We’re pretty well convinced that Byron Bay is the most popular place on the planet right now(!), so if you’re seeking a trip to the Northern Rivers, it’s worth looking slightly beyond the hustle and bustle to the region’s fringes.

Someone who did just that is personal trainer Sean Houlahan, who moved at the peak of the pandemic last year from Byron’s centre to Booyong, located 40 minutes away. 

Together with friend and interior designer Kimberley Wiedermann of Accolade Design, they’ve created a beautiful house built with recycled materials, which is now available to rent on Airbnb! 

Did you know that seaweed has truly extraordinary carbon sequestering qualities – absorbing around five times more carbon than most land-based plants? But that’s not where its superpowers end. Seaweed also presents incredible opportunities as a biofuel and renewable bioplastic, and it’s these qualities which have spurred Melbourne based artist and experimental designer Jessie French on a passionate quest to investigate seaweed, and its potential to contribute to a ‘post-petrochemical’ world.

After studying the diverse material properties of seaweed for around five years, in 2019, Jessie befriended the founder of Seaweed Appreciation Society International (SASi), comically named Lichen Kelp (!), and together the pair applied for an artist residency in Morocco, which produces most of the world’s agar from red algae. They won it, and in 2020, the pair set out to North Africa, to experiment with seaweed-based recipes for bioplastics.

The resin-like pieces Jessie now makes under her practice, Other Matter, are the result of these years of research. We recently visited Jessie in the fantastic new studio space in Melbourne’s CBD she shares with ceramicists Fluff Corp. and asked her a million and one questions about her fascinating explorations!

Chrissy Lafian knows how to get stuff done. Born and raised in Makassar, Indonesia, the founder of SUKU Home moved by herself to New Zealand to go to high school when she was just 15. She landed in Melbourne to study graphic design at university, and has been here ever since.

Over the last 7 years, Chrissy has grown SUKU from a small bedding range sold online, to a fully fledged lifestyle brand with teams in both Melbourne and Bali, and a brand new flagship store, Dream Baby, on Gertrude Street, Fitzroy!

The jazzy SUKU prints in a rainbow of bright, happy colours are a sparkly jewel box  of joy in the often muted palette of Melbourne. That’s all Chrissy – her sunny demeanour and creative vision, coupled with business savvy and fierce independence make her a force to be reckoned with.

Between running the shop, managing her international teams, and being the creative force behind SUKU, Chrissy lets us in on what it takes to be at the helm of a business she’s built from scratch.

So you’ve already seen the incredible treehouse that accompanies this garden in Bronte – but the key feature of this breezy family home is its connection to nature. Hugh Main of Spirit Level Designs was engaged by the homeowner (renowned architect Madeleine Blanchfield) to create a garden that works in tandem with their dreamy beach-side home.

With a steep site to contend with, and a sometimes blustery coastal climate, the final palette had to be soft as well as tough. A combination of mature trees, robust silvery cacti and green foliage creates a rich and layered oasis.

After seeing team Phillip Withers’s ‘I See Wild’ installation at Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show in 2017, Melbourne-based couple Malcolm Watkins and Peter Kerr (of PLK Interiors) engaged the landscape specialists to create a captivating garden to surround their Cera Stribley and AV-ID designed residence in Toorak. 

Comprising three separate pockets of garden that each required a distinct horticultural approach, Phil and his team devised channels of foliage that connected the landscape with the architecture, while also giving the separate sections a distinct character and function. Not to mention one seriously vibing infinity pool!

Chela Edmunds is an absolute creative force to be reckoned with. You might recognise Chela and her gorgeous daughter Ocean from our family story in February, but if you’ve been paying attention to Victoria’s creative scene over the last decade, you’ll no doubt have delighted in one of Chela’s many wonderful creative ventures.

Today, the founder of Takeawei Ceramics shows us around her latest project – a sunny new retail space on Gertrude Street in Fitzroy, and the apartment above that she’s completely made over, for short term accomodation!

OMG. This is a BIG day people! Today we’re launching something The Design Files…

Together, the twin towns of Albury Wodonga are one of the largest inland ‘towns’ in Australia, with a combined population of around 90,000 people. With plenty of period charm, acclaimed restaurants and museums, and beautiful scenic surroundings, there’s so much to love about these bustling regional cities. 

So next time you’re stopping off along the Hume Highway, or are seeking a weekend away, we’ve got you covered with these top spots to eat, drink, shop, stay, and experience in Albury Wodonga!