At Home: Home (& Style) Improvement

2022-06-24 23:37:20 By : Mr. Ducan Chen

You’re spending more time at home than ever before. Do yourself a favour and make the place (and yourself) look nice.

We’ve got you covered with new furniture and homewares releases, actually achievable DIY projects, isolation fashion and everything else that involves looking and feeling good while you’re confined to home.

Art & Design These woven-to-order throws and blankets – made of the hardy but super-soft wool from a flock of special sheep – will help to pay for crisis accommodation for women and children.

Art & Design Including sprays made with aromatherapy-grade essential oils and laundry detergent eight times more concentrated than the supermarket stuff. And yes, one is a Kiwi brand – but, like Russell Crowe, we’re calling it ours (and it changed the shampoo-bar scene worldwide).

Fashion Are you a sucker for sets? Shop fairy floss-coloured trousers with a matching top and statement checked linen shirts with paired pants. Plus pastel terry towelling, silk dresses and more. Everything is ethically made in Melbourne.

Fashion The Sydney-born brand is now online with its Formulas range, a cleanser, serum and moisturiser, alongside four original lightweight oil-based products for body and face – with refills from $29.

Fashion The sun-smart skincare brand is letting you gift your bestie (or yourself) a free Skinscreen when you make a purchase, for one day only.

Fashion Finding the perfect pair of jeans is tough, so we’ve done the leg work for you (boom-tish). Shop flattering flares, vibrant overalls, mum jeans from $59.95 and sustainable brands changing the denim game.

Fashion It’s the designer treasure trove’s largest range of vintage Chanel yet, with handbags, accessories, jewellery and clothing all available to purchase via Instagram.

Fashion A collab between milliner Helen Kaminski and Canvs Bottega, the three-hat collection is made from Merino wool and recycled materials, and is re-blocked by hand in Sydney.

Fashion Lee Mathews, Bassike, Ellery, Matteau, Oroton, Sir, Aje and many more brands are offering discounts of up to 50 per cent off in the month-long campaign.

Fashion Long-standing Melbourne fashion favourite Lenko releases its last limited-edition jumpers of the year. They’re 100 per cent Australian made, on sale Friday and $20 is donated to protect the animals.

Art & Design It helps improve the structure of the soil and keep your plants resilient when we overwater – or forget to give them a single drop. It’s only needed quarterly, so you can set it and forget it for three months.

Art & Design Zoë Alexandria is closing the loop by taking unwanted old rings and necklaces and forging them into new, truly unique jewellery.

Art & Design There’s no showroom or salespeople, so prices stay affordable. And a seven-day free trial lets you see how the taps fit in your space, before you commit. “We wanted to get our products into customers’ hands with the least risk possible to them,” says the founder.

Fashion Want La Mer’s moisturiser but don’t have $715? Try this $27 one instead. Loved The Ordinary’s retinol and The Inkey List’s eye cream but you’re after the next new thing? These effective serums, scrubs, cleansers and more are not just free of nasties, they’re kind to your wallet, too.

Fashion Log on for thousands of items of vintage clothing, luxury handbags, accessories and homewares by Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Dior, Givenchy, Celine, Prada and more.

Entertainment Take a peek into the homes of musicians, designers, DJs and celebrities around the world – including Virgil Abloh, Ilse Crawford, Masego, Kaytranada, Pasta Queen and more – as they chat interiors, cook live meals, tour you around their neighbourhood and more.

Fashion The limited-edition scents and candles, marking the label’s 60th-anniversary, are a stylish salve to the lockdown – offering connection to elsewhere at a time when we can’t travel.

Art & Design Get up to 70 per cent off ethically made furniture including sofas, chairs and dining tables, plus discounts on homewares, rugs, pendant lights and vintage pieces.

Entertainment A pesto made from a crop that was set to go to waste, banana-bread mix for a range of dietaries and Four Pillars launches virtual classes.

Fashion Plus, cushions shaped like dumplings, a mirror “that reflects who you are” and lampshades that help you “look on the bright side”. The vivacious British designer has created 26 statement pieces for the Swedish furniture store. And you can get your hands on them from November.

Fashion From leather-alternative combat boots to Japanese selvage denim.

Art & Design Cast from a real shell, they’ve been designed to catch the falling incense residue. Plus, also available: incense by Japan’s oldest incense ateliers, and hand-sculptured brass cocktail coasters in shapes inspired by spills.

Fashion From timeless classics that can be paired with almost anything, to retro styles that complement the booming Lady Diana-inspired varsity trend and vegan sneaks made with eco-friendly leather alternatives. Plus, terrazzo-look kicks are having a moment.

Fashion “The concept for Something Wonderful was always to keep on spreading happy, bright colours and trying to make people smile,” says the founder. The Byron-based streetwear label’s latest release features soft French terry with 3D embroidery. There are three colourways you can wear as a set, or mix and match.

Art & Design New York-based artist Lauren Martin lends her cute illustrations to a new set of homewares featuring anthropomorphic lemons, ravioli, vongole and a classic aperitivo.

Fashion Each set has 110 stickers – including cherries, lightning bolts, flowers, chillies and smiley faces. All you have to do is peel off the decal, stick it to your nail and cover it with a quick coat of clear polish.

Art & Design Lawyer-turned-designer Dinzi Amobi-Sanderson sources vibrant wax fabrics from Ghana, Tanzania, Nigeria and Senegal. She creates striking homewares and made-to-order clothing collections from a small space in Melbourne’s Abbotsford Convent.

Entertainment How good is organic waste? You pile it up, it heats up, and things called microbes transform your rubbish into a precious garden commodity. Mat Pember, founder of Little Veggie Patch Co, shows us how to reign over our humble heap of dirt by remembering these five golden rules.

Art & Design Elevate your bathing ritual with Baina’s signature checkerboard organic cotton towel, paired with bars of rice milk and shea butter, or sea salt and peppermint soap.

Fashion Ailurophile and textile artist Andrew Chan is not in fact a cat, but his knitting project is a little wild.

Art & Design A modest Brisbane home – that can easily become three individual living spaces – has been named Australian House of the Year. A suburban Melbourne home has been honoured for its creative courtyard design, and a formerly derelict hat factory has been acknowledged for its sensitive restoration.

Art & Design The Sydney homewares brand is channelling seaside trattorias and long, leisurely lunches in its new “Festa della Pasta” collection of hand-painted pasta bowls and green-striped loungewear.

Art & Design Kar’s pieces – from coffee tables and lounges to vases – all start out as hand-moulded clay. They get their unique, textured finish thanks to multiple layers of fibreglass (poured out over days).

Fashion Surfer Nathan Yun couldn’t find a pair of socks he was happy with. His mate Rex Zhang is a textiles expert. Together they’ve created a blend of merino wool and organic cotton for maximum comfort, durability and warmth – starting from $19.90 a pair. Plus, you can get your first pair free.

Art & Design From feather soft cashmere and fine merino throws to durable camping blankets made from factory-floor offcuts, these beautiful fabrics are ones you’ll want to curl up inside all day long.

Art & Design Plant whisperers Lauren Camilleri and Sophia Kaplan on watering and light, dealing with pesky pests and knowing when your plants need to be put in iso. Plus, the five best easy-care indoor plants to buy (and a puzzle for foliage fans).

Art & Design They look stunning whether you choose to burn them all the way, halfway, or keep their original shape. The Tiktok famous couple behind them also makes rental-friendly ceiling mobiles, mix-and-match downlight art and more maximalist home decor.

Fashion There are zodiac-themed necklaces; floating rings; playful earrings shaped like lemon slices and wine glasses; and architectural pieces made from industrial stainless steel.

Art & Design Plus they’re plant-based, non-toxic and cruelty free. Wipe kitchen surfaces with a delightful lemon-myrtle-and-mandarin cleaner, add clarity to your windows with a peppermint spray, and scrub your hands with a eucalyptus-and-rosemary wash.

Art & Design After importing a slab of Italian Montefalco terrazzo and turning it into a custom coffee table for her home, Celeste Hopcraft knew there were other Aussie lounge rooms in need of colourful chips and statement pieces.

Art & Design Business partners Pepa Martin and Karen Davis use the Japanese technique to dye cushion covers, wallpaper, tablecloths, surfboards and even leather in deep indigo patterns, which they sell across the globe. They also teach shibori workshops at their studio in Sydney.

Fashion Underplants makes ultra-soft briefs, G-strings and bralettes from sustainably sourced beechwood fibres – and the new company is committed to planting millions of trees across Australia with One Tree Planted.

Art & Design The prolific, food-obsessed Melbourne artist taps into restaurant iconography and nostalgic overseas trips to create exuberant ceramic sculptures collected worldwide, from Brussels to LA.

Art & Design Inspired by the outlandish glamour of 1980s Australiana, Sydney artist and designer Stavroula Adameitis prints vivid cushion covers with images of ibises, Bondi apartment blocks and outback motels.

Art & Design Artist Ellen Porteus and interior plant specialist Ryan Klewer have transformed an industrial shell into a colourful home with painted murals, hanging plants and thoughtfully placed mid-century furniture.

Art & Design The wax-based fragrances are easy to carry, easy to use – and even easier to replace. They’re made in Australia and each one lasts a really long time.

Art & Design Designed by two Melbourne creatives and “baked” in a family-run art foundry, the playful breakfast-inspired fixtures will spruce up your doors, cabinets, drawers or shutters. There are three bronze finishes available.

Fashion Capsule one is a tight edit of timeless styles – a long-line shirt, pintuck pants, a wrap skirt, tailored bodice, split-hem pants and a miniskirt. They’re created for women of all ages, made to withstand the tide of trends.

Art & Design Charcoal, coconut, eucalyptus, peppermint oil, silica – these toothpaste brands opt for oils and minerals to bring you minty-fresh pastes, tablets and gels that look as good as they taste.

Art & Design These probiotic toothpastes are chemical-free, but full of plant-based ingredients to strengthen teeth, kill bacteria and foam up nicely, just like the regular stuff. And soon, they’ll be stocked at Mecca.

Art & Design Live your best Italian summer holiday life – at home – with the elegant new range from the Sydney-based lifestyle label.

Art & Design Turn your home into a sweet-smelling oasis. There’s an adorable snail holder, a slick brass creation, a hunk of resin and scent-emitting orbs.

Art & Design It’s eight times more concentrated than regular detergent and produces 90 per cent less plastic than a standard 20-load bottle.

Fashion Need to up the ante when it comes to your activewear, or invest in some strappy spring dresses for all your warmer weather picnics? Now's the time.

Art & Design The range of plates, mugs, aprons and more subtly advances the 70-year-old Finnish label’s heritage while still paying it due respect.

Fashion Local designers Viktoria & Woods, PE Nation and Sir the Label are blurring the line between menswear and womenswear with comfy, oversized hoodies and trackpants perfect for living the cosy (or WFH) life.

Art & Design They’re named after ancient stargazers, with notes of spicy fresh cypress, cardamom and earthy vetiver.

Art & Design It’s an inexpensive way to get new plants from your existing collection, and can be as simple as snipping off a stem and popping it in water, according to a new book from Leaf Supply’s indoor plant experts Lauren Camilleri and Sophia Kaplan.

Travel The sleek Konnect-i is made from water-repellent fabric and features dedicated spots for your laptop and water bottle – perfect for commuting or travelling.

Art & Design The Melbourne-based label only uses certified organic and Fairtrade fabrics, so customers can truly sleep easy.

Fashion Employing recycled nylon, the two-year-old label’s latest collection will make you look and feel good, whether you prefer a feminine one-piece, crop top or slimline bikini.

Art & Design There are bold red-and-green bedspreads with foral motifs, pastel-hued cushions illustrated with traditional Dreamtime scenes, quilt covers with line art depicting wind, and five more designs across a range of homewares. And all profits are split equally between the two women-led businesses.

Fashion Get up to 85 per cent off hundreds of shoes, including $165 sneakers for $25.

Fashion This Aussie gadget won a prestigious design award and can keep your hats, scarves, sports towels and even face masks secure – in style.

Art & Design Plus, every vase sold helps end poverty, abuse and sex trafficking for young women.

Fashion The Australian label has expanded its bride and bridesmaid offerings to include a wedding suite in Sydney, allowing bridal parties the opportunity to try a range of silhouettes.

Fashion This newcomer from across the pond is upping the Antipodean high-performing skincare market with an emphasis on “natural” ingredients and minimal environmental impact.

Art & Design Are we working from home or living at work? A good-looking desk has never been a more practical purchase. Find a cheapie made from cardboard, a motorised one to make work standing easy and a graceful “floating” workstation in marble and brass.

Fashion Expect refined, ’90s-inspired looks for men and women including organic denim and relaxed hemp tees and tanks – with a touch of vintage Americana.

Fashion While its shirts and dresses in breezy Italian cotton are made for European holidays, you don’t need to be ambling through the Amalfi Coast to wear them.

Art & Design This online, direct-to-consumer retailer lets you browse by colour, shape, room, material or pattern. The team reviewed hundreds of tiles to hand-pick a broad, stylish selection where no tiles are too much alike. There’s no jargon, no hassle, and Australia-wide shipping.

Art & Design Each of its four refillable aluminium spray bottles performs a different household chore. Plus, there’s free shipping Australia-wide, and individual refills – available at Coles and some independent grocers – are only $3.50.

Fashion An Australian mother-daughter team is behind this new skincare company, which specialises is derma rollers. The devices use a proven, non-surgical technique called “microneedling” to treat scarring, pigmentation, sun damage and fine lines, or simply bolster ageing skin.

Art & Design Made with hemp and cotton in baby blue and dusty pink, there’s two quilt covers, a fitted sheet set and a European pillowcase.

Fashion The Sydney label has been seen on the likes of Elle Macpherson and Lara Worthington. Its new range of tracksuits are designed for lounging – or pair them with a trench and sneakers to hit the streets.

Art & Design The Sydney brand, run by a husband and wife team, produces functional and timeless tables, chairs, workstations and storage units.

Art & Design It might seem unassuming from the front, but wander down the side laneway and its beauty reveals itself. We love the open kitchen, which encourages serendipitous interactions, and the splendid inside-out garden.(And it will soon be available for short-term stays).

City File Need a TV mounted, some furniture assembled or a leaky tap fixed? Hit up Urban Company. The app lets you book cleaning, gardening and handyman jobs on demand, at fixed prices. It’s available in 22 cities around the world, now including Sydney.

Art & Design Buy Australian and support small businesses reeling from the bushfires and Covid-19.

City File The newly launched Urban Company lets you book home services on demand, including cleaning, ironing, gardening, lawn mowing, furniture assembly and other domestic chores. It’s also cashless and integrates directly with calendars. Celeste Barber is a fan, and we can see why.

Art & Design The range, called Un Rêve (French for “a dream”), draws on the skills of creatives based in Japan, France and Australia – and includes an homage to the founder’s grandmother.

Art & Design Get speckled grey mugs, volcanic-ash-coloured plates, and chopstick holders shaped like little dumplings from the ceramicists who make tableware for Cutler & Co, Embla and Lake House. “Everything stopped … and the clay was just sitting there.”

Fashion The range includes the statement chains, freshwater pearls and natural gemstones F&H is known for, but with the swagger of INXS frontman Michael Hutchence, with pieces named New Sensation and Beautiful Girl.

Art & Design Need a new bamboo toothbrush? Makeup for sensitive skin? Chemical-free household cleaning products? Here you’ll find all this and more – sourced from Australian businesses and shipped nation-wide.

Art & Design Armed with the knowledge that less than 30 per cent of our plastic waste is actually recycled, an Alexandria resident launched a range of lemon-myrtle-scented cleaning products free of nasty products and packaged in refillable containers.

Art & Design It can be stacked up or across to fit any space, so it works for balconies and apartments. Plus, if you’re going on holiday, just fill with water and your plants can look after themselves while you're away.

Fashion You can mix and match the 100 per cent flax linen tops and pants, that will keep you cool in summer and warm in winter.

Art & Design Track down hardy native plants, cacti, succulents, flowers, bonsai, herbs, fruit trees, pots and everything else you need to beautify your home and garden.

Art & Design The first collection by the husband-and-wife team was made from ’70s-era library countertops, and the newest line is made with red jarrah, mahogany and spotted gum. No two items are the same.

Art & Design These woven-to-order throws and blankets – made of the hardy but super-soft wool from a flock of special sheep – will help to pay for crisis accommodation for women and children.

Fashion It’s part showroom, part office and part retail store for Albus Lumen’s style guru Marina Afonina. Make an appointment to peruse her striking tailored winter collection, jewellery and homewares.

Art & Design Every single product recommended by this Aussie company – from packaging to shipping – is zero waste. And it’s launched just in time for Plastic-Free July.

Art & Design Why are we still using plastic toothbrushes? And plastic coffee pods, bin liners and a thousand other such things? Switching to more sustainable alternatives is easy and offers no downsides whatsoever. Try these five products and never look back.

Art & Design The colourful designs, by Sydney artist and former Sneaky Sound System frontman Daimon Downey, feature creatures from the sea and Italian expressions.

Fashion The Aussie designer recommends layering necklaces with a simple outfit, and picking one key look for each season (for winter, she’s going with her label’s limited-edition boilersuit). Plus, the one garment that never goes out of style.

Fashion The range of wardrobe staples is made with durable cotton sourced from a sustainably run mill in Japan and dyed without toxic chemicals. They’re here to last and be passed on to younger siblings.

Art & Design The pieces by Melbourne-based Satelight are designed to “become objects that the space wears”, ranging from delicate and whimsical to bold and geometric. The team is also making flat-pack desks that take just five minutes to assemble – no bolts or screws required.

Art & Design Each unique piece is dyed with stuff Katie Wilkins finds – think avocado stones and wilting flowers – which she uses to turn the silk into delicate shades of blush pink, olive and silver.

Art & Design The hand-knotted textiles, made from wool and silk in collaboration with Designer Rugs, are inspired by nature and the subconscious – and they feel just as good as they look.

Fashion As restrictions lift, beauty salons are reopening – albeit with reduced capacities. But you might still like to take nail maintenance into your own hands. Here’s how to DIY that sleek, shiny, post-spa look, avoid ‘flooding’ your cuticles, and get your look to last longer.

Art & Design Contrary to what you might think, the best beginner project is not a scarf.

Art & Design The luxe new bedding is warming, breathable and sustainably manufactured.

Fashion Goodbye, incredible amount of time it takes to find and alter a knitwear pattern. Hello, Bellish, a free new Aussie app that generates custom sweater patterns in minutes, and has been downloaded 55,000 times since it launched in February.

Art & Design Goodbye decision fatigue. This Melbourne-based tech startup sells just 71 colours, rather than hundreds. And its free augmented-reality app lets you try various colours on your walls and calculate how much paint you’ll need, before you even start.

Fashion Get advice from one of Australia’s most in-demand facialists; live-chat with a Mecca specialist; and learn how to create a smoky eye with Trinny London. We’ve rounded up the best buys and consults to keep you feeling good during iso.

Art & Design Gift mum – or yourself – a Swiss-cheese plant, Single O coffee and a handmade mug by a small Sydney maker to drink it from.

Food & Drink Good Food Crap Drawing captures famous dishes such as Ester’s blood sausage sanga, Momofuku Seiobo’s marron curry and 10 William Street’s sardine katsu sando. Take one home for (a reasonable) $75 or commission your own.

Food & Drink A local design studio has asked artists to illustrate their favourite Asian food memories. The result is a visual menu that celebrates some of the best dishes and hidden gems in the city, including Happy Chef’s combination noodle soup, Ho Jiak’s char koay teow and RaRa Ramen’s mazesoba.

Fashion The founder of polished barbershop-meets-modern-apothecary, Men’s Biz, shares his tips for grooming tools and practices that will keep your skin and hair fair through isolation.

Fashion This Melbourne label is making tiny acid-wash mum jeans, mini chinos, Uluru and cockatoo-print jumpers and retro colour-blocked parkas that transform into little vests, all designed for frosty winter days ahead.

Fashion You’ve got to fight for your right to wear these graphic tees, jumpers and boilersuits.

Fashion These soft, oversized cotton T-shirts by Aussie label Skwosh are perfect for lounging about the house – or send one to a mate to encourage them to stay home, too.

Fashion The campaign wants to drive customers to online stores, offering discounts on more than 100 brands.

Fashion Nail isolation dressing with wrinkle-resistant fabric; relaxed linen; could-be pyjamas with an air of Hollywood cool; and the OG work-from-home outfit, the tracksuit. (Plus, the only hoodie you need to get through winter.)

Fashion Made from all-natural rubber, Flipslides are comfy and supportive, come in three colours and go for just $34. So they’re kind to the environment, your feet and your wallet.

Fashion Nail salons may be closed, but that doesn’t mean your manicure has to suffer.

Fashion An invigorating cleanser with lemon myrtle and eucalyptus; a fig-scented gel that’ll transport you to the Greek islands; and a sophisticated collaboration between a chic Sydney retailer and a Copenhagen design firm.

Art & Design The events and festival industry has been decimated by coronavirus. But one Australian business owner has come up with an ingenious idea to keep his staff in work.

Fashion Forget smart slacks and fancy dresses, this Broadsheet editor is embracing the Steve Jobs way of life by wearing one outfit – a relaxed pant (with a roomy seat). It’s the perfect accompaniment to her new WFH lifestyle.

Art & Design Socially isolate in style.

Art & Design From an apron that transforms into a tote bag to vases designed to propagate indoor plants, this site – from a former political analyst – is about more than just what looks good. (Though there’s no shortage of that.)

Art & Design It was launched by a Vinomofo co-founder late last year following an existential crisis. Grab cups made from recycled coffee husks, reusable bamboo straws and cards you can plant.

Art & Design Broadsheet Editions showcases some of our favourite images from the past decade, which are now available for you to buy – printed, framed and delivered to your home or office. We talk to Nikki To, one of the photographers involved, about the stories behind her selected images.

Art & Design Broadsheet Editions showcases some of our favourite images from the last decade, which are now available for you to buy – printed, framed and delivered to your home or office. We talk to one of the photographers involved, Jessica Wyld, about the story behind her selected images.

Art & Design Broadsheet Editions showcases some of our favourite images from the last decade, which are now available for you to buy – printed, framed and delivered to your home or office. We talk to one of the photographers involved, Kate Shanasy, about the stories behind her selected images.

Art & Design Luxurious linen bedding, a ceramic wine cooler from Italy’s east coast and gorgeous photography for our walls. Welcome to this month’s collection of things we don’t strictly need, but most definitely want.

Active In part six of our spring-cleaning series we speak to Ostro author Julia Busuttil Nishimura about what’s inside her kitchen cupboards, and how a spring spruce can actually improve your cooking.

Active Out of sight, out of mind? Not really. In part five of our spring-cleaning series we ask an expert how to turn your car from a claustrophobic coffee-cup tomb into a “mini sanctuary” on wheels.

Active A sustainable wardrobe is full of clothes you actually wear. In part four of our spring-cleaning series, we ask Well Made Clothes fashion editor Rosie Dalton how to step out in style this spring, without leaving a footprint.

Active It’s time to check your plants’ vital signs and prep for warm weather ahead. In part two of our spring-cleaning series we ask a horticulturalist and landscape designer what to do with the change in season.

Active The sun’s out and it’s the perfect time to spruce things up. In part one of our spring-cleaning series we ask an expert how to ditch the mess and make your home a spotless sanctuary.