Opening this Saturday as the inaugural exhibition in AGSA’s new Winter Art Series, Monet to Matisse: Defying Tradition brings together more than a century of artistic innovation through an extraordinary collection of works from the Toledo Museum of Art (TMA) in Ohio.

From Monet’s luminous water lilies to van Gogh’s expressive haystacks, these iconic pieces of Western art are making a fantastic and highly anticipated Australian debut.

Andrea Gardener, TMA’s deputy director says, ‘Of the work featured in this exhibition, only Gauguin’s Street in Tahiti is returning for a second visit… So it’s a very special moment… this marks the first time that an entire exhibition of works from TNA has been featured in Australia.’

The line-up includes names that need no introduction. Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Paul Cézanne, Berthe Morisot, Edgar Degas, Piet Mondrian, Robert Rauschenberg and Helen Frankenthaler, all feature in the exhibition, which traces the remarkable evolution of modern art from the late 19th century into the 20th.

Rather than presenting these artists as isolated icons, Monet to Matisse reveals the conversations between generations of painters whose radical ideas challenged convention and reshaped the course of art history.

Erin Corralez-Diaz, TMA’s curator of American art says, ‘We’re seeing around 100 years [of art]. Moving from direct observations of the visible world to increasingly experimental ways of seeing and representing modern life.’

Visitors will journey through the emergence of Impressionism, before following the progression into Cubism, Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism — movements that transformed not only the way artists painted, but how audiences understood the world around them.

And, as AGSA’s assistant director, artistic & collection programs, Tansy Curtain, says, ‘These are truly magnificent works of art. It’s a moment to remind ourselves that we need to see the real thing… a digital image of a van Gogh is nothing like the real thing… There is a liveliness to these pieces that helps you connect to the artists and the making of those works.’

Art lovers and gallery-goers certainly agree, with the exhibition having already sold 11,000 tickets ahead of its opening this weekend.

Monet to Matisse is also complemented by a carefully selected group of works from AGSA’s own internationally significant collection, including paintings by Manet, Matisse, Picasso and Whistler, creating an engaging dialogue between the visiting masterpieces and the gallery’s permanent holdings.

For Jason Smith, director of AGSA, the exhibition represents a rare opportunity for Australian audiences to experience works that fundamentally changed the trajectory of art.

‘These are the innovators and trailblazers of their time,’ he says. ‘Their work defied traditions and their legacies continue to reverberate today.’

But the experience also extends beyond the gallery walls. From July 24, Friday nights will see the gallery transform into an elegant after-hours destination, complete with a dedicated champagne lounge serving Taittinger, French-inspired dining from AGSA_eat and a rotating program of live performances.

Families will also enjoy The Studio: Make an Impression, which offers a free immersive creative space designed in collaboration with South Australian artists Billie Justice Thomson and Arlon Hall, where visitors are invited to experiment with different artistic techniques and create their own take-home artwork.

The exhibition marks the beginning of AGSA’s new Winter Art Series, a four-year initiative developed in partnership with the South Australian Government and South Australian Tourism Commission. Running annually from 2026 to 2029, the program will bring major international exhibitions exclusively to Adelaide, so watch this space!

This Sorrento, Victoria site was previously occupied by a modest weatherboard dwelling that had fallen into disrepair.

Cognisant of this history and the existing character of the neighbourhood, the new owners called on Victoria Merrett Architects to design its successor with sensitivity.

The brief centred on creating a relaxed, enduring family home for an active household, including spaces for entertaining and long days spent between the beach and pool.

At the same time, the clients were clear in their desire to avoid overt coastal references or unnecessary excess, says Victoria Merrett, director of Victoria Merrett Architects. ‘The home was to feel calm, grounded, and timeless, with a strong connection to landscape balanced by a considered level of privacy from the street,’ she explains.

Drawing on ‘typical suburban architecture’ — forms and materials that feel familiar, but are carefully recalibrated through proportion, detailing, and placement — Victoria Merrett Architects designed a single-storey home informed by restraint.

The floor plan is organised as a controlled sequence, where the facade gives way to more expansive internal and garden spaces.

Immediately to the right on entry lies the main bedroom, extending to an enclosed and intimate front courtyard distinct from the open rear garden experience.

The primary living areas sit at the home’s centre, unified beneath a dramatic raking ceiling introducing volume and drawing natural light deep into the plan.

A secondary corridor, offset from the main entry axis and connecting to the remaining bedrooms, is treated as a spatial element rather than simple circulation, ‘Glazed along one side, it feels like a narrow sunroom overlooking the garden, softening movement through the house,’ says Victoria.

Exterior materials again speak to the context of the home, resulting in an intentionally light and restrained palette of Colorbond roofing, rendered recycled brickwork, and timber shiplap cladding.

A lowered building line, achieved by setting the house partially into the ground, allows for generous internal volumes, while maintaining a modest street presence.

A muted, natural colour interior palette reinforces the architects’ approach internally. Rather than referencing a singular style, small adjustments such as recessed openings, concealed gutters, and subtle shifts in level work in harmony to build inherent character. ‘There is also a focus on creating atmosphere through material presence and light, allowing texture and volume to define the experience of the interior,’ says Victoria.

The project was completed in a relatively quick 16 months, including six months of design.

In an affluent location where new houses often compete for attention, Sorrento House prioritises restraint, proportion, and longevity to achieve generosity without excess.

‘The project is ultimately defined by adjustment rather than assertion,’ says Victoria. ‘Its qualities emerge through careful placement, proportion and material consistency, allowing it to sit comfortably within its existing context while supporting the evolving needs of family life.’

This has been a much-loved beach house for an extended family for many years.

Described as a ‘bit of a shack’, the Merricks Beach house contained tiny rooms, old materials, and little insulation, but what it lacked in quality it made up for in charm, character, and memories for the family.

With a few grandchildren and retirement approaching, the owners wanted to rework the home to suit their new stage in life. ‘They wanted to keep the beach house but extend it to accommodate their growing family to allow for large extended family holidays for years to come,’ explains Ben Callery, director of Ben Callery Architects who renovated the home.

The main spatial challenge of the project was how to accommodate a large group (four adult couples with their own children of various ages) over the holidays, without losing the intimacy of the home when only the main owners were present.

Another architectural challenge was how to repair and renovate the old part of the house without erasing original features, while meaningfully adding to its legacy through a more contemporary and energy-efficient addition.

The architects’ solution was to retain the existing part of the house, and convert the original living room into a second living area/rumpus room. Further down the hall, within the existing pitched roof form, two more bedrooms and a bathroom were added to form a contained and comfortable visitor’s wing.

Materials across the rooms and front verandah were restored throughout to be virtually new, but still with the wonderful spirit and energy of the old house.

The new extension comprises a large open-plan kitchen, meals and living area under a high raked ceiling mirroring the proportions of the original home and its enclosed front verandah. ‘The high ceiling makes a grand space for many people to gather, bathed in natural light and able to open up to cool breezes and lawn to play,’ says Ben.

A new first floor features the main bedroom suite, providing the primary owners with their own space to retreat to regardless of visitors, with the feel of arriving into a treehouse.

‘This generous room with an en suite and walk-in robe acts as almost a third living room where they can find space when needed,’ says Ben. ‘When it is just the two of them at the house most weekends, they will use just this room and the living room and close off the visitor’s wing, contracting the house from a large one to a small one and saving energy in operation.’

Post renovation, the house is more efficient to operate thanks to zoned heating, all-electric appliances, solar power, and water storage.

In adapting the original house, this project has sent little waste to landfill, and ensured this home’s longevity for many more decades — a model that can be applied across many Mornington Peninsula homes to uphold the area’s neighbourhood character.

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For interior designer Jacqueline Butler, the most impressive projects aren’t always the ones that simply look amazing: ‘They’re the ones that genuinely improve the way people live every day’.

‘Every family is different, and I don’t believe there’s one design style that suits everyone,’ the director of Jacq Interiors says.

‘My role is to listen, understand what’s important and create a home that feels uniquely theirs.’

With this approach, it makes sense that the biggest source of inspiration behind her latest renovation in Bondi North came directly from the clients, Abi and Mark Staniford. The couple had already lived in the home with their two daughters for several years, so they understood exactly how it functioned for their family and where it fell short.

‘Abi works in the fashion industry and brought a creative confidence to the project, so we weren’t afraid to explore colour,’ Jacqueline says.

Since the existing semi-detached home wasn’t particularly architecturally precious, it gave them a sense of creative freedom with the redesign, starting with the rich burgundy hues splashed across the kitchen. Deep tiles are paired with a speckled granite stone for the island bench, while Australian blackbutt joinery brings a sense of warmth.

‘We affectionately nicknamed the kitchen stone the ‘salami stone’, and it became the hero piece that informed the rest of the palette,’ Jacqueline says.

‘We deliberately stepped away from the typical white-and-oak coastal palette to create something that felt more individual and genuinely reflective of the family.’

To maximise space within the narrow footprint, a third storey was added. This freed up space in the subsequent levels to create a series of interconnected living spaces, where activity can spill out from the kitchen into the dining area with a banquette seat, and across the balcony.

The once-disconnected and damp lower ground floor now features a lounge room lined in terrazzo tiles, seamlessly linked to the hub of the home by a curved staircase.

Even the bathrooms are rich with character, covered in either peach or sage green tiles.

The result strikes the right balance between fun and functional — a perfect backdrop for the owners’ lives by the ocean. And the ocean views across Bondi are the icing on the cake!

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They say ‘when one door closes, another opens’. This was certainly the case for account director Deb Goode and industrial designer Peter Roff-Smith when they missed out on a Robin Boyd house at auction in 2009.

While they didn’t land the keys to the coveted home in Kew, it was at that same auction when a friend introduced them to the owner of another retro house that was just around the corner. As luck would have it, he was looking to sell.

‘We had been looking for a while and had friends already in our street; we were so happy to successfully buy in the area,’ says Deb, who has worked with Melbourne creative agency Ortolan for 20 years.

Built in 1958, the modernist gem had everything the couple had been dreaming of: abundant natural light, leafy outlooks from its elevated position on the side of a hill, and even a playroom for their children, who were then aged three, five, and seven years old.

Most of its original flair had been maintained by the former owners. However, there was one new eye-catching feature introduced after a sympathetic renovation with architecture firm Goad Fink in 1994.

In addition to updating the bathrooms and courtyard, they added a new custom mosaic kitchen splashback, inspired by the colourful mural at the iconic Rose Seidler House in Sydney.

In Deb and Peter’s creative hands, the house has further evolved. The couple first installed a pool, complete with a playful Perspex window that provides underwater views.

When family needed more space a few years later, they built an extension at the rear, containing a second living room, with the main bedroom and study located upstairs, unlocking views across the leafy neighbourhood.

‘We wanted to keep it as authentic as possible, retaining the feeling of being in the treetops and living in the light,’ Deb says.

‘Our home works really well,’ Deb says. ‘It has seen many little kids’ pool parties, a few big kids’ pool parties, and many adult birthday parties and our annual Christmas party.’

And thanks to Deb and Peter’s sentimental collection of vintage furniture, the house’s retro spirit is alive as ever. The Tessa swivel chairs and ottoman have been passed down from Peter’s family; the 1960s sideboard was a gift from friends; and they bought the Eames Herman Miller moulded dining chairs about 25 years ago.

‘Peter and I have been collecting art for a long time, often gifting each other artwork for birthdays,’ Deb adds.

Their careful custodianship is one of the reasons why the enduring house has served the family so well for the last 17 years — and why it will continue to do so for many years to come.

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Anyone who’s been through the rollercoaster of renovating knows two things can quickly spiral out of control: the budget and the timeline.

So, when the owners of this Northern Beaches property approached interior designers Sunday Homes to transform their home in just four months, it was ambitious to say the least.

‘The clients were hoping to commence construction in late August and move back into the home before Christmas,’ Sunday Homes founder Amy Thackeray says.

‘We completed the design documentation in July and, in addition to the design scope, were also engaged to assist with builder alignment and project coordination.’

The family of four purchased the house in 2024. Believed to have been built by the prior owners around 2009, the residence’s biggest drawcard was ‘undoubtedly’ the location, just moments from a beautiful harbour reserve and walking tracks.

Aesthetically though, the interiors felt dated and lacked a sense of warmth, character and personality that the owners had envisioned for their ‘forever home’.

‘The clients had travelled extensively throughout Europe and beyond, and they wanted those experiences to subtly influence the design rather than feel overtly themed,’ Amy adds.

‘Throughout the home, we introduced what we referred to as “Easter eggs” or unexpected moments, materials and details that reveal themselves over time and bring a sense of discovery to the space.’

A mix of elegant natural textures set the tone for the elevated interior refresh. Travertine floors stretch across the entire ground floor, both inside and out into the poolside alfresco area — echoing the atmosphere of a Mediterranean villa.

In the reconfigured floor plan, a previously underutilised ‘dead space’ within the oversized living room now forms a casual lounge with custom joinery.

The new kitchen makes the most of soaring ceiling heights and large windows to create the light-filled hub of the home, anchored by a custom, pink-toned concrete island and handmade zellige tiles. Timber panels line the ceilings for warmth above the dining room, repositioned for a sense of intimacy.

Subtle yet playful pops of colour also help reinforce the renovation’s holiday-inspired aesthetic, pairing muted yellows with burgundy accents. Blue tiles appear in a cheerful checked pattern in the bathrooms — another ‘Easter egg’ reminiscent of a coastal cottage — alongside similarly ocean-themed hues in the laundry.

Perhaps the most impressive part is that they managed to stick within the initial project timeline, completing the home in time for Christmas largely thanks to Sunday Homes’ strategic approach: ‘We continuously balanced aesthetics, availability and construction sequencing to ensure no delays were introduced.’

‘While the home’s overall footprint remained largely unchanged, rethinking the way spaces connected and functioned dramatically improved both the liveability and character of the home,’ Amy adds.

Nothing feels overly polished or precious, and every room is layered with the family’s memories and personality — just as they had always imagined.

With more than 150 years of history, craftsmanship, and local ingenuity woven into the fabric of its business, Waverley Mills in Launceston is a surviving symbol of another time.

It all started with the vision of a Scottish migrant, Peter Bulman, who launched the fully vertical woollen mill and started selling the first woollen goods made entirely on Tasmanian soil.

So much has changed since then — including the rise of fast fashion and offshore manufacturing, to name a few — but throughout it all, Waverly Mills still operates on the same site where it began back in 1874.

Today, it’s the only mill in Australia that manufactures wool textiles that are spun, woven and finished on site, from start to finish. And the weight of this legacy is not lost on its dedicated team. Just ask product and ecommerce manager Lindzi Mann.

‘We collaborate with Australian designers, or design in-house, creating a 100% Australian-made textile that provides local employment and stewards skills and craftsmanship that would otherwise be lost today,’ Lindzi says.

The factory is known as the last operating remnant of the Launceston textile industry, with many of the employees and expert weavers having worked for decades.

It takes about four weeks for wool to be transformed into a finished blanket, and now, Waverley Mills is giving visitors a rare peek behind the curtain of this painstaking process with guided mill tours, which include a limited-edition winter pack for those visiting during the Off Season.

‘The guided tour will take you through the whole process of producing a textile,’ Lindzi says.

‘As a society, we’re no longer connected to just how intensive textiles are to produce, and the tour gives people the opportunity to see just how involved and hands-on the process still is today.’

While Lindzi herself has only called Launceston home for the last six years (previously living in Melbourne and Adelaide), there’s a clear parallel between the riverside city’s unhurried lifestyle and Waverley Mills’ dedication to traditional techniques.

‘I love Launceston’s slower pace of life, and the way the seasonal shifts are so distinct,’ she adds.

‘My partner and I had only visited once before we decided to move here, and we haven’t regretted it. There’s so much to be inspired by, and no shortage of cafes to sit in on a rainy day.’

Below, find out some of Lindzi’s favourite restaurants, nature walks, and the gallery that everyone should visit on a trip to Launceston! Discover Lindzi’s picks, in her own words.

Design Tasmania

Tasmania is home to some incredible local talent, and Design Tasmania is the perfect place to showcase it. Founded in 1976, the not-for-profit design centre has its own store and collections, selling everything from ceramics to an evolving collection of contemporary Tasmanian wood design. Entry to the gallery is free, and thoughtfully produced exhibitions always leave me inspired.

Find out more about Design Tasmania here.

Lilydale Falls

Just a short drive from Launceston, Lilydale Falls is a lovely, easy walk through lush rainforest. You can walk the trail in about 30 minutes and stop to enjoy the view of two waterfalls along the way. It’s perfect if you just want to get a little bit of nature and don’t want to get your shoes too muddy.

Felix Espresso & Wine

Felix is my current dinner fixation. The atmosphere of the space on a wintry evening is cosy and relaxed, and the food is excellent. The small plates are delicious, but the real star of the show is their fresh pasta, which is all handmade daily.

Find out more about Felix Espresso & Wine here.

Frankie’s Coffee House

Frankie’s is my brunch go-to, it feels like a thread between my life here in Launceston and my past life in Melbourne. They always have a fun drink on the menu to try, and I love the vibes of the space, particularly on a rainy day.

Find out more about Frankie’s Coffee House here.

Stillwater Seven

Tucked away against the South Esk River, Stillwater Seven is a great accommodation located inside a former 1830s flour mill. It’s within walking distance of Cataract Gorge, and since there’s an award-winning restaurant downstairs, it’s perfect for dinner too. There are seven beautiful rooms to choose from, and I’ve never experienced anything less than the loveliest service.

Find out more about Stillwater Seven and an exclusive ‘wild wild rest’ Off Season package here.

Got a taste for Launceston? There’s more to dig into. Discover Tasmania has the experiences, restaurants, events and local tips you didn’t know you needed. If you’re craving a regular dose of trip-planning intel, subscribe to their newsletter.

Storage

It doesn’t matter if your home is large or small, a good shelving unit is a must-have in any space. Not only is it an easy way to add personality and flair, but a tall unit or floating bookshelves can helps turn blank walls into storage space — without taking up valuable floor area.

The Opinion Ciatti Original Ptolomeo Bookcase is a classic one, famous for its almost invisible appearance, as if it’s suspending your books in mid-air. We also love Seena’s timber Willow Shelves, which can be mounted on the wall to display your most sentimental objects.

Lighting

While we love floor and table lamps, a small space sometimes calls for less visual clutter. Luckily, pendant, scones, and wall mounted lights such as the Applique De Marseille Wall Nemo from Cult are a great alternative for creating mood lighting in even the most compact rooms, freeing up usable spaces on benchtops and tables.

They also help draw the eye outward and upward, creating the illusion of a brighter, wider, and taller space while adding warm layered ambiance. We suggest considering wall sconce for by a bedside, or a pendant that can hang directly above a dining nook.

Sofas

When it comes to furnishing a tighter space, finding a sofa that feels just right is no easy feat. That’s where a modular design comes in, which allows you to configure, customise and tailor the seating footprint to your exact floor plan.

Something like the Eva Everyday Sofa can be arranged to eliminate wasted corners or easily adapt to awkward layouts. A sofa bed is also a good option, so you can transform your living room into a second bedroom whenever guests come to stay.

Dining Tables

There’s a reason you’ll often see round tables in apartments we feature. Circular tables like Fenton & Fenton’s Rosie Dining Table or the Ridge Dining Table from Beeline are more forgiving for small spaces, as the singular pedestal base maximises the number of chairs you can squeeze around the table when entertaining without anyone being in the awkward corner spot. Just make sure your dining chairs don’t have arms either!

The rounded silhouette is another great hack for saving space, as it eliminates harsh corners you might bump into and improves traffic flow in the surrounding areas.

Stools, side tables + benches

Since the name of the game is all about maximising space, multipurpose furniture pieces like stools really do hold the key to making the most of a small area.

A clever design like Studio Bastiras Meguro Stool from In Good Company or the Volume Side Table from Trit House can serve as extra seating in the dining area when entertaining, just as easily as being a side table beside the sofa, or a functional ledge in the bathroom.

The flexibility to move them around means your home is adaptable, which is ultimately the real trick to making a compact home seem seamless!

If you’ve ever lived in a house that’s perpetually cold in winter or prone to overheating in summer, you’re not alone.

The majority of Australia’s existing housing stock is extremely energy inefficient, with over 70 per cent of houses having an energy rating of three stars or lower, according to Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute.

It was precisely this problem that inspired one of Folkal Built’s latest projects: a new sustainable home in Chewton, a Victorian town just outside of Castlemaine.

‘The clients were sick of living in cold, draughty and energy hungry homes,’ Folkal Built director Peter Schreiber says. ‘They wanted a house that would address all of these concerns.

‘They had discovered passive and high-performance houses, and after doing a lot of research, they were adamant this is what they needed to have.’

The couple sought out the local builders to bring the house to life on a vacant country block with overgrown vegetation, engaging Bush Studio Architecture directors Naomi Brennan and Marie Le Touze for the all-important design.

It was essential the building could withstand the region’s harsh climate changes, with Chewton’s temperature reaching as high as 45°C in summer and below freezing during winter.

In the 18-month-long design and documentation phase, Bush Studio carefully considered the landscape, siting, and natural sunlight of the 2120-square-metre block before landing on the resulting 148-square metre floorplan.

Naomi says, ‘The main challenge was how to best locate the house within the vacant sloping site.’

‘We wanted the house to feel like it was nestled into the site, respectful of the natural contours, and yet maximise the solar passive design and surrounding views,’ Naomi adds.

At first glance, the building presents a compact profile, characterised by a pitched roof and recycled cream brick. But the full extent of the house reveals itself as you approach to find a second wing containing the bedrooms, cleverly angled out behind the main living spaces at the front entry.

‘The central outdoor dining terrace looking out onto the bushlands acts as a hinge point between the public and private spaces,’ Marie says.

Inside, the pared-back palette of locally sourced blackbutt timber joinery, polished concrete floors and terrazzo benches is complemented by Artedomus Cotto Manetti terracotta tiles — which the savvy owners found secondhand on Facebook Marketplace.

The kitchen maintains easy access to the vegetable garden, while the island sink and dining space face out towards the beautiful bushland and mountain views in the east.

But as with most sustainable homes, the real magic is in the parts that remain unseen.

‘The main sustainable element of this house is how little energy it requires to heat and cool thanks to the Passive House principles that have been applied to the design and construction of the home,’ Peter says.

These range from having thicker walls to house better insulation; an airtight membrane to control air and moisture; all-electric appliances; and high-performance tilt and turn windows from Binq that promote passive and secure ventilation.

There’s also a continuous bulkhead that runs along the back length of the kitchen to allow the heat recovery ventilation (HRV) system to effectively reach the required areas, helping maintain temperature and continuously circulate fresh air throughout the home.

‘These features are not only good for the people living inside the home, but they better protect the building from moisture, mould and rot,’ explains Peter.

By following this rigorous methodology, Peter says the home will last longer than a typical ‘code built’ home, in addition to being more energy efficient — scoring a NatHERS rating of 8.2 stars out of 10, well above the minimum 7-star standard for new homes.

There’s no denying houses like this require a certain level of finesse, dedication, and craftsmanship. But, the extra care invested today, will ensure this high-performing home serves its inhabitants well into the future.

An edited version of this story originally appeared in The Design Files Magazine Issue 04. Subscribe to the biannual print magazine here.

Aotearoa New Zealand-based artist Simon Lewis Wards’ sculptures tap into something that is arguably universal to childhood: an unbridled love of sweets.

Think back to the kinds of treats you would get in a lolly bag at a friend’s birthday, or the experience of going to the shops and filling up a paper bag with ‘pick and mix’ sweets.

It’s these kinds of memories that come flooding back when you look at his (incredibly realistic) sculptural recreations of gummy bears, fizzy cola bottles, and even red frogs.

‘Funnily enough, I didn’t have the classic corner shop run with pocket money, that’s not really my memory,’ Simon says.

‘But I loved baking with my mum, and one of our favourites was lolly cake made with Candy Men, those little foam pastel characters you chop up and fold through the batter. That’s the memory that links me back to the candy world.’

Simon’s career path is one full of swings and roundabouts. As a kid, he fell in love with lettering and after school, he worked at a sign writing company.

‘That job didn’t last long,’ he adds. ‘But by then I’d discovered graffiti, which became another outlet for painting letters, and the beginning of realising I was essentially unemployable.’

For the next 15 years or so, he dipped in and out of various tradie gigs; drain laying with his uncle Merv; plumbing; working on building sites. He never even considered working with glass until his friends Luke and Kate asked for help getting a glass studio up and running.

‘Kate was casting glass, and I had a go at making a telegraph pole. I instantly fell in love with the freedom of making, and I haven’t looked back,’ he says.

‘The coloured lead crystal I was working with always made people say the same thing — it looked “yummy”. So luscious and vibrant, it was a short leap to lollies. I took a mould off a Jet Plane, New Zealand’s quintessential lolly, and that’s where it all started.’

The rest, as they say, is history. Simon’s now known across Australia, New Zealand, and overseas for his playful, ever-growing collection of Glass Candy, which features classics like Swedish fish, raspberries, and gummy bears in every colour scaled up and cast in glass crystal, while slip-cast porcelain is used to mimic the texture of bananas and milk bottles.

There are even sour versions, coated in fine pieces of crushed glass that replicate the enchanting sparkle of sugar with incredible realism.

‘A technique I love is hot sculpting precast work: I cast a piece, clean it up until it’s exhibition-ready, then put it back in the kiln. Once the glass reaches a toffee-like consistency, around 650–700°C, I suit up with the big gloves and face shield, pull it out, and have about ten to fifteen seconds to manipulate it into a shape that feels spontaneous before it goes straight into the annealing cone,’ Simon says.

Each piece is made by hand in Simon’s studio on the western edge of Tamaki Makaurau Auckland. His candy making has grown into something of a family business, now with his wife Keya leading the marketing, alongside a small team helping in production and dispatch.

You can’t help but smile when you see his pieces hung on a wall, in what he calls a ‘Big Spill’. And perhaps that’s because for Simon, creating something that sparks joy for so many has unlocked a true sense of freedom.

‘Being the master of my own destiny suits me deeply. As for challenges, the hardest thing is that nothing ever feels fully stable. Just when you think you’ve got everything dialled in, a kiln breaks, or a new glass arrives with a different firing behaviour, and you’re problem-solving all over again.

But that’s also what makes the wins so satisfying. You know they won’t last long, so you really enjoy them.’

Shop Simon Lewis Wards works online now here.