated colour blocking, the taps have a brass top and intuitive connection between delivery control and the neck of the bottle for fluid opening and closing movement. The range is available in basin sets, wall sets and bath spouts in all three hues. capdell.com / stylecraft.com.au

New technology – Systempool’s hallmark KRION® Stone solid surface material – combines with the classic form in the EPoQUE washbasin from Porcelanosa. Looking to the past while nodding to the future has never looked better for bathroom environments with a balanced aesthetic in mind.

porcelanosa.com / earp.com.au

These days, it’s more likely bills than letters you receive in the snail mail. At least with the playful Koo Koo LETTERBoX by Playso in collaboration with Justin Hutchinson, the act of collecting the mail can still be fun. With a powdercoated zinc body in a range of colours, and compact laminate or weathered timber-look laminate side panels for outdoors, this little guy will be the talk of the neighbourhood. But it would also nest perfectly indoors – whether in your home as a message box or as the central point for internal office mail. Have a bit of fun! playso.com.au

1. lightbox # 29

The RELATion CoLLECTion was recently released at the Milan Furniture Fair earlier this year by Japanese designer Hiroomi Tahara for Yamakawa Rattan. It is as philosophical as it is beautiful – referring to the fine metal tubes that create the unique structure and form without the need for molding, Tahara says, “This can be said about human society as well. I survive through life with the support from many people too.” In the case of this lounge, the surface is covered in woven rattan, the delicate texture of which accentuates the thin, elegant profile.

hiroomitahara.com / yamakawa-rattan.co.jp

Typophiles can get lost in the intricacies of letters, numbers and symbols at home with the FLoUR SACK ToWELS in 100% cotton. The range is by type foundry, House industries, font designers who have delved into homewares, blocks, prints, objects and clothing. They retain a sense of humour, saying of the towels, “we cannot guarantee visual harmony with non-standard substrates such as pickled Oak, kumquat Formica, illustrative wallpaper borders...”

houseind.com

It’s a return to a more simple time with this acoustic vinyl record player designed by graduate student Jón Helgi Hó lmgeirsson from the Icelandic Academy of the Arts. With an interest in music and a member of two bands based in Reykjavik, Holmgeirsson strips down audio technology with this flat-packed gramophone called JÓnÓFÓn that uses a paper cup and a paper horn to amplify sound from a vinyl record. The player itself is made of thin plywood that contains a simple electrical system powered by battery or connected to power supply. The horn consists of a thick paper needle, plastic film, steel wire and the paper cup which acts as the amplifier.

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issue #17 habitusliving.com

Clockwise from top left: ‘Imperfect Cumuli #3’, 2012, Archival Pigment Print 88cm x 108cm by Alexander James; handmade macramé planters, from $65, Terrace Outdoor; crochet Kudu head, $2,750, Garden Life; Chapala Iguana Clay Chiminea, $199, Barbeques Galore; Paola Lenti Picot pouf hand crocheted with rope cord, $1,496, and Himba handwoven baskets, from $530, dedece; Tropicalia chair (right) by Patricia Urquiola in steel frame and woven polymer seat, $1,720, and Moroso Ibiscus armchair (left) from M’Afrique collection in polished steel frame and woven polyethylene, $3,290, Hub; Bolon Now woven vinyl flooring in

Sapphire, $86/m2, The Andrews Group; Retrouv’e table, from $2,400, and chairs, from $1,200 each, designed by Patricia Urquiola for EMU, Terrace Outdoor; cushion, $40, and Frida Kahlo market bag, $25, Holy Kitsch; Ind Woven recycled basket, $49 for small, Missoni Home Futura plate, $377, and Iride water tumblers by Richard Ginori, $299 for set of 6, Spence & Lyda; Santa Fe Skull, $95, Holy Kitsch; Pretty Birdy Parrot in blue, $75, Terrace Outdoor ; Missoni Home Gomitolo small candle (orange), $392 for set of 4, and Chevron candle (purple), $332, Spence & Lyda; Striped Mexican Throw handloomed, $75, I Ran the Wrong Way.

Mexican fiesta

1. lightbox # 49

issue #17 habitusliving.com

2. portrait # 57

Perched on the top of HigHgate Hill, designer

aleXaNDeR lOteRSZtaiN incubates his ideas for

the growing Brisbane design scene from his penthouse

apartment. PeRi MOONeY discovers how he has taken

his design experiences home.

Alex in Wonderland

TexT Peri Mooney | PhoTograPhy Florian groehn

Bao. Spacious and round. It’s the curves that make Bao appealing on first sight. The swivelling armchair combines the materials:

saddle leather on the back, fabric in the seat. Everything has its place. Bao – as familiar as a welcoming embrace. Design: EOOS.

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An artisan for our time

text AyA MAcedA | photogrAphy toM epperson, Kurt Arnold, noli gAbilo

Reports of an emerging colony of artisans in the PhiliPPines led

AyA MAcedA to meet young British-Filipino designer-maker, dAniel lAtorre cruz. In the temperate terrain of Tagaytay, Latorre Cruz

has set up a studio for a few months of the year as he splits his time

between the UK and the Philippines.

# 712. portrait

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2. portrait # 79

Director and designer Shareen Joel engages her love for

industrial process with an eye for elegant furnishings. These

two focii have become the seams that bind her professional

life and Caulfield home into one. alice Blackwood visits.

TexT alice blackwood | PhoTograPhy shannon mcgraTh

Design journey

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2. portrait # 91

Satyendra Pakhale is fascinated

by cultures. nicky lobo gets an insight

into how they have shaped this Indian-

born designer’s humanist philosophy.

Human designs

text Nicky Lobo | pHotograpHy Joost vaN brug (portraits)

issue #17 habitusliving.com

3. on location # 99

Open and shut case

TexT KaTh Dolan | PhoTograPhy alex ClayTon

Travel photographer, ALEX CLAYTON, once

lived for nearly two decades in a tiny ‘box’ in

Bangkok. kATh dOLAN discovers that boxes

within boxes became a central theme of his

minimalist renovation of on an old dog food

factory in the backstreets of FiTzrOY with his

collaborator, interior designer friend, GrANT FiLiPOFF from BATEs smArT.

issue #17 habitusliving.com

There’s no bed in Alex Clayton’s bedroom. In fact there’s nothing in the elevated plywood box he beds down in each night except a large opening, via sliding doors,

offering wonderful sightlines through his vast warehouse home and photographic studio and, on the back wall opposite, a recessed shelf holding a yoga mat and bolster. Surely he doesn’t sleep on those, I wonder, aghast.

The ascetic photographer seems wryly amused by my reaction, which is apparently typical of first-time visitors. He opens a concealed cupboard to reveal a futon, which he rolls out at night and stows away each morning before practicing yoga and beginning his day.

“I went to Japan quite a few years ago and when you go into the traditional tea houses… there’s just a tea table on the tatami mats,” Alex says. “At night, when you come back from walking around, your futon’s rolled out. I really like that idea of changing a space from one thing to another.”

Alex’s female friends chide him for his lack of pot plants and knick knacks. There’s no art or photography on the walls, and his idea of travel souvenirs after 18 years abroad are a guitar, some books, camera equipment and a safe. Luckily, when it came time to collaborate

3. on location # 101

PREVIOUS | The re-fiT was liTerally BuilT around a Black shipping conTainer (aT lefT) used To securely sTore phoTographic equipmenT collecTed on alex’s Travels. OPPOSITE abOVE | a huge sliding TimBer door separaTing sTudio-for-hire from privaTe residence can Be closed off for privacy and seclusion. OPPOSITE bElOw | or The door can Be opened up To allow alex To parTicipaTe in phoTo shooTs. abOVE | concreTe floors, hydronic heaTing, good venTilaTion and Big-ass fans keep The douBle-heighT void remarkaBly comforTaBle.

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