Inspiration

There’s no denying that natural products in our homes and workplaces bring a sense of ease and calmness into a space. A locally and  sustainably sourced natural material offers additional peace of mind when specifying for a new project fit-out or dream home renovation. The latest product from Neville Smith Forest Products, Abelwood Evolution Lining, offers both- beautiful timber lining profiles that are also sustainably sourced from PEFC certified Tasmanian Oak.

Last speaking to Tasmanian born furniture designer maker Brodie Neill following his exhibit of the highly talked about ReCoil table at London Craft Week in late 2021, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Neill again at Melbourne Design Week.

What do you get when you combine two of Australia’s great design minds with over twenty-five of Victoria and Tasmania’s top makers? Relatively Useful. A collection of twenty-five objects designed by John Wardle and Simon Lloyd and expertly crafted by some of Australia’s leading craftspeople. Making its debut at Melbourne Design Week at the Heide Museum of Modern Art at the end of March, and now open until the third of April.

The breathtaking ‘Meisner on the Park’ is an award-winning kitchen from Kate Anderson Design (KAD), a family-owned kitchen design business operating on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. With over 16 years’ experience in renovations and kitchen design Anderson has worked closely with cabinetmakers for the last seven years. Providing clients with a ‘difference in service’ that Anderson saw lacking within the industry, every project that arrives on her desk is special to work on, but her latest project, Meisner on the Park was especially close to her heart.

For Tasmanian Sarah Haberle, one could say design has always been in her blood. Having been a part owner of an architecture studio, teaching classes at a local design school and having mastered the art of renovating and flipping houses (12!) Sarah has always looked at interior spaces with intrigue. Turning her passion for transforming spaces into her own business three years ago, she established interior design studio, Design Frank. With the word ‘frank’ meaning honesty, Design Frank signifies the integrity of craft behind each of Sarah’s creations. Her thriving business has now taken Sarah around the state to help others fulfill their design desires and create their own personal dream homes.

Tasmania’s Derwent Entertainment Centre, constructed in 1989, is Tasmania’s largest capacity indoor multi-purpose venue accommodating up to 8,800 people. An agreement between the NBL and the Tasmanian Government has recently seen ‘the DEC’ refurbished into a world class arena that is now home to Tasmania’s first NBL team in 25 years. The $66 million refurbishment has transformed ‘the DEC’ into a world class sports and entertainment facility, with the venue rebranded as MyState Bank Arena. We spoke to Thomas Floyd from Philp Lighton Architects and Mark Millhouse from Voss about how they used Tasmanian timber to create the transformation.