It's been a little while since my last newsletter, and the past few months haven't quite gone to plan…

Since March, I've been fortunate enough to attend Salone del Mobile in Milan, visit the Carrara Marble Quarries, tour Polytec's manufacturing facilities in NSW and spend a few days at the Sydney Design Show. It was an incredible opportunity to step away from the day-to-day and immerse myself in design, manufacturing and innovation from around the world.

Returning from Italy, life took an unexpected turn when I travelled to Canberra to help care for my beautiful Nan during her final weeks. We said goodbye to her at the end of May. As many of you would understand, returning to normal life afterwards wasn't something that happened overnight, and much of the past few weeks has been spent navigating grief, catching up on projects and slowly finding my way back into a rhythm that feels sustainable again.

I want to thank each of you who has reached out during this time. Your kindness, patience and support have meant more than you know.

In the studio, projects are beginning to regain momentum and I've returned home with plenty of ideas, observations and inspiration to bring into future projects.

One of the things that struck me most during my travels was a growing focus on creating homes that feel more personal, more connected and more reflective of the people who live in them. Spaces that support the way we live, rather than simply looking good on paper.

This month, I wanted to share some of the biggest design themes I saw across Milan and Sydney, and what they might mean for homeowners here in Tasmania.

Read more on the blog: Planning a New Home or Renovation? Here's What I'm Seeing in Design Right Now

One of the highlights this month was being invited to tour Polytec's manufacturing facilities in NSW. As designers, we often specify products every day without seeing the full journey from raw material to finished panel.

Walking through the manufacturing process gave me a greater appreciation for the level of technology, quality control and innovation involved in creating the products that end up in Tasmanian homes.

There's something incredibly valuable about understanding how things are made. It helps me make more informed design decisions, ask better questions and ultimately provide better advice to my clients.

Visiting the Carrara Marble Quarries in Italy was an incredible experience.

Standing amongst these enormous mountains of marble was awe-inspiring, but it also left me thinking about the broader conversation around materials and sustainability, and the complexities surrounding their extraction.

Natural stone is a finite resource. The surrounding mountains are environmentally protected, with only a small percentage of the stone able to be extracted. Quarrying, transportation and processing all come with environmental impacts and a carbon footprint that shouldn't be ignored.

At the same time, natural stone is an exceptionally durable material that can last for generations when used well.

Sustainability is rarely black and white. Every material comes with trade-offs. The challenge is understanding those trade-offs and making informed decisions based on longevity, durability, maintenance, environmental impact and how a product will be used over its lifetime.

Visiting Carrara provided valuable perspective on where these materials come from and reinforced the importance of thoughtful material selection in every project.