Brutalist Lighting, French Steak Knives and More Homewares We’re Eyeing in June

Dark nights are officially here, and we’re decorating accordingly. This month the team is embracing lighting that makes a statement: chainmail lamps, perforated totems and lattice wall sconces that cast as much shadow as glow. For softer flickers, candles and incense make a pleasing choice.

Melbourne Design Week has left its mark too; from Tom Fereday’s sculptural desk and Sean Brickhill’s footwear-inspired stool to eclectic designs by 1000 Realms and Adam Cornish, our standards have been irreversibly raised.

Over in the kitchen, the all-chrome fantasy continues: stainless steel bowls, titanium cutting boards and reusable ice cubes all make the list. But that’s just the start. Here’s everything the Broadsheet team is shopping this June.

Camille Repellin, group sales and partnerships manager

My age – or was it two chardonnays at Clam Bar? – sent me down a steak knife rabbit hole yesterday. Either way I ended up buying the same ones on the table, Atelier Perceval’s 9.47, handmade in France. The kind of thing you buy once or hope to be gifted.

In the living room, Cultiver’s Rolfes throw is sitting high on my wishlist and R&D’s coupes have also been on my radar for a while: wine or Martini, pick your poison. To complete the setup, I’m investing in art, starting with a favourite. Baden Croft is a Mornington Peninsula artist I grew up with, and his work adds colour and depth exactly where you didn’t know you needed it.

If you haven’t been into Provider Store in Surry Hills lately, it’s worth it. The Gifu candle is hand-poured into a ceramic cup you can keep once the wax is burnt through – mine have become coffee mugs, collected over time for that mix-and-match look.

James Williams, creative solutions manager

Melbourne Design Week has suddenly raised my standards for home design. I was pretty inspired by Sean Brickhill (I want his Stiletto stool) and Tom Fereday (specifically the Cove desk). But my focus right now is cooking – it’s well and truly soup season, my favourite. Alongside baby whisks, steel bowls are one of my kitchen MVPs, and Sori Yanagi’s stainless steel bowl is nice enough to serve in (available with a matching strainer). The perforated tongs will come in handy too.

I’m fantasising about an all-steel kitchen, which has led me to Sophie Lou Jacobsen’s Squiggle pitcher and Gohar World’s dessert coupes, which are curvy, metallic and adorable. I’m also eyeing Everti’s titanium cutting board. I cannot eat one more apple that tastes like yesterday’s garlic thanks to a porous wooden board, but I’m worried the metal-on-metal will be hard on my knives and my ears. Should I embrace modernity or stick with tradition?

Simone Richardson, shopping editor

Chains are on my mind. Not the Rihanna kind but brutalist decor, specifically in lighting form. Wretched Flowers has my heart, with singular designs that mix medieval chainmail with artful beading. (The US brand actually made its fashion debut with Christopher Esber at Paris Fashion Week last year.) Closer to home, 1000 Realms, which just showed at Melbourne Design Week, creates a filtered glow through threads of steel. Both very much dream pieces.

With lighting sorted, I’m keen to glamorise winter nights in. This weighty cashmere blend blanket carries a Bauhaus-inspired design I’ll cocoon in now and love forever. Scent comes courtesy of Henry Wilson’s latest design – a solo follow-up to his beloved Aesop collaboration. To light it, I’ll strike a flame with Cillie’s marble matchbook, etched with Sydney artist Anna Munro’s work. And in pursuit of beauty sleep, I’ll seal the vibe with a slather of TWYG’s new overnight mask.

Gabriella Dolfo, sales and partnerships manager

Every few months I feel the need to switch things up – rearranging my bedroom, moving furniture from one corner to another. Even the smallest changes bring that little dopamine hit. The latest itch? A new rug. I’ve had my eye on this one for a while, and the fact it’s on sale feels like a sign. Naturally, a new rug calls for a matching vase and the Nugget vase by Gaetano Pesce feels like the perfect pairing. There’s no such thing as too many bedroom lamps, so when I came across this lattice wall sconce, I immediately fell in love.

Having just turned 30, my concern for unfiltered water has become very real, especially living in an old terrace house. My solution is Kyn & Folk’s ceramic water filter: practical, but beautiful enough to leave on the bench. The filtered water can go straight into Justine Menard’s wineglasses – or, more realistically, wine will (any excuse to tote this chic bottle bag around). Finally, my spoon rest recently broke and I’ve been using a plate in its place, which just doesn’t feel right – Le Creuset’s design would sit perfectly beside the new filter.

Emmanuelle Lee, social media coordinator

Having recently settled into a new home, I’ve been thinking more about forever pieces. First up, this handpainted Suku Home sheet set with its polka dot print I’ll never tire of. To christen them, I’ll be dressed in Resting’s pointelle nightie while burning the Corey Ashford incense that transports me straight to Paris, buttery croissant in tow.

Next, lighting. A piece that caught my eye at Melbourne Design Week was this lamp by Adam Cornish of Oigall Projects, a perforated stainless steel totem that creates the most incredible light and shadow. Firmly in the wishful-thinking price bracket, but I’m obsessed nonetheless.

Keeping to the dotted theme, the Clammy towel kit has motivated me to attend Pilates – or at least made the post-class sweat feel a little chicer. For home, I’m sticking to block colours and can’t look past Tekla’s brown terry set. (Truthfully, I’d take the entire range.)

And finally, I’m loving these stainless steel ice cubes. Unnecessary? Probably. Do I adore them anyway? Absolutely.

Gitika Garg, assistant editor – art, design and style

I seriously need to replace my sofa blanket – it’s gone fuzzy past the point of rescue, even with a fabric shaver. Saarde’s merino wool throw is on the horizon. While I’m leaning into a cosy living room reset, I’ve got MCM House’s new Leni unit on the wishlist. It reminds me of a pared-back version of USM’s cult drawers, minus the hefty price tag. I’m also eyeing this deep plum-coloured rug to bring some warmth and colour into the space.

The start of winter officially marks candle season. I like to keep one burning on my desk while working and another in the kitchen. Right now, it’s Tsu Lang Yor’s TLY 5755 – a warm, woody blend of Tasmanian mountain pepper and Australian sandalwood.

But if we’re really talking about wishlist items, one day there’s a world in which Tom Fereday’s monolithic Cor lights in aluminium and travertine shine bright in my home. A dream investment piece.

Holly Bodeker Smith, newsletter editor

With darker mornings officially here, my willpower to leave bed is at an all-time low. To embrace the hibernation, I’ve just upgraded my sheets to a moody forest green set from Bonny. For chilly winter nights, I’m dreaming of Citta’s new robe (a total sucker for seersucker), and I’ve got my eye on Toast’s patchwork bedspread and cushion cover to layer on the texture. For the brutal moments when I actually have to get up, this sleek alarm clock will hopefully soften the blow. Finally, I have a mother-in-law plant that’s been sitting lonely in its plastic nursery tub for far too long – it might be time to order this beautiful metal planter.

Evie Baker, photo editor

I’m constantly searching for home scents with a long linger time and the Dedcool incense range comes highly recommended. I’ll house it alongside my jewellery in Ellison Studios’ collab dish with Mejuri, a convenient two-in-one that happens to look chic on a bedside table. Also burning bright on my radar, Tinned Candle, which is sure to get the dinner table talking.

Now that it’s dark and cold, I’m looking for lighting updates too. This mushroom lamp is such a chic colour and will definitely bring some warmth to the space, though I’m tossing up between this and Stupid Engineering’s Cowboy lamp as soon as it’s restocked.

And for when I (reluctantly) venture out of my hibernation cave, my Pilates routine just got a whole lot cooler with Clammy’s stripe towel.

Meg Nolan, social media performance executive

I’ve decided it’s finally time to commit to a record player. After (minimal) research, I’ve narrowed it down to Sony and Audio Technica – any advice is welcome. I’ve already started collecting vinyl and will be celebrating my new purchase by adding The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, some Kanye (I know, don’t cancel me) and The Best of Aretha Franklin, of course.

To set the table, I’m finally committing to Soos Atelier’s glass set, which has been haunting my Instagram feed. I’ll also be investing in a set of stainless steel chopsticks for when a fork just won’t do.

In a dream world I’d also be adding this incredible water jug to the kitchen bench, and cosy green bedding to stave off the winter chill. One day.