Hab#27 preview mag

# 27 living in design

Misschu: tuckshop matron, fine art patron. efficiency & flexibility – creative solutions for left over spaces.

april – june | 2015 AUD$16.95 | NZ$16.95 | USD$17.95 CDN$18.95 | GBP£9.90 | SGD$11.95

# 27 Things are just things unless there is a story and a meaning behind them. We take a deeper look at design products and ideas, to find their true value.

26. DESIGN NEWS Discover products that prompt the imagination, provide a sense of luxury, surprise us with humour and stop us in our tracks with their pure simplicity.

34. BOOKS Do design, art and architecture have a place in a discussion about happiness and wellbeing? Nicky Lobo looks at three recent books that take a philosophical view of these creative disciplines.

#32 Determination will take a person far, but first there must be strength of purpose and a steadfast belief in the creative mission. Our Design Hunters possess all three.

42. MATTHIAS ARNDT Matthias Arndt has been an ardent supporter of South-East Asian art since becoming acquainted with it during the days at his ARNDT Berlin gallery. Narelle Yabuka visits the Interlace development in Singapore, a new icon, where Matthias now lives with his family, adjacent to his new ARNDT gallery at Gillman Barracks.

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53. NAHJI CHU Her misschu brand took the Sydney food scene by storm in 2007, quickly followed by Melbourne and London.

The direction of the business may change, but a constant for Nahji Chu is the importance of art and design in the expression of her identity, both at home and at work. Nicky Lobo visits Nahji’s Kings Cross home and hears about her creative mission to reposition our perception of ‘Vietnamese’ and ‘refugee’.

67. IWAN SUNITO Residential developments have increased in both quantity and quality as city populations continue to rise.

Indonesian-born, Australian-educated Iwan Sunito, founder and CEO of Crown Group, opens up to Paul McGillick about the unique approach that has seen Crown’s impressive rise in the housing market.

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Efficiency & flexibility 78. SMALL HOUSES In a discussion of sustainability, living within a smaller physical footprint is an essential component.

What are some design-led examples of small housing and who is responsible for them? Stephen Todd charts some of the best examples.

88. DESIGN NEWS Storage, multi-purpose, modular, and sustainable ideas for the living room, bathroom, kitchen, bedroom and studio help us to become more efficient and flexible.

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97. HOME OF THE FUTURE How will we translate the modern idea of conscious living into the future? A collection of concepts reveals a refreshingly human source of inspiration.

All our projects this issue explore efficiency & flexibility. Some are small, some sustainable, and some future-proofed to minimise waste.

114. CRABTREE RESIDENCE The third architect-designed home for this couple is intended to be their last. Misho + Associates have designed a home in Tasmania that braves the elements, and the future.

127. WELLINGTON APARTMENT It’s not so much a piece of fine architecture as it is a live-in work of art. Ben Daly of Palace Electric took a completely handmade approach to this tiny home, with great results.

137. NAMLY HOUSE A classic concern for multigenerational living is dealt with in an innovative way, in this Singapore home designed by Chang Architects.

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149. LEFT OVER SPACE HOUSE They bought the smallest, cheapest home in the suburb and took 10 years to renovate it themselves, while also living in it. The reward for architects Casey and Rebekah Vallance is a beautiful home, and a World Architecture Festival award.

169. VILLA GRIS It could be a large house, or a boutique hotel. Studio Evans Lane have created a flexible home near Margaret River in Western Australia that makes the most of both its vistas: the ocean and the bush.

181. BOAT HOUSE It may just be a simple, secondary structure to the main family home in Mosman, but this tiny boat house by John Bohane and Jonathan Temple with interiors by Sarah Davison, has been treated as elegantly as a fine sailboat charting the seas.

Sydney Indesign LiveLife.

A unique conversation series that explores living in design.

The Future of Residential Living.

LiveLife brings the content of Habitus magazine to life, extending the conversation about ‘The Future of Living in Design’ beyond the pages of the magazine in a highly personal and stimulating way. The topics invite debate amongst the panel, with the aim of stimulating discussion amongst the audience and wider community.

Find out more at sydneyindesign.com.au

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2 . portrait

rice paper artist In today’s popular culture, food is often talked about in artistic terms: styling, presentation, creative ingredients, and revolutionary methodologies. But Sydney-based nahji Chu of misschu is taking this one step further, using her entire food business as an artistic medium.

TexT Nicky Lobo | PhoTograPhy rob PaLmer

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issue #27 habitusliving.com

previous | nahji chu in her office, with blue staffy george. artworks (left) HUBERT, SITHNEY anD BUCKING BLACK DOG; (right) LIFE BUOY, all by linDe iViMey. PaPer artwork behinD is a collaboraton between geoffrey nees anD kano hollaMby. ABove | nahji in her kitchen at her aPartMent, just uPstairs froM the office. in the foregrounD is a coMMissioneD artwork by lucy Mcrae.

2 . portrait

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imultaneously political and creative, Nahji Chu, of the eponymous misschu chain, is not just a supplier of fresh, healthy Vietnamese food. She sees the brand as a vehicle to tell her story, and an opportunity to change people’s perceptions of ‘Vietnamese’ and ‘refugee’.

“For most of my twenties I wanted to be an artist,” Nahji says. “Either a performing artist, a filmmaker or a visual artist. It took me a long time to realise that all of my creative energy and capacity could be expressed through hospitality.” It is an unusual art medium, but by placing her own identity – “one that has survived trauma and racism at the forefront of a commercial venture”, Nahji hopes that “the superficial labels that still hang from many minority groups in Australia start to fall away”.

The business began as a simple catering service. The self-professed ‘queen of rice paper rolls’ initially supplied cafés. In 2009 she decided to open a commercial kitchen in Darlinghurst to sell direct to the public through a hole in the wall. The ‘tuckshop’ concept exploded, attracting hordes of schoolgirls and local office workers alike, looking for fast, fresh, delicious and healthy food.

The flagship Darlinghurst store quickly expanded to a site at the Sydney Opera House in 2010 (no longer there), Exhibition Street in Melbourne and Bondi Beach in 2011, Sydney CBD and South Yarra in 2012, and London, Manly and David Jones Sydney food court in 2013. This represents Nahji’s bold business goal for a misschu restaurant in all major global cities, including Tokyo, New York, Paris and even in her homeland.

The plan, however, is not aimed at world domination simply for the sake of it, nor for the stockpiling of money. It’s about “showing how the Vietnamese diaspora spread throughout the world, through food,” Nahji says. This political aim is inextricably tied to the misschu persona. The branding was defined in a genius stroke, using Nahji’s original refugee papers as the primary graphic element. Having her face

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Sydney Indesign 13-15 August 2015

Creative. Interactive. Inspiring.

Prepare for a dynamic design encounter with your favourite furniture brands, creative thought leaders, and the best in Australian and international design. Registrations for attendance open soon.

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