Hab#29 preview mag

# 29 living in design

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

Ken Done’s 40-year home love affair.

Design R&R. colour, contrast and cedar in the New Zealand forest.

# 29 Where to look for inspiration? It can be found all around us – in the things we have, the conversations we engage in and new ideas that spark a revolution.

24. DESIGN NEWS Discover the products we are inspired by: elemental in texture or form, interlocking constructions, and those that embody tranquillity or drama.

32. BOOKS Architecture in place considers the environmental, geographic and cultural context of the built environment. Philip Drew compares three recent titles that focus on Sri Lankan, Brazilian and Japanese residential designs, plus another that looks exclusively at houses in the city.

#24 Creative vision is not enough to ensure success in art, design or architecture. Dedication, persistence and flexibility play the all-important supporting roles.

38. KEN DONE We drop in on Ken Done’s idyllic home on Sydney’s north shore to meet the man behind some of Australia’s most iconic artworks, and discover his love of travel and ritual that finds expression in his everyday life.

49. KATHERINE MAVRIDIS This young knitwear designer’s drive to create concept fashion pieces exploring the possibilities of wool remains at the core of her being – whether in her hometown of Sydney, or her current base in New York.

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57. CHRISTOPHER GRAF He owned a high-end fashion shop in Melbourne in the 1990s; now Christopher Graf expresses his creative flair in his Hamptonsinspired home, a canvas for his unusual collections, which use a series of fireplaces as unlikely displays.

67. STUDIO BIKIN We visit an architecture studio in Malaysia headed up by two women, who are taking the authenticity debate into their own hands, developing locally designed furniture for a retail arm to the business, and their own retail store, called Kedai Bikin.

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the art of lounging 74. DESIGN R&R How can lounging improve our physical and psychological health and wellness, and how can we create environments to maximise this?

83. DESIGN NEWS Bring a lounging attitude to your life, whether entertaining, relaxing, working or playing.

91. PLEASE BE SEATED Exhale and take a moment to appreciate some fine furniture, and lighting in sculptural and contemporary combinations.

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102. INDUSTRY INSIGHTS Members of the retail design community offer some valuable insight into lounging – their favourites and future predictions.

From New Zealand, to Melbourne, Sydney, Western Australia and Chiang Mai, we traipse the Region to discover diverse ways to live.

114. CAMBRIDGE HOUSE An orange cedar box designed by Patterson Associates sits boldly in the New Zealand bush; at night this family home glows like a jewel.

129. PACIFIC ROAD HOUSE The idea of traditional Japanese charred cedar used in the early 17th Century becomes integrated into this beach house designed by Casey Brown on Palm Beach in Sydney.

141. AMP HOUSE A house in Chiang Mai for an electrical engineer and his wife designed by architect Sarin Nilsonthi, met all the residents’ criteria whilst surprising the locals with its modern approach to living.

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159. CARLTON WAREHOUSE A shell of a building in Carlton became the project of a lifetime for an empty nester, who worked with Kennedy Nolan to create a her own refuge high above the city – complete with several outdoor living spaces.

175. JULIMAR HOUSE A simple floor plan and humble materials were on the design menu for this retired couple from a farming background. And Nicholas Burns Architect added his own flavour – taking inspiration from the sunburnt Western Australian landscape.

issue #29 habitusliving.com

artist in place He’s known for his iconic painting scenes, his moustached smile and his gallery in Sydney’s historic The Rocks. But rather than an elite 'Artist', Ken done sees himself simply as a painter – a very lucky one.

TexT nicky lobo | PhoTograPhy rob Palmer

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issue #29 habitusliving.com

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othing says Sydney, Australia, like a piece of Ken Done merchandise.

Though the ‘serious’ art community may look down on the commercial approach he has always taken, he remains practical.

“I see [being an artist] as no different from a chef owning a restaurant, even though some people might say, ‘Oh no, artists should have nothing to do with money’. That’s just silly,” he dismisses. “You still have to do it well, whether it’s an installation, a structure, a piece of swimwear, film, or video clip.”

Ken was accepted into the National Art School in Darlinghurst at age 14. After he graduated he worked for many years – very successfully – as an Art Director in New York, London and Sydney for companies like J. Walter Thompson. So when he returned to full-time painting in his early forties, he had the benefit of a strong commercial awareness.

At his first exhibition he had artworks printed onto T-shirts that were available for sale, numbered like a limited edition print, and also gave some to the press to promote the exhibition. Suddenly, ‘art’ became something affordable, something that anyone could buy, and even wear. Art was accessible.

For someone who is so iconically Australian (more about the word ‘icon’ later), Ken has spent a lot of time out of the country. In the early 1960s, when most Australians were heading to London for their coming-of-age trip, Ken headed to Japan, because “I liked the culture and architecture”.

Thus began his lifelong romance with travelling, most often seeking out new experiences and destinations. Ken has been to some unusual holiday spots including Kazakhstan and East Timor, and if he had a world map on his wall, the pins would cover much of the habitable land space across all seven continents (he is soon to visit Antarctica for the first time).

Ken paints with the same insatiable sense of adventure – and with discipline – putting paint to canvas almost every day. “You could sit around waiting for divine inspiration to hit you on the head, which some people do, but I think that [creating art] comes through the act of working,” he says. “Not everything you’re going to do is good, but when you’re hot, and it’s rolling well, and it’s exciting, you just immerse yourself in the work.”

For him, painting is an exploration, a bodily experience that is intimately connected

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PREVIOUS | the familiar smiling face of artist ken done, pictured in his home studio. OPPOSItE | the main house, overlooking chinamans beach in sydney's picturesque middle harbour. abOVE | the simple lounge area where ken hangs works-in-progress before deciding if they are ready for the gallery. bElOw | a formal dining room featuring three of ken's works, and leading to the bathroom and bedroom.

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habitus #29

Design R&R —

REST AND RELAXATION is something we are all seeking in today’s fast-paced world.

Our lounge areas should offer the ultimate retreat, a place to unwind in style, socialise and entertain, eat, work and play. SOphIE DAvIES looks at ways to create a multi-tasking space to suit your needs. Whether in a compact flat or a larger home, design can improve your wellbeing and enhance the art of lounging.

TexT Sophie DavieS | phoTographY variouS

the art of lounging

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very now and then a lounge collection comes along that makes you see the living room with fresh eyes.

UK designer Ilse Crawford’s Sinnerlig range for IKEA – a title combining the Swedish words for ‘sensuous’ and ‘heartfelt’ – is that fresh touchstone.

Encompassing more than 30 pieces, from seating to tables, lights and accessories, it not only offers a feel-good natural palette of cork, ceramic, seagrass, bamboo and glass, but also shies away from in-your-face hero pieces. In a break from glossy, glamorous designs, it creates a low-key, less-ismore look that works flexibly in any lounge room. With its utilitarian style and serene feel, it would be equally at home in Australia or Asia. What’s more, rather than you having to fit in around your lounge, you can make your lounge fit around you.

Back in the day, the living room was for gathering and relaxing – dining and work usually happened elsewhere.

Fast-forward to 2015 and the lines are blurring. Now we’re asking more of our multi-tasking lounge rooms, as we shoehorn competing activities into what is often a compact space. The lounge has become the entertainment zone, dining area (often with an open-plan kitchen), playroom and even a study and guest bedroom (thanks sofa-bed!). So how do we ensure our retreat still delivers a restful escape?

And what are the aesthetics and arrangements that will encourage us to slow down and chill out?

Sinnerlig, in global stores from August 2015, speaks to soothing textures, neutral but warm colours, simple forms and versatile layouts, as well as affordability (a stress-buster in itself). Materials support relaxation, especially cork, which is durable, an acoustic softener, waterproof and easy to clean. Adding value to everyday living, Studioilse’s pieces “explore the beauty and tactility of their raw properties and celebrate their imperfections.

They are designed to engage the senses and connect us to our homes”. As Ilse Crawford says, “The more virtual our lives become, the more we crave the physical”.

Designs are divided into three groups: lounging, dining and working. Each has a core piece – the day-bed, dining table and trestle table – but you can “decide how you wish to live with these things and how they fit into your life.” You can read or snooze on the day-bed, and work or eat at the dining table, perched on comfy benches (which also make great plant holders).

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# 29 living in design

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

Ken Done’s 40-year home love affair.

Design R&R. Colour, contrast and cedar in the New Zealand forest.