We announced some huge news just before the end of April – the 2018 INDE.Awards shortlist. I was incredibly impressed with the design talent across our region, and I want to give a massive thanks to the jury who worked their way through over 400 entries to get down to the shortlist. Now is the time to organise a trip to Singapore for the Gala Party, which will be in the amazing JW Marriot ballroom, South Beach (designed by Foster + Partners).

On a personal note, Habitus is turning 10. Over the years Habitus has successfully broken boundaries and brought unique content to an intelligent and considered audience. Looking back at its original purpose and meaning behind its name, Habitus is about all the pieces that make a community unique. Our intention was never to be mainstream, although people from all walks of life have rallied around our mission. In celebrating this milestone we’re excited to announce the launch of Habitus House of the Year, which encapsulates the unique work that we’ve championed from the region. Founding editor Paul McGillick is working on a special issue of the 25 most outstanding homes and then a world-leading panel will make the final decision. Keep your eyes out for more shortly.

Melbourne is becoming a bit of an epicentre for design, urbanism and debate. The guys behind MPavilion have announced another run of Living Cities Forum and Mirvac just hosted a talk on Future Cities. Part of that debate is sustainability and joining in on it is our sister publication, Architecture & Design, which opened its Sustainability Awards last week. What’s your take? How should the industry be responding? I think it will be an ongoing discussion. And other cities should also be joining in – Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney… 

Another initiative that’s all about stimulating honest discussion and debate, but in the commercial design sector, is FRONT. I was blown away by the kinds of things our ambassadors put forward at a recent meeting. It’s great to see that their approach to FRONT is as innovative as ours. FRONT will be covering all the essential knowledge for the industry (and even if you’re not a designer, don’t count yourself out of the discussion.) The team is currently working away furiously ahead of the August event, so stay tuned! And also welcome onboard to our rapidly growing list of participants.

I want to also reach out and thank Mia Feasey for a successful Sydney studio launch, what an awesome way to celebrate how far you’ve come.

I was on the jury for several award programs recently, including the Red Dot Design Awards, the Good Design Awards (winners out soon), and the Herman Miller Liveable Office Award, check out the list of winners now and see what’s happening in this space across APAC.

On a global scale, April was the month for the Salone in Milan. I hope you caught some of our on the ground reporting. Because of the fair, it feels like April is a time when design media comes into focus. There’s no denying the media landscape is always in a state of flux, we would love to get your thoughts on it and what you think is missing, drop us a line at editorialteam@indesign.com.au.

Next month we’ll be weighing on the Federal Budget announcement. In the meantime, keep yourself in the loop through our newsletter. Otherwise, you can send me a message anytime.