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The Local Project

The Local Project •

Casa en Palmilla by Estudio Ignacio Urquiza Ana Paula de Alba

Shaped by sun, wind and landscape, Casa en Palmilla embraces passive cooling, native planting and the understated beauty of Baja California Sur. Long before a single wall went up, Casa en Palmilla was already being shaped – by wind patterns, by the arc of the sun over Baja California Sur and by a 50-year-old palo verde tree that had no intention of being ignored. Designed by Estudio Ignacio Urquiza Ana Paula de Alba, with furniture and decoration by Alejandra Usobiaga, the home is less an object placed on the land than a translation of it.
The Local Project •

Logan House by Di Bartolo Architects

This interplay between solidity and openness finds its clearest expression in the Logan rock formations that inspired the design – natural structures notable for their considerable mass, yet capable of balancing with surprising delicacy. The reference is evident in the home’s chiselled stone base and cantilevered upper form, which hovers above the sloping terrain rather than resting upon it.
Internally, the architectural language shifts markedly. Di Bartolo describes the interior as embracing “t...
The Local Project •

Stoked Opens its Sydney Showroom

It is a quiet but confident statement: these are pieces considered enough to be design objects, holding their own in a showroom setting just as they do in the high-end residences and resorts they already call home. The Stoked experience begins the moment you step through the door, long before a single drop of water is drawn. For architects, designers and homeowners alike, the showroom offers something a catalogue never could – the chance to run a hand along brushed, 316 marine-grade steel, to re...
The Local Project •

Rockpool House by Architecture Saville Isaacs

Nestled into a coastal hillside behind Avoca Beach, New South Wales, Rockpool House is conceived as a robust yet relaxed retreat for a multigenerational family. Designed by Architecture Saville Isaacs, this 478-square-metre residence unfolds across five cascading levels, balancing solidity and openness as it draws in the surrounding landscape. Located about 90 minutes north of Sydney in one of Avoca Beach’s most coveted pockets, the six-bedroom dwelling responds directly to its setting between bushland and ocean, reflecting the location’s laid-back atmosphere and strong sense of community. The project carries personal significance for the owners, whose longstanding connection to the area informed the brief and inspired the home’s name, a reference to the rockpool at the southern end of the beach.
The Local Project •

MyHomeware’s Elevated Online Bathroom and Kitchen Offering

This is where MyHomeware comes in. An Australian-owned online retailer, the business has built a sterling reputation among renovators, homeowners and trade professionals seeking quality tapware and fixtures for both bathrooms and kitchens – without a custom-build price tag. The approach is straightforward, with considered ranges of taps, basins, sinks, showers, vanities, mirrors, toilets, baths, shaving cabinets, tiles, flooring and accessories sold directly to the public online, bypassing the u...
The Local Project •

[Print] Loller Street Apartments by Telha Clarke and Mim Design

In Melbourne’s bayside suburb of Brighton, Loller Street Apartments presents a considered expression of contemporary coastal living. Designed by Telha Clarke with interiors by Mim Design, the boutique development comprises six residences informed by modernist principles, generous proportions and a restrained material palette. Together, these elements shape a collection of homes that feel quietly refined yet relaxed, responding equally to both their architectural framework and their seaside setting.
The Local Project •

[Print] Firma HQ by Cera Stribley

Set within Richmond’s evolving commercial zone, Firma HQ presents a confident rethinking of what a building company’s workplace can be. Designed by Cera Stribley for Firma Construction Group, the project is the result of a longstanding partnership where roles blur in the best possible way. Architect, client and builder operated in close alignment, allowing ideas to move fluidly from concept to construction with unusual clarity and conviction.
The Local Project •

[Print] Currawong Ridge by DFJ Architects

Perched on an east-facing plateau along a steep escarpment, Currawong Ridge in Coorabell, New South Wales, unfolds as a quietly considered response to its setting. Designed by DFJ Architects, the one-bedroom home embraces the surrounding rainforest and distant coastal views while maintaining a deliberate sense of restraint. Rather than asserting itself on the landscape, the project works with it — a careful composition of light, materials and landscape that privileges intimacy and adaptability over scale.
The Local Project •

Omada by Studio Gram

On a heritage streetscape in the city, a vivid blue door interrupts the sandstone and render like a single brushstroke of Aegean sky. It’s the first hint that something different awaits inside – and it’s entirely intentional. That door is the only overt reference to Greece visible at Omada, a restaurant built not on cultural cliché but on architectural conviction.
The brief was to create a contemporary Greek restaurant with genuine cultural resonance, without leaning on the visual shorthand so o...
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Gunn Ridge House by Kennedy Nolan

Set beside the Yarra River, Gunn Ridge House in Toorak is a defining example of the distinctly Australian modernism championed by Merchant Builders, the influential Melbourne project-home company that brought architect-designed living to the mainstream in the 1960s and ’70s. Originally designed by Graeme Gunn for Merchant Builders co-founder John Ridge, the home has been recently renovated and extended by Kennedy Nolan, whose intervention deftly balances restoration with reinvention.
The Local Project •

Hidden Valley by Richard Beard Architects

Set into the quiet, undulating landscape of Woodside, California, Hidden Valley presents as a measured response to place, memory and restraint. Designed by Richard Beard Architects and belonging to a Stanford professor whose deep appreciation for art, books and landscape informs every layer of its design, the 550-square-metre residence sits lightly within its rural setting, where mature oak trees, sloping terrain and distant views of the Santa Cruz Mountains shape both experience and intent. Approached from below the hill, the arrival is deliberately gradual. A large oak tree anchors the entry sequence, its presence preserved and subtly elevated through improved circulation. Low St. Helena stone site walls and bluestone pavers guide movement upward, composing a quiet procession toward an understated front entrance. There is no grand gesture here – only a calibrated humility that sets the tone for what follows.
The Local Project •

In Focus: Abey - Issue 21 Feature

If Italian design is often about elevating the everyday, FIMA Carlo Frattini makes a compelling case for starting with water. Now available in Australia exclusively through Abey Australia, the brand arrives with a curated offering that feels both considered and expansive. At its core are the established FIMA SO and FIMA FLÒ collections, which set the tone for the company’s approach to tapware: sculptural yet restrained, with an emphasis on proportion, tactility and detail.
The Local Project •

Currawong Ridge by DFJ Architects

Perched on an east-facing plateau along a steep escarpment, Currawong Ridge in Coorabell, New South Wales, is a quietly considered response to a rugged setting. Designed by DFJ Architects, the home settles gently into the surrounding rainforest, with vistas stretching across the valley to the ocean and the lighthouse beyond. The coastal site has been approached with restraint; rather than asserting itself on the landscape, the project works with it. It’s a careful composition of light, materials and planting that privileges intimacy and adaptability over scale.
The Local Project •

Treetop by Studio Kennon

This relationship to the site is expressed through two distinct architectural identities. From the street, the house appears restrained and protective, with a largely solid concrete facade that prioritises privacy. In contrast, the park-facing elevation opens dramatically towards the canopy. A sweeping curved wall of glazing captures views through the trees, while vertical timber louvres filter light and visually echo the surrounding trunks. Large sliding panels disappear entirely into concealed...
The Local Project •

Nacho Polo and Robert Onuska’s Tribeca Residence by Herzog & de Meuron and StudioTwentySeven

Designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron as a “villa in the sky”, the architecture provided a rigorous framework. Instead of disrupting it, Polo and Onuska leaned into its clarity. “We chose to work in dialogue with it, creating a living composition where architecture, collectible design and contemporary art continuously interact,” Onuska says. This sensibility is immediately evident upon entry, where the foyer establishes a gallery-like tone: measured, deliberate and immersive.
Light pla...
The Local Project •

Angel Dream by Clint Nicholas Design

In Holmby Hills – one of Los Angeles’s most storied enclaves, tucked between Beverly Hills and Bel Air – the echoes of old Hollywood still linger. Known as part of the ‘Platinum Triangle’, the neighbourhood is defined by sweeping estates, tall hedges and quiet, tree-lined streets. It is the setting for a sprawling residence by Clint Nicholas Design, where a postcard-like European air meets contemporary family living. “It has this very established, romantic character,” says interior designer Clint Nicholas. “Holmby Park just nearby gives it this gentle connection to nature that really shaped how the clients wanted to live.”
The Local Project •

Wybalena by Ziegler

Conceived as a legacy project, the four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom home was envisioned as a place of permanence – one that could evolve with its owner over time. “The intention was to create something enduring,” says Todd Miller of Ziegler. “A home that responds to both the landscape and the rhythms of family life.” Set on a two-hectare site just two kilometres from Byron Bay, the design captures the full sweep of its surroundings, framing sunrise and sunset as daily rituals embedded wit...
The Local Project •

Maharam Showroom by Neil Logan

Historic buildings often carry a past that is as significant, if not more so, than their present. Maharam’s new Manhattan outpost at 257 Park Avenue South in Gramercy Park is a compelling example. The multi-brand showroom is a contemporary reimagining of the historic space by local architect Neil Logan, who is celebrated for his ability to revitalise buildings while preserving their defining character. True to Maharam’s signature approach, the aesthetic is immediately apparent: a soaring gallery offers a vantage point over a large library of textiles and leather, while warm, earthy display units in Douglas fir and marine plywood counterbalance the materials’ softness. One wall is transfor...
The Local Project •

William White Emporium by Will Cooper

Long before the William White Emporium took physical form, it lived in Will Cooper’s imagination. Located at 325 Canal Street, the emporium is a wonderland of experiences offering a glimpse into Cooper’s childhood and, evidently, adult dreams. From garments and vintage curiosities to decadent espresso and freshly baked croissants, every corner brims with the brand’s whimsical spirit, where the unexpected feels effortlessly at home. Designed in a relaxed industrial-modern style, the space resembles a serene gallery: clean and white with shiplap walls and sleek metal racks displaying selections that rotate weekly to make room for new collaborators, objects and ideas.
The Local Project •

The Unearthed Collection by Caesarstone

There’s a certain romance to materials that feel discovered rather than designed, and The Unearthed Collection by Caesarstone leans into exactly that mood. It’s a range that steps away from overt polish and, instead, embraces something more grounded – surfaces that carry warmth, texture and a quiet sense of history. The palette moves through earthy tones and softened neutrals, offering a kind of understated richness that feels right at home in contemporary Australian interiors.
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