Art Deco Picks, Double’s Collab With Zouzou Rugs and More Homewares on Our Wishlist

Spring cleaning was a top priority last month. Now that everything’s sufficiently spruced, the team is getting intentional about what goes back on the shelves – and the picks are proudly local.

Melbourne designer Julian Leigh May’s aluminium cigarette holder and an impossibly chic jewellery box by Sydney-New York label Erede are the kind of pieces that earn a permanent spot on display. Bigger statements sit beside them, from Thomas Guida’s updated aluminium shelves, landing at Oigall Projects this week, to Nicole Lawrence’s Melbourne-made textural woven room divider.

The collaborations this month are local too. Double teams up with art deco-inspired textile label Zouzou Rugs, while Troye Sivan-founded homewares label Tsu Lange Yor joins forces with Gentle Habits on a new incense worth burning. But that’s just the start. Here’s everything the team is shopping this October.

Gitika Garg, assistant editor – art, design and style

I’m experiencing something of a purple renaissance. I loved the colour growing up, but haven’t given it much thought since. Now, I want deep eggplant shades filling my wardrobe and, increasingly, my home, too. First up is this 100 per cent cotton duvet from Sheet Society. I already have a set of sheets from the brand and can confirm they’re every bit as buttery soft as they look.

A Rimowa suitcase has long been on my wishlist. I can’t quite justify the splurge, but this Oroton carry-on is a close second – lighter on both the wallet and the luggage scale. I’m not sure where I’m jetting off to just yet, but I have visions of lounging on a sunbed like this two-tone, mid-century modern beauty from Jardan’s new outdoor collection. The contrast between the woven strap detailing and sandy, textured fabric is just right. The one thing I could do without on holiday? The mountain of laundry waiting when I get home. This Joseph Joseph laundry basket has been on my radar, with dual compartments for separating lights and darks and removable tote bags that can be carried straight to the washing machine. 

I’ve long been a fan of Thomas Guida’s Beautifully Basic aluminium shelf, and the Melbourne-based furniture designer’s latest collection lands this week at Gertrude Street gallery Oigall Projects. His signature design gets a colourful update with new shelf options, alongside a series of industrial, disc-like lights that sit somewhere between retro and futuristic. I’d style one on the shelf alongside these Brutalist stainless steel candle holders.

Simone Richardson, shopping editor

Art deco is my algorithm’s latest love affair. Geometric motifs, walnut finishes and high-shine metals are the plentiful meal, and me the keen devourer. Small homewares inject the feel of the jazz age into a space, and are best found at the op shop or from small-batch makers whose pieces outlast the trend cycle entirely.

Cool-toned metal shows up a lot. A vintage bloom-shaped mirror, a clutch of antique metallic handles, a mirrored hip flask (hello summer park sips!), and an understated jewellery box by Sydney and New York based jeweller Erede are all in the running.

I’m straying from metal for two pieces, though. Nicole Lawrence’s meticulously woven room divider, made in Melbourne, is what dreams are made of, and McMullin’s natural cane chair promises to add personality to a room on materiality alone. Rounding out the list is the inaugural issue of Persona magazine. It mightn’t immediately scream art deco, but it’s solely dedicated to fashion designer Bella Freud, whose home is the epitome of the resurgent aesthetic.

Scott Renton, Hot List editor

I love my Moccamaster dearly, but I’d be lying if I said I haven’t had my eye on one of Xbloom’s Studio coffee machines for a while. A scale, grinder and brewer all-in-one is super handy, and the digital display has a sci-fi appeal about it that I love. Speaking of science fiction, this new floor lamp reminds me of the ships from War of The Worlds. I used to have nightmares about them as a kid, but I can’t stop dreaming about how good the lamp would look in my living room.

Picnic season is well and truly here, and my Bluetooth speaker is on its last legs. It’s a good enough excuse to upgrade to a portable Sonos, and orange seems like it’d be hard to lose in the grass. It’s probably time to stop sitting on the towel I keep in my car boot, though, and invest in a waterproof padded rug. I also love these grown-up silly straws and can’t pass up an opportunity to mention them.

Steph Vigilante, head of social

I’ve recently returned from a trip to Europe (yes, another one) and my head is full of sleek design inspiration and a newfound obsession with elevating the everyday routine. These playful mugs by local ceramicist Ruby Jean Whitehead are stocked at one of my favourite Melbourne cafes, Sunhands, and make for a great housewarming gift. On the topic of functional art, I spent my childhood being dragged around homewares stores on the hunt for Alessi pieces. This stainless steel teapot has taken pride of place in my parents’ kitchen for as long as I can remember. And now I finally get the hype: the iconic Italian design house turns everyday objects into sculptural statement pieces – which is precisely why I need this absurdly chic, giant cheese grater for the lunch table.

Setting that table with personality is an art form, and Bavarian couple Sissi Pohle and Pat Scherzer have nailed it with Out of Use Berlin. Their curated online treasure trove of vintage and antique wares is dangerously easy to get lost in for hours, but it’s these delightfully ornate knives that I need. I also recently picked up photographer Mark Abegg de Boucherville’s stunning leather-bound book documenting fashion models out for lunch in Paris. It presents like a traditional bistro menu and is the exact kind of piece every coffee table needs. Finally, I’m on a forever hunt for a forever couch, and this deeply padded, architectural, modular piece ticks every single box. Until I save up enough pennies, it’s sitting pretty right at the top of my wishlist.

Emmanuelle Lee, social media coordinator

Judging by this month’s wishlist, you’d think I was a chain-smoker, but it’s actually just a weakness for accessories. I discovered Julian Leigh May at Ma House Supply Store during Design Week and have been impatiently waiting for him to release more of his aluminium cigarette holders. Sophie Lou Jacobsen’s glass tray, inspired by 1980s Italian disco interiors, would sit perfectly alongside it, as would this silver heart-shaped Vivienne Westwood lighter I’ve wanted for years.

I’m always drawn to things that remind me of the sea, which might explain why I have my eye on this gold-plated brass bottle opener. It looks a bit like a seahorse to me. Keeping with the gold theme, I’d add Acne Paper’s twentieth-anniversary issue, Golden, to my coffee table for its mix of fashion stories, art and essays. The piece I’ve thought about most lately, though, is a painting by Melbourne artist Billy Gibney. I saw the work at Oigall Projects recently and keep coming back to it.

Gabriella Dolfo, sales and partnerships manager

A bedroom refresh has been on my mind, and my mood board is working overtime. Bed sheets are always the first thing to change, and my all-white set isn’t cutting it anymore. The Cultiver duvet cover in Bluestone is pretty much my perfect shade of blue, and a Ferm Living twill bolster cushion would complete the look. Adding to that is Ellison Studios’ room divider. Do I need it? No. Have I fallen in love with it? Absolutely.

More storage is always welcome, and the shelving I picked up on Facebook Marketplace five years ago has had its day. Mugu does coloured and chrome storage better than anyone, and the blue panel shelves have my name on them. To soften all that chrome, Lana Launay’s USO floor lamp is the answer – handmade and pretty perfect. And if this whole colour palette had a scent, Leif’s Buddha Wood candle would be it.

Maggie Zhou, fashion editor-at-large

Making the most of the warmer weather means I’m getting my daily steps up. On one of my recent strolls, I swung by Rachel Donath’s new store and fell in love with its quirky Flower table and Flower chair. So darling! I’m also pencilling in more market trips for my grocery shops. A handy and sleek Joyrolla trolley will be a helpful companion. 

My much-loved picnic blanket has seen better days. Hommey’s new picnic blanket is calling to me. I can feel its squishiness through the screen. Plus, I’ve depended on my friends with pizza ovens for far too long. Is it time to get my own Gozney Arc? 

Inside, warm colour palettes are still doing it for me, like the Lygia Deep Wine Fine Cut Pile rug from Double Studio and Zouzou Rugs’ collaboration, and Bonnie and Neil’s striped linen cushion and Grain Hazelnut cushion.

Evie Baker, photo editor

Tsu Lange Yor never fails when it comes to coffee-table aesthetics, and the label’s new collab incense with Gentle Habits is no exception. I can’t wait to pair it with the sculptural holder, and style it alongside Arent & Pyke’s design title – the kind of book worth leaving out and actually reading on a slow Sunday morning.

Animal print is also having a moment in my world, and Double Studio’s Wander Sienna rug feels like just the right balance of bold and neutral. Akua Objects’ drinking glass takes a different kind of design approach to animals, with galloping horses and a nostalgic charm I keep coming back to. I’m imagining it on my nightstand.

In the kitchen, my old kettle is looking tired, and this teal Breville option is a fun upgrade. And as no wishlist of mine is complete without a candle, Diptyque’s new Le Soir candle would make the perfect scent to enjoy alongside a cup from my new brewing device.

Dan Cunningham, features editor

I recently, painfully, moved house and it’s high time for a rug refresh. Deco Rug is offering up to 50 per cent off selected designs right now, including this fun jute rug I’ve got my eye on. But I’m eyeing off this washable number from Ruggable, too. Decisions, decisions. 

As well, I’ll need Lightly’s brass essence burner and Maison Balzac’s La Chapelle incense to help ward off all the evil spirits I dragged in from the old place. I also dragged in a bunch of pot plants and left them on the dining table to stain the wood for a few days, so I’m thinking about Citta’s striped tablecloth to cover up those (large) watermarks. Now let’s make this house a home!

Grace MacKenzie, Sydney food and drink editor

Do homewares include olive oil? For me, today, they do. I’m a long-time lover of Goldi’s smooth drop (and subscription model), and a new lover of the limited edition “super early” harvest. I’ll be pouring it over everything, while wishing I was chop-chopping with one of Virelle’s locally made small-batch Japanese knives. I also see my Sunday frittata getting dressed up in Lee Mathews’s beautiful new flan bag, made out of deadstock and designed with cook, food education pioneer and national treasure Stephanie Alexander. Elsewhere in the house, I’m dreaming of the ’70s: McMullin’s just-launched August floor mirror, from the new Silo collection, is top of my wishlist, as is Double Studio and Zouzou’s Sonia II, a vibey pile rug made out of New Zealand wool. The Gentle Habits x Tsu Lange Yor incense burning and coffee in a new Dennis Did It mug? Vibes to see out this cool snap.