Author: Adam Nobel

After 13 rate hikes and more than four years, borrowers rejoiced this week when the Reserve Bank of Australia opted to lower the official cash rate to 4.10%, for the first time in four years. The move was widely anticipated,…

It might look like a barn surrounded by rice paddies, asparagus fields and irrigation channels, but House W in Hokkaido is an absolute powerhouse – in fact, it generates more energy than it consumes, even when snowed in through winter.…

Lending to home investors dropped away in the final months of 2024, according to data released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The latest figures show that the number of new investment loans for dwellings fell in…

Houseplants are becoming increasingly popular again, not only because they look great, but for their capacity to clear the air in our homes. But what if your home doesn’t have abundant natural light? We look at some plant species that…

Decades of poor performance in the housing construction sector have restricted the supply of new homes and contributed to increasingly unaffordable housing, research from the Productivity Commission (PC) has revealed. A new report, ‘Housing construction productivity: Can we fix it?’,…

Italian designer Marco Campardo has released a new series in his Jello line of furniture made from fibreglass resin that’s coloured and polished to a finish so glossy, it looks like jelly. The new series includes a butter-yellow console, a…

Muted colours and calming, softer hues will be the dominant trend in Australian homes this year, according to the Dulux Colour Forecast 2025. Dulux predicts that rich burgundies and wine hues will become more prominent throughout residential interior design, alongside…

Home values barely moved in January, new data shows. The latest figures from Corelogic show that national dwelling values held steady in January, falling by just 0.03%. Three of the eight capitals recorded a decline in home values in January,…

Australia leads the world in the installation of solar systems, but what happens to the panels when they invariably reach end-of-life? According to the Australian Photovoltaic Institute, in September 2024 there were over 3.92 million PV installations in Australia, with…

Just in case you have forgotten (or missed all the signs!), this Friday is Valentine’s Day. Instead of those ridiculously-priced roses or chocolates, why not give your loved one a unique, lasting gift this year? Here are some ideas for…