Hedge and Arbour House

Studio Bright's Hedge and Arbour House reframes suburban living, blending Australian architecture and landscape into a layered, low-impact dialogue with Melbourne’s bushland edge.

The project occupies a suburban plot that opens toward a stretch of native bushland, pushing the brief beyond the typical aspirations of residential architecture. Here, the threshold between suburb and wild becomes the core conceptual engine—rendered not as a clash, but a carefully choreographed reconciliation.

The house itself is arranged as a quiet procession of architectural and horticultural layers: from the sculptural front hedge acting as a vegetal façade, to a walled garden, and then the arbour—a skeletal screen softened by climbing vines. These elements don’t merely articulate spatial boundaries, they function as climatic mediators and narrative devices. The structure slips into the terrain rather than asserting itself over it, draping down the site’s western fall in a gesture of deference.

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The Philosophy of Growing

Every fortnight, Ikuko Suzuki writes an email detailing the fruit and vegetables which she and her husband, Robin Williams, are harvesting that week.

It’s an inventory of what the season and NamaYasai, their East Sussex farm, are conspiring to produce at a given time, but Ikuko’s words – sparse, but peppered with sporadic details – read like poetry. Toast recently visited the farm and documented it in this beautiful photo essay.

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JunAle

Sashiko is a traditional Japanese stitching technique that dates back to the Kamakura to Edo periods. Originating in the cold northern regions, it was developed as a method to layer and reinforce fabric for insulation and durability.

The resulting textiles, known as boro, were not only functional but also cherished heirlooms, passed down through generations. Initially focused on practical purposes like warmth, repair, and reinforcement, sashiko gradually evolved to incorporate decorative elements as fabric became more accessible.

JunAle reimagines the timeless craft of sashiko through a contemporary lens, creating bespoke sneakers that transcend mere functionality to become wearable works of art. Each delicate stitch, crafted by hand, carries the weight of history and the soul of the maker. Designed to tell your unique story, these one-of-a-kind sneakers are a true expression of individuality.

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Community Corner Garden

In the south-east corner of the Shou’er Community in Shanghai, where weeds and makeshift racks for drying laundry once sprawled, a new collective space by studio VIASCAPE now opens up.

With a surface area of 360 square metres, the Corner Garden fits into one of the triangular voids generated by the particular geometry of the neighbourhood, becoming part of the broader Hudong Experiment – an initiative carried out with the local district office to re-evaluate public spaces in residential neighbourhoods. The project responds to concrete needs of the inhabitants, which emerged during the listening and field research phase. In particular, the request to maintain – and indeed enhance – the presence of clotheslines was central. In many Chinese communities, the space for drying clothes is not only a functional necessity, but also a daily ritual, a domestic scene facing the public space. VIASCAPE has transformed these structures into a primary architectural element: a triangular white gallery, integrated into the boundary wall, serves as a clothesline but also as a structure that defines and orders the space.

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What to do with all your courgettes?

Vegan fritters!

• Grate courgettes and put in a bowl with good pinch of salt and leave for 30 mins

• Squeeze out moisture
  Add 2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed

• Chopped mint or other herbs

• Tin of mashed chickpeas

• Tablespoon of chickpea flour

• Couple of teaspoons of nutritional yeast

• Dash of olive oil and a bit more salt and pepper

• Smoosh it all up with hands and make patties

• Roll each patty in breadcrumbs

• Fry on each side for about 5 mins in olive oil

• Service with vegan mayo and kimchi (blend with stick blender)

• And roasted cavalero nero