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The Design Writer

Writing about the ideas behind design. Think about it.

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The Design Writer is a blog by Penny Craswell that celebrates the ideas behind design. Design, architecture and interiors from Australia and around the world.

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Recent posts

The New Sustainable House
Book review: How to Create Things for the World Sustainably by Sarah K
Pottery studio, with garden by Alexander Symes Architect
Review: Multifunctional Pet Furniture by Never Too Small
Review: Souvenir exhibition by Friends & Associates

Check out my Instagram

thedesignwriter

Posted @withregram • @pcraswell On 30 November S

Posted @withregram • @pcraswell On 30 November Sarah Rice and I are running a writing masterclass for artists in Canberra. Come join us for the day!

Writing for Artists with Penny Craswell and Sarah Rice
PRESENTED BY CANBERRA GLASSWORKS IN ASSOCIATION WITH TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

Join The Design Writer, Penny Craswell (NSW) and arts writer Sarah Rice (ACT) for a full-day workshop to give artists the skills they need to write about their practice for different contexts.

Get tips on the practical writing – improving your artist biography and exhibition statements, writing for magazines and newspapers, improving grant applications – as well as the creative, where you’ll learn about experimental and hybrid writing styles.

Details
When: Saturday, November 30 from 10 am to 4 pm,

Where: Lakeview Office, Tuggeranong Arts Centre, 137 Reed Street, Greenway

Cost: $70 per person

Maximum 20 people

Canberra Glassworks is subsidising the cost of this workshop from $200 to $70 per person thanks to the generosity of a private donor.

Tea and coffee will be available throughout the day. Lunch is available from the many food outlets nearby or BYO and picnic near the lake.

Program
10 am – 12 pm: Creative Concepts: Writing conceptually creatively by Sarah Rice

12 – 1 pm: Lunch / networking

1 – 3 pm: Constructing Texts: Writing
for media, grants and more by Penny Craswell

3.30 – 4 pm: Discussion / Q&A Session

@canberraglassworks @tuggeranongarts

Posted @withregram • @pcraswell I’m having a b

Posted @withregram • @pcraswell I’m having a book launch! Please come along if you’d like to hear me in conversation with Tim Ross about sustainable architecture from Australia and around the world. I’ll also be signing books if you’re interested. See you then!

The New Sustainable House
by Penny Craswell
published by Thames & Hudson
@thamesandhudsonau

LAUNCHED BY TIM ROSS
@modernister

Wednesday 30 October, 6 for 6.30pm
Gleebooks
@gleebooks
49 Glebe Point Road
Glebe, Sydney

RSVP essential direct to Gleebooks

I have some fantastic news to share – my new boo

I have some fantastic news to share – my new book “The New Sustainable House” will be on sale from 29 October and is now available to pre-order online or at all good booksellers! The book will also be on sale in the US and the UK from 2025. Published by Thames & Hudson with graphic design by Claire Orrell.
@thamesandhudsonau @claireorrell

The New Sustainable House
Planet-friendly home design
By Penny Craswell
A showcase from across the globe of 25 houses offering creative solutions for planet-friendly home design.
Designing with the environment in mind is not ‘new’. What is new is the increasing number of ways houses can be more sustainably built. With a fresh focus on design ingenuity, new technologies and materials, The New Sustainable House demonstrates that there is more to ecologically motivated construction than solar panels and water tanks.
From a mud-brick single-storey box built in the Texas desert to an all-timber Swedish cabin that is completely petrochemical-free, what unites this diverse collection of houses is the shared motivation of the architects and clients to do as little damage as possible to the planet, without compromising on comfort
or aesthetics. This compelling survey shows that the environmental impact of every home, no matter the size or location, can be greatly reduced with creative and responsible design.

‘In her book How to Create Things for the World

‘In her book How to Create Things for the World Sustainably, Sarah K tells the story of how she came to put sustainability at the centre of design – that “flip the switch” moment that shocked her into dedicating her life to the cause. “I think it’s important to acknowledge this first shift in thinking, so that we can recognise in ourselves that we are moving from the mindset of the old paradigm into the new one.”’

Read my review of Sarah’s book to find out more!

@supercyclers @the_sarah_k #bookreview #sustainabledesign #thedesignwriter

What a great project: 1) a ceramics studio with an

What a great project:
1) a ceramics studio with an office above, the envy of any potter
2) a regenerative garden creating habitat for birds, frogs and native bees
3) a sustainable building with heat recovery ventilation system
4) an amazing crab mural in tiles that wraps one facade

Coconut Crab is a ceramics studio that features sustainable design by Alexander Symes Architect @asa_alexandersymesarchitect in collaboration with the client, Casa Adams Fine Wares @araceli_adams and landscape architect Jason Monaghan @jason_monaghan_

Read more on my blog #thedesignwriter link in bio

Featuring creative and fun designs made from plywo

Featuring creative and fun designs made from plywood, Multifunctional Pet Furniture is a new exhibition by Melbourne’s Never Too Small @nvtsmall (if you don’t watch their YouTube videos on small space living, you are missing out!). With 11 designs from Australian and international studios, each piece was created with the help of Castlemaine-based makers Jem Selig Freeman and Laura Woodward from Like Butter @likebutter.au and exhibited at Never Too Small’s offices in Collingwood during Melbourne Design Week #melbournedesignweek
1/ Never Too Small exhibition
2 + 3/ Cavy House by @likebutter.au
4 + 5 + 6/ DogPod by @tra.ma_
7/ Pet-Level by @_studiomama
8/ Kitty Cabin by @mattr.studio
9/ Peppa’s Palace by @marianadedelas.studio
10/ Shiro by Colin Chee of @nvtsmall and Yee Keong Leong @bidstudioarchitects
Read more and see all the designs on #thedesignwriter blog link in bio

A range of small objects by local designers and ar

A range of small objects by local designers and artists was exhibited amongst the books at Bookshop by Uro in Collingwood as part of Melbourne Design Week. “Souvenir” was curated by Dale Hardiman and Tom Skeehan of Friends & Associates.
1/ Tome Portable Lamp by Charlie White
2/ Mill Clock by Coco Flip
3/ Waffle Coaster by Alterfact
4/ The Door is Always Open by Damien Wright
Read more and see the other six objects in the exhibition on my blog #thedesignwriter link in bio
@friends.associates @bookshop_by_uro @dale.hardiman @tom_skeehan @charliewhitewhite @coco_flip @alterfactstudio @damienwrightstudios
#designexhibition #souvenir #bookshopexhibition

A series of material investigations by industrial

A series of material investigations by industrial designer Volker Haug and interior designer David Flack has resulted in a range of lights.

The two designers approached the task with their own individual creativity, process and experience, with Haug’s way of working reflecting his background in industrial design and Flack’s in interior design.

“Flack’s design discernment came from envisioning each light’s presence in-situ within the space; whereas Volker Haug would see a light from all the same angles, only to push technical and material features even further.”

@volkerhaug @flackstudio_

Read more on my blog The Design Writer. Link in bio

At Metricon’s recent Master of Design conference

At Metricon’s recent Master of Design conference in Hobart, Tasmania, Peter Maddison explored the future of housing.
His presentation, which includes work by his own practice Maddison Architects based in Melbourne and the work of many of Australia’s leading architects, is not just about architecture, but about how our design sensibilities and ways of living have changed over the decades.
“Design is about influencing mankind,” says Maddison. “It’s a lot more than a shopping list of rooms.”
For more of Peter’s insight check out the full post on my blog #thedesignwriter link in bio
@petermaddison @maddisonarchitects
@metriconhomes

As part of the Object Stories series, read up on t

As part of the Object Stories series, read up on the work of Aukland collective The Pacific Sisters whose art is rooted in Māori, Pacific, and Queer identities. This year, as part of the Sydney Biennale ‘Ten Thousand Suns’, these pieces are now on display at the Art Gallery of NSW. Read more on the blog #thedesignwriter link in bio @pacificsisters @biennalesydney @artgalleryofnsw

The future of housing was the topic of discussion

The future of housing was the topic of discussion at the Master of Design conference Mo.D/24 held recently in Hobart by Australian building company Metricon.
The event included inspiring speakers including architect and ex-Grand Designs presenter Peter Maddison and futurist Katie Rigg-Smith from creative transformation company WPP as well as presentations on caring for country and AI. Read more on my blog #thedesignwriter @metriconhomes @petermaddison @maddisonarchitects @wpp

Top 10 Ethical Gift Guide Number four! Give the g

Top 10 Ethical Gift Guide Number four!

Give the gift of making! Lots of artists and makers create their own kits so you can craft your way through 2024. Sydney-based artist Kasia Jacquot sells gorgeous embroidery kits made with 100% linen, featuring her own designs @kasiajacquotembroidery see the full list in my link in bio #ethicalgiftguide #ethicalgifts #giftofmaking #craftgifts #embroiderykit #supportmakers #supportartists

Continuing The Design Writer’s Top 10: Ethical G

Continuing The Design Writer’s Top 10: Ethical Gift Guide 2023…
Two Good Cook Book Two contains 100+ recipes in four chapters (Warm Days, Cool Days, Inbetweens and Sweet Things). Two Good helps support, empower and employ women with lived experience of homelessness, domestic violence and complex trauma through the creation of beautiful, high quality food and products. @twogoodco #giftideas #cookbook #charitygiving #endhomelessness #ethicalgifts

I’m counting down my Top 10: Ethical Gift Guide

Yes, it’s time for The Design Writer’s 2023 To

Yes, it’s time for The Design Writer’s 2023 Top 10: Ethical Gift Guide! A cost of living crisis combined with the growing realisation (or certainty in some cases!) that we don’t need more ‘stuff’ makes gift-giving tricky, but I’m still here for quality, low cost, ethical gifts to cheer up your festive season.
Number 1.
Buy these beautiful candles made with natural Australian beeswax collected from bees and bee-keepers throughout regional Australia by Queen B @queenbcandles
#gifts #giftideas #smallbusiness #homedecor #shoplocal #supportsmallbusiness #ethicalgifts #naturalingredients #candles #beeswax #madeinaustralia #ecogift

Little Granite House is an off grid home whose for

Little Granite House is an off grid home whose form mimics agricultural buildings, with exteriors in corrugated metal and timber. Architecture is by BRD Studio @b.r.d.studio

“A small footprint means reduced volume, making the home more efficient to heat and cool. This paired with quality passive solar design means the home requires minimal energy to maintain thermal comfort.”
Read more on #thedesignwriter blog link in bio

A former storage shed in Byron Bay has been transf

A former storage shed in Byron Bay has been transformed into a gallery and workplace by Benn + Penna Architecture @bennandpenna_architecture
“Tasman Gallery continues our studio’s exploration of how spatial and material design can improve wellbeing,” says Andrew Benn from Benn + Penna.
“The links between creativity and wellbeing are well known, as are the benefits of cross-pollination between different environments to promote exchange of ideas, engagement, work-life balance and to minimise workplace silos.”

Crafted Liberation is stadium seating made from he

Crafted Liberation is stadium seating made from headscarves donated by Iranian women around the world to protest gender inequality.
The work is a direct response to the recent death of Kurdish-Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, who, last year at 22 years old, was arrested by the Iranian ‘moral’ police and died in custody due to an improper headscarf violation. Her death sparked widespread protests among Iranian women worldwide. The symbolism of the stadium seating is because, since 1981, Iranian women have been banned from attending men’s sporting events in stadiums. @crafted_liberation
The project by Sydney-based Iranian-Australian designer Nila Rezaei and Austrian designer Christopher Krainer from RK Collective in collaboration with Talon Technology and @defy_design and was exhibited at Dutch Design Week this year. @nila.rezaei #dutchdesignweek2023
Read more on the blog #thedesignwriter

A new Nudie store in Little Collins Street in Melb

The lates Object Stories is Tana Shelf by George H

The lates Object Stories is Tana Shelf by George Harper of Melbourne’s @tide_design

Tana is a freestanding timber bookshelf is inspired by Japanese design – the word tana is Japanese for “shelf”. Characterised by rounded vertical lines meeting flat horizontal shelves, the shelf also features a detail at the back that sets this piece apart from other Japanese-style timber bookshelves. Read more on the blog link in bio #thedesignwriter #objectstories #shelf #japanesedesign #woodenshelf #tidedesign #melbournedesign

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