Australia sees the steepest surge in house prices in almost 18 years

April 30, 20211 min read

Australia’s house prices have experienced the steepest increase in almost 18 years surpassing record highs, with Sydney and Canberra taking the title as the cities enjoying the fastest quarterly acceleration on record.

The Domain House Price Report for the March 2021 quarter reveals property affordability is being pushed further out of reach for many desperate to get into the market, especially for houses.

The report also reveals capital cities have outperformed regional areas for the first time in over a year.

According to the report, the national median house price increased for the second consecutive quarter for the first time since 2009, adding another 5.7 per cent in the first three months of 2021 to reach a new record of $899,509.

“Record growth has mostly been driven by the record-low interest rates, improved household savings, low listing volumes, post-lockdown lifestyle changes, returning cashed-up ex-pats, government incentives, and soaring consumer sentiment,” … Read more

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3D textiles could "replace concrete and cement" in construction says Hella Jongerius

April 30, 20211 min read

New three-dimensional weaving technologies could revolutionise architecture and lead to lighter, more flexible buildings according to Dutch designer Hella Jongerius.

Computerised looms that can produce 3D fabrics could lead to a new type of “pliable architecture”, the designer said.

“Textile is the lightest and strongest construct that you can have,” she said. “So with this, we could replace concrete and cement in the building industry.”

3D woven bricks by Hella Jongerius — Jongerius has previously created a series of 3D-woven bricks

3D weaving is in its infancy but it has already been used to create medical implants from polyester and to form aircraft bodies from carbon fibres.

But the technology could be scaled up to create buildings, the designer argued.

Jongerius made the comments during a live Dezeen talk to mark the opening of her Woven Cosmos exhibition at Berlin’s Gropius Bau.

In the talk, broadcast live from the museum, the designer shared an early preview of … Read more

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Upcycled furniture ideas – 17 easy to do DIY revamps and repurposing projects

April 30, 20211 min read

There’s a revolution happening in the world of interiors! The movement is one of upcycled furniture ideas to reduce waste and create a more sustainable future. Whether you call it revamping; repurposing; reclaiming; reimagining or salvaging it doesn’t matter, it’s all upcycling – the process of giving old furniture a new lease of life.

So what exactly does upcycling mean? Who better to explains than the king of upcyclying himself, designer Max McMurdo. In his new book ‘Upcycling’ he explains, ‘The key part of the word ‘upcycling’ is UP – unlike recycling, which takes a material backwards in the chain to its original properties. Upcycling adds value to the item through clever design to make it more desirable, financially, aesthetically and emotionally.’

Browse our DIY and decorating channel for more expert advice

Upcycled furniture ideas

All it takes is a little imagination and a few simple tools to repurpose old … Read more

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A Space-Saving Courtyard That Makes Something From Nothing

April 30, 20211 min read

A Space-Saving Courtyard That Makes Something From Nothing

Gardens

by Sasha Gattermayr

Photo – Marnie Hawson.

Kathleen Murphy of KMLD took out the Landscape Design accolade at last year’s TDF + Laminex Design Awards for her own luscious country garden at her home in the Macedon Ranges. The site for this project was located in Woodend, approximately 9 kilometres from this award-winning location.

Though close in geography, Kathleen’s garden and the new Morris Street courtyard couldn’t be more different.

The sparse site consisted of one patch of dusty grass that stretched alongside the side of the house and a patchwork fence made from sections of timber

Consumer confidence and business conditions suggests its full steam ahead for the Australian economy

April 29, 2021April 29, 20211 min read

Will abandoning JobKeeper affect the Australian economy?

How quickly will Australia get tired of the real estate boom?

These questions were answered in a recent Oliver’s Insight, by Shane Oliver, Head of Investment Strategy and Chief Economist at AMP Capital.

Here’s what he said…

The good news bubbling beneath the headlines around Australia’s pace in its vaccination program for the past couple of weeks has been that despite the uncertainty, and the recent withdrawal of a number of fiscal stimulus programs (notably JobKeeper), economic indicators continue to tick along quite nicely.

When we discussed in March the importance of consumer confidence to the ongoing recovery, we may not have quite anticipated how astonishingly resilient it would be in its first month without JobKeeper as a safety net.

According to the Westpac-Melbourne Institute survey, consumer sentiment jumped by 6.2% in April to its highest level since August 2010, when the country … Read more