There is something absolutely extraordinary about handing over the guidance of a magazine to a Guest Editor. What started as a bit of an experiment has exploded, with designers truly embracing the idea of the magazine as a vehicle to speak directly to their peers, champion their favourites and introduce new faces to the scene. Moreover, it means that every issue is completely different, with the Guest Editors selected not just for their body of work (which is always brilliant) but also for their eye and engagement with the industry.
It takes an extraordinary designer to have the generosity of spirit to take on a guest editorship, and we are absolutely gobsmacked by the engagement and fun that has gone into making this series astounding.
The first in the series of six highly collectable issues of Habitus Magazine saw the incredible Sarah-Jane Pyke of Arent&Pyke, AKA the queens of the kitchen space, take to the magazine with her signature abounding energy. As the Kitchen and Bathroom issue, the pairing could not have been better. She is amazing, and her thoughts and insights into kitchen design could not have been sharper or more generous.
Sarah-Jane’s role extended across all aspects of the magazine, from selection of projects to kitchen and bathroom features and of course profiles, where she selected three fabulous people: Luke Moloney, Christopher Boots and Sophie Travers from the Australian Tapestry workshop. The projects she selected were also fabulous, with highlights from SJB, Greg Natale, Technē, MAGArchitects, Kennedy Nolan and more. A truly outstanding issue of Habitus and the first of the six collectables – we could not be off to a better start!
The second issue of the series sees Habitus through the gaze of the indomitable David Flack as he takes on the theme of Vintage Modern. Generous again, the flavour is completely his own, but never of the same note. The latest Aesop in Paris by Jakob Sprenger, for example, was top of his picks, alongside the incredible work of Uchtonia. The two design houses could not be more different, yet there is a clarity of vision across both practices that make them the perfect choice for David, who selected projects, profiles and Lightbox with absolute certainty. Effectively Habitus 61, the second of the series of six is an extended remix of Flack and friends.
Thematically, David has always used a combination of vintage and licensed icons, and his insights into this realm are extraordinary. We also have features on some incredibly diverse projects, from the Fritz Hansen Phenomena in Seoul to the thinking behind buying a Robin Boyd house and going all out Mid-Century. Our feature will be the first time this incredible house has been seen in print, and it will be open to the public for the first time this Melbourne Open House.
This is also the much anticipated Habitus House of The Year issue, with 20 exemplar projects from across the Asia Pacific region highlighted. Truly remarkable in so many ways, we are looking at dwellings across everything from palatial manners to city boltholes. So many good projects!
Each of the six Guest Editors will be announced as the issue date nears, but needless to say we have some incredible design minds lined up – including the totally fabulous Yasmine Ghoniem from YSG.
Our issue themes will range across sustainability, living with the environment, Kitchen and Bathroom (always brilliant – always out in June) and future living. Each issue will have a Guest Editor who speaks to the theme from a holistic perspective, truly embedding their own particular flavour in the issue. It’s going to be thought provoking, interesting, sometimes a challenge to our expectations of what Habitus should be. In that same vein, however, Habitus has always been ahead of the curve; with the Guest Editors, we are just pushing it a little further along.
Six issues, infinite inspiration. Order your copy of Habitus #60 now.
