EAT

Bloodwood
416 King St.
Newton
www.bloodwoodnewtown.com

Located in a Sydney suburb, this brand-new restaurant, which serves seasonal, modern Australian cuisine, was designed with a focus on recycled and reclaimed materials—every chair, for instance, is said to have had previous life—but that doesn’t make its design any less impeccable, only more ethical. Industrial finishes like exposed brick and overhead vents meet modern touches, particularly in the eclectic lighting. While the décor is fascinating, don’t forget to pay some attention to your food, which richly deserves it.

SLEEP

The Limes Hotel
142 Constance Street, Fortitude Valley
Brisbane
www.limeshotel.com.au

There’s no shortage of cutting-edge hotels in Sydney—the Medusa, for instance, or BLUE Sydney—but in Brisbane, the Limes Hotel is one of a kind. You could spend an hour just admiring its façade, with its rounded geometric cutouts, not unlike sea-smoothed stones, offering glimpses into the glowing rooms within. The inside is no less intriguing. Designed by Alexander Lotersztain, the focus is less on five-star accoutrements than the efficient use of space, catering to the design-conscious, “semi-nomad” traveler. No hotel in Australia melds form with function so effectively.

SHOP

Victor Churchill Fine Family Butcher
132 Queen St.
Woollahra, NSW
www.victorchurchill.com

We know what you’re thinking: a butcher shop? But this one, designed by Dreamtime Australia Design and located in a Sydney suburb, is unlike any you’ve ever seen—and much, much cleaner. Winner of the top prize at this year’s Interior Design Awards in Australia, the shop is, in the jury’s words, a “dramatic juxtaposition of old-world production and contemporary theatre.” The butcher works behind a floor-to-ceiling glass wall, while the cuts of meat are themselves museum pieces, displayed in glass cases. Of course, this being a butcher shop, you can take the edible art home with you.

Dinosaur Designs
562 Chapel Street South
Yarra, Melbourne
www.dinosaurdesigns.com.au

Dinosaur Designs, which also has two locations in Sydney, made its name by experimenting with polyester resin to create uniquely shaped jewelry that sometimes resembles colored fossils. While that remains a strong component of their collections—which go by names like “Moon,” “Sun,” and “Antarctic”—they have branched out into housewares that are no less peculiar or exuberant in design. To walk into one of their stores is to see ancient forms reincarnated in wildly colorful modern designs.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

SEE

Powerhouse Museum
500 Harris Street
Haymarket, Sydney
www.powerhousemuseum.com

Powerhouse might be famous for its science exhibitions, but it’s equally dedicated to preserving and showcasing the best in design, both past and present. Whatever’s on display when you stop by is certain to be equally compelling, as Powerhouse lives up to its name.


The Glasshouse
Corner of Clarence and Hay Streets
Port Macqaurie, NSW
www.glasshouse.org.au

Completed last year by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer, you could visit just to stroll its rotating art exhibitions, but to gain a full appreciation of its architectural vision, take in a performance in the gorgeous, and acoustically state-of-art, etched-wood auditorium.


Shapiro Auctioneers
162 Queen St.
Woollahra, NSW
www.shapiroauctioneers.com.au

Shapiro is part auctioneer, part art gallery, with a sizeable catalogue of design pieces that range from a fin-de-siècle hardwood sideboard to a Venini glass charger from 2002. Upcoming auctions include “Australian and International Studio Ceramics” and “Vintage Couture.” If such items are a little out of your price range—and they may well be, once you consider international shipping—you’ll still find plenty to see in their galleries, which sometimes host exhibitions of work by the country’s most iconic designers.