London
Whilst many of the world's post-war urban utopia experiments have failed miserably — 1960s Naples suburb of Scampìa, famed for its gloomy role in Gomorrah, a prime example — London's effort to repopulate the war-ravaged City of...
London
Anish Kapoor's awkwardly looming Orbit tower has, understandably, met with a lukewarm reception so far - our Twitter feed beholds much indifference, occasional disdain and a whole lot of WTF! for the highly regarded artist's monolithic creation. I'm...
London
The Royal Festival Hall has always been one of my favourite spaces in London. When I first moved to London and hardly knew a soul, I would often wander along the Southbank and find myself there. But it was only much later, when I learnt more...
Melbourne
The first carbon neutral office building of its type in Australia, the Pixel building is a decidedly impressive statement of environmental intent from developers Grocon; and we received an equally impressive press release, finely detailing that...
Hong Kong
Internationally acclaimed English designer, Thomas Heatherwick, has given a soft touch to an iconic Hong Kong luxury shopping and entertainment complex with a decidedly fluid £165 million redesign. Artistic, flowing lines sweep around the centre...
London
The Farmiloe Building was my last port of call during this year’s London Design Festival. I was there to see Designersblock; my third design show of the day, fifth show of the weekend, on the last day of an exhausting, exhilarating nine-day...
New York
Who looks at a decrepit freight railway line, dating from the 1930s, disused since the 1980s, and sees a park in the sky? In 1999, with only one precedent worldwide (the Promenade Plantée in Paris) Joshua David and Robert Hammond founded the...
Melbourne
Inspired by the vividly brash interpretations of the area by Aussie artist Howard Arkley and artist cum famed pink wig wearer Barry Humphries, local firm H2o Architects have ramped up the gaudiness with a decidedly spectacular new community library...
New York
What started in the year 2000 as a fanciful project by passionate observers, with no urban planning experience, to save an abandoned New York rail line from demolition, has found itself as the city's number one tourist attraction - and an...
Seville
The last time we were in southern Spain's piping-hot capital, J. MAYER H. architects' impressive timber structure was no more than a concrete base and, having been under development for the last 6 years, Seville's locals will no doubt be glad that...
New York
It may not be as spectacularly warped as his Las Vegas Center for Brain Health that we featured last year, but at 870 feet tall - and now the tallest residential tower in the Western Hemisphere - New York by Gehry was never going to be. What...
Stuff Crush
Weirdness is a notion long entwined with the concept of creativity. Mocked by the strait-laced confined to their boxes of conformism, celebrated by the bold and the brave who pursue the outré as a means of pushing beyond the banal. In Weird...
City Notes
In Montreal’s Little Italy, a new arrival is making waves with a fresh take on Italian dining. Pasta Pooks, which opened in March 2025, is a compact five-seat takeout counter serving pasta and natural wine in a space that marries Old World charm...
City Notes
A once-forgotten 19th-century residence in Savannah’s historic district has been brought spectacularly back to life, reincarnated as The Douglas; a refined 16-room boutique hotel at 14 East Oglethorpe Avenue, where design meets old-world...
Dispatches
In a country where club floors open with Buddhist chants and Ladyboys offer dawn alms in corsets and stilettos, Elizabeth Waterman has found a world of contradictions too vivid to ignore. Over the past three years, and across four extended trips,...
Dispatches
There's a paradox about self-care, which is that those who need it most are probably the least likely to practice it. If you're one of those people, you might even be put off by the term self-care. Maybe it sounds too self-indulgent to you. If...
Dispatches
Looking for a Japanese tutor in Chicago without breaking the bank? You’re not alone. Whether you’re aiming to order ramen with confidence, ace a language exam, or shape your skills for business or travel, one thing’s clear: good private...
Dispatches
If you’ve ever looked at your balcony and thought, “What a wasted space,” you’re not alone. Many of us live in homes where every square foot counts, yet balconies often remain underutilized. Whether it’s too small, too plain, or simply...
Dispatches
Recognising the world’s most inspiring work across design, innovation and creativity, the A’ Design Award & Competition stands as one of the most respected and far-reaching international design accolades. Each year, a diverse panel of academics,...