Founders of Melbourne cordwainer Double Monk, Christopher and Nick Schaerf, are not only filling a market gap for men’s footwear, they’re fulfilling a lifelong appreciation for quality craftsmanship and “shoes that fit perfectly”. Alice Blackwood reports.

Pop philosopher Alain de Botton’s School of Life has opened its first international branch in Australia. Situated just off Smith Street in Collingwood, Melbourne, the School is busy hosting a hoard of students for a temporary, pop-up 10-week summer term. By Linda Cheng.

A New Delhi salon tempers bold industrial aesthetics with a refined, artisanal finish.

Promoting a deeper understanding of the cultural nuances involved in winemaking, a new retail concept for wine stores in Hong Kong has created modern, accessible boutiques.

Following the success of their Double Bay fit-out, Optique commissioned Smart Design Studio to design the optometry practice’s Potts Point location. William Smart of Smart Design Studio shares the design details with Elana Castle.

A recent installation for the launch of a spring collection injected a new and vibrant aesthetic into the hosting store while resonating with the new products.

Bright, light and inviting, the Habbot store in Armadale creates a superb showcase for the brand’s shoes while providing a welcoming and comfortable destination for customers.

Ten years from its inception, Australian fashion brand Incu has flourished, with the opening of an inviting and sophisticated Melbourne store cementing its reputation for originality and aesthetic sensitivity. Alicia Sciberras reports.

A passion for old world charm and an arduous search for authentic materials elevate the Visvim flagship store in Singapore far above the average fashion boutique.

Reclaimed materials used in unexpected ways is the theme behind a Perth popup as part of the activation of the city’s new Brookfield Place precinct, explains Ravi Jensen.

Elana Castle discovers that the interior for new Paul Smith boutique in Melbourne, is a fitting representation of the fashion guru’s global brand.

Aesop evokes old world elegance in it’s new Collins Street, Melbourne store.

Destiny Deacon explores her past and present in a new collection of photography, video and sculpture.

With scores of participating brands, special events and appearances by designers, Brisbane Indesign is set to showcase the best local and international design.

Located in the suburb of Parkdale, the new art space combines a minimalist layout with technological sophistication.

A celebration of this most ancient of fibers, Wool Modern explores the aesthetic, environmental and technical virtues of wool in the 21st century.

In Habitus 15 we meet Barbara Sansoni, owner of Barefoot Gallery in Colombo. Barefoot recently opened its very own PhotoGallery, where works by Barbara’s photographer son, Dominic, are currently on display.

Barely a month after opening their Fitzroy showroom Great Dane invites The SuperCool to setup their mobile emporium in a loading dock.

France’s foremost contemporary design museum adds ‘Icarus’, an installation by New Zealand desiner David Trubridge, to it’s permanent collection.

Opera Australia’s highly anticipated production delivers a captivating, unique experience.

Multi-layered and multi-sensory, this unusual experience created by uber-chic stylist Faye Toogood is a resounding success.

Deutscher + Hackett is auctioning a diverse and important range of Aboriginal and Oceanic works of art.

The artistic couple return home to stimulate and reconfigure our notion of humanity’s place in both urban and wild settings.

Rekordelig cider teams up with photographer and blogger Caroline Blomst to present ‘Stockholm Street Style’, a photo exhibition of stylish Swedes.

The dream-like Puglia region and it’s Salento Peninsula coastline – the heel in the boot of Italy – is peppered with elegant towns, rich architecture, forts and varied exotic history. Jane Burton Taylor takes us on a tour of its sometimes arrestingly beautiful built environment, and to the other Gallipoli.

Ranging from caustic to cutesy, Penny Byrne’s creations demand consideration and reveal layers of meaning under often bizarre exteriors.

Opera Australia stages a big, bold, outdoor production of La Traviata on Sydney Harbour.

Habitusliving takes a look around Sydney Art Month with Lorenzo Logi …

Focusing on locally sourced goods, with an emphasis on small regional producers, Shop For The Soul sells a concise collection of quality pantry products, fresh ingredients and ready-made meals.

Started by Dennis Paphitis 25 years ago, Aesop has grown to become one of Australia’s best-known and most trusted skincare exports. This week on Habitusliving.com we review 25 years of quirky retail design and talk about their unique design ethos with Product Advocate Suzanne Santos.

Find out why 47 million tourists visit New York each year when you take part in one of Susan Weir’s hand-picked Food + Design tours of the Big Apple.

Singapore-based architecture practice WOHA is currently showing an inspiring exhibition at the German Architecture Museum in Frankfurt.

Visual label Momorobo earned themselves considerable street cred without ever actually put up illegal pieces on streets of Singapore.

Broached Commissions will launch in New South Wales this week with a beautiful exhibition being held at the former Paramount Pictures Building in Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills.

Revered Korean artist Hyung Koo Kang’s intense, hyperrealist portraits overwhelm and evoke an emotional response, though perhaps none are quite as haunting as that of his future 88-year-old self writes Janice Seow.

Waterfall by Tokujin Yoshioka is currently on display at the Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation until 15 December. Don’t miss the chance to see one of the world’s most inspired artists whilst his work is in Australia.

Since stumbling on his very own peculiar breed of visual narrative, photographer Stuart Spence has left the glamour of the photographic studio behind, and plunged himself deep in the dark world of artists and mystics. Belinda Aucott has the story.

Awkward Beauty is an interdisciplinary art project between jewellery designer Helen Britton, Perth garment designer Justine McKnight and Perth photographer Michelle Taylor. Artist Helen Britton spoke with Habitusliving.com this week about her on-going interest in awkward beauty.

There’s something exciting going on in Chippendale and it’s all about art. Belinda Aucott has the story.

This month in Habitus issue 13 you’d be forgiven for thinking that Vietnamese artist, Pham Huy Thong’s ‘Dong Bao’ series is all baby talk. But the truth, as Amy Ng finds out, lies much deeper than the paintings let on.

Print maker and sculptor Kristin Peren shares her work and her story in this month’s in Habitus magazine.

Rebecca Baumann sets The Primavera ablaze with colour

Dinosaur designs create ‘pictorial’ resin for GoMA in Brisbane

Letting your guard down in the name of art

More than just Good Manors – gardens that
last

Louise Martin-Chew checks out a brooch exhibition in Brisbane that pairs together significant women in history and contemporary jewellers. 

Award-winning Chinese/Australian artist Guan Wei tells Janice Seow about
his latest solo exhibition ‘Bird Island’, which is being held at Chan
Hampe Galleries in Singapore.

A new exhibition at Sydney’s Sullivan + Strumpf Fine Art Gallery
explores ‘vacant scenes of disquiet’ through stylised interior
paintings.

Limitation breeds inspiration in the 4th instalment of 12×12 at Sydney’s aMBUSH Gallery.

If you’ve ever wanted to see inside some of Melbourne’s most iconic buildings, July will give you the chance.

The latest exhibition at Sydney’s metalab gallery explores the power of nature through several jewellery designs.

Benja Harney will exhibit his intricate paper works during Sydney Design 2011 at Sydney’s Object Gallery.

The Gallery of Australian design opens a new survey into Australian
chair design featuring some of the country’s most prominent designers
and creatives.

A Melbourne pop-up shop gets inspired by the modernist spirit with Danish furniture from the 50s and 60s.

In a first for Brisbane audiences, the James Street fashion and
lifestyle shopping precinct in Fortitude Valley is becoming an art
gallery until 9 June. Louise Martin Chew gets out and about.

Get ready for another huge year for design at the renowned State of Design Festival from 20 – 31 July.

Enjoy the beautiful results of Cinnamon Lee’s digital design processes
in combination with her knowledge of LED technology in a new exhibition
at Sydney’s Metalab.

The new Love Lace exhibition at Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum plays with our perception
of lace work with new mediums and objects from left field.

From the web, to a book to a new exhibition: a photo blog by a Sydney photographer goes from strength to strength.

A fun new exhibition at Workshopped will give you the opportunity to have your own items ‘Spunked’ by Dr Spunk.

This year’s Biennale is set to be the biggest yet, so jump in your car
and head to Ballarat – why not take your camera along on the road trip!

A new iPhone application brings art hunting to your finger tips, helping you find art galleries and artists across Australia.

Ola Bednarczuk takes a look around Perth’s latest design hunter location

Get ready for another big, bright and musical winter in Sydney in 2011.

Another exhibition from SGAR examines the shift away from the mass-produced to one-off, limited edition designs.

Another in the Art Month Sydney line-up, one of our favourite contemporary Australian artists.

New works by award-winning Australian artist, Derryn Tal, will be on show in her latest exhibition in Sydney’s Danks St.

As one of the L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival’s most anticipated
events, Penthouse Mouse takes the high-end fashion world in its stride.
Alice Blackwood visits the 2011 instalment of this pop-up retail/art
space.

The First Show at Melbourne’s new Pin-Up gallery asks the public to engage with architecture and design, bringing it out of the professional realm. Ben Morgan spoke to Martyn Hook before the opening.

Metalab brings in some good luck with the work of Natalia Milosz-Piekarska and Karla Way.

Louise Martin-Chew finds her way with an exhibition at Brisbane SGAR gallery.

Nicky Lobo visits the new flagship store in Paddington in the lead up to the Habitus Conversation in Sydney.

Stephanie Madison explores the touring Primavera exhibition now on show in Brisbane.

The botany of Walter Hill will be explored in a new exhibition at Brisbane’s Myrtle Street Studio.

Home – Real and Ideal. A new exhibition, conceptualised by Piero Chiefa, opens at the Boutwell Draper Gallery in Sydney.

A new collection of miniature works from silversmith and goldsmith
Dougal Halsem will be on show at the new Pieces of Eight CBD Gallery in
Melbourne with his first exhibition – The Turtle and the Merman.

The Object Gallery once again gives Sydneysiders a look beyond the
curtain of its creative community with this exhibition by &Company.

Art Month Sydney is back again in 2011, bringing Sydney’s Art out of the
shadows and inviting the art-inspired to join in the fun.

Tasmania explores ‘Island Culture’, welcoming artists from across the globe to their international arts event in 2011.

Get along to the Terrace Outdoor Living Pop-up shop in Sydney’s Woollahra for everything you need to enjoy summer.

Habitusliving.com Editor Ben Morgan gets into the Christmas spirit with the Surry Hills Christmas window display competition.

A new exhibition of drawings by Catherine O’Donnell explores after-hours suburbia at The Boutwell Draper Gallery in Sydney’s Redfern.

A new exhibition at the Sydney Euroluce Light Studio celebrating 50 years of Italian seating opened last week.



Emerging Australian design gets shopping with the latest addition to Sydney’s Hill Street Design Precinct.

Art Sydney returns in 2010 with over 80 galleries and the work of over 800 artists on display.

Alexander Lotersztain builds Haus at Unlimited: Designing for the Asia Pacific.


Join passionate and influential advocates of food and design at the inaugural Unlimited Asia Pacific event in Brisbane.



The Finders Keepers markets take over Gaffa’s The Arcade Project.

A new
exhibition on at Queensland’s University of Technology (QUT) Art Museum is a
showcase of Japanese pop culture, known as j-pop, traditions and design playing
muse to today’s artists.

“We’ve done the hunting, you do the collecting.” Anthony Caggiano
gets ready for another Bowerbird Bazaar.

Object will be leaving the gallery and venturing into
Sydney’s most creative art and design studios in spring.

Collette Swindells gives us the low-down on the Melbourne Art Fair – running from 4-8 August 2010.

Beyond architecture, photographer Simon Devitt displays a unique ability to capture ‘sense of place’. We speak to him about his latest exhibition.

Sydney street artists come together for disadvantaged youth in Western
Sydney.

How can a public space re-shape the consciousness of a community?
Desmond Freeman of Design Worldwide Partnership (dwp) in Sydney tells Nicky
Lobo about the experience.

Japanese brewer brings cutting edge design, art, fashion and photography
to Sydney and Melbourne. Nicky Lobo gets shirty with Asahi Silver + Black.

Collette Swindells visits an exhibition of iconic jewellery 125 years in
the making.

Win free art classes as Art Month Sydney continues in March.

Penthouse Mouse is a pop-up shop that transforms deserted spaces into a
temporary art and design hub. Alice Blackwood takes us there.

We take a
moment to talk to Sarah King who is curating
a new exhibition, the Australian Design Museum Show, at Shapiro in Sydney’s
Woollahra beginning this February.

Experience the beauty of Sydney in summer and some of the country’s
best voices and musicians at the Celebrate Australia concert.

Art emerges from the shadows at Art Month Sydney 2010.

Thailand’s famous floating markets have roots in the country’s history and today, continue to attract a flock of locals and tourists.
 

Do Androids dream of Electric Sheep?  A series of artworks by 20 artists inspired by the Ridley Scott film, Blade Runner.

A retrospective of the work of Easton Pearson is on at Brisbane’s GoMA

Japanese artist Tatzu Nishi helps us to look again at public space with his latest installation in Sydney