Table of Contents: Down Under

When you think Australia, does the phrase “No worries” pop into your head? While there’s no such thing as a typical Australian, some stereotypes ring true: They’re friendly, outgoing, casual, humorous, and they do say “no worries” a lot (if only to mean “you’re welcome.”)

We envy the laid-back lifestyle, so this week we’re visiting the land Down Under–Australia, and New Zealand, too.

Above: The wall of terra-cotta pots: It’s an Australian thing. This eco-friendly, low-water style of vertical gardening was created by Australia’s best-known eco-garden proponent, Joost Bakker.

Monday

• A Japanese-inspired renovation for a previously conventional house in Melbourne, Australia, has a wall of sliding glass doors to bring the outside in. Read more in this week’s Architect Visit.

Tuesday

• Ayrlies, a sprawling semi-tropical garden southeast of Auckland, New Zealand, was begun more than 50 years ago by Beverly McConnell and her late husband, Malcolm. Good thing it’s open to the public: You’ll want to see it for yourself once you read this Garden Visit.

Wednesday

• An Aussie entrepreneur is shaking up the New York City coffee shop scene. We pay a Restaurant Visit to Brunswick, his cafe in Brooklyn’s emerging Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, to find out more.

Thursday

• This shower happens to be at a beach house south of Melbourne, Australia, on the Mornington Peninsula. Read about it and a slew of other outdoor showers in our Hardscapes & Furnishings feature, Bathing in Plein Air: 29 Outdoor Summer Showers. It might even inspire you to build one of your own, so you’re in luck: In this week’s Hardscaping 101, Janet investigates that very subject. Pipe wrenches at the ready, people.

Friday

• Yes, that is a small house built on a giant rock. Our Outbuilding of the Week focuses on the Forest Retreat, designed and built by the Uhlik Architeki team in the Czech Republic, and answers the obvious question: Why?

We’ll also be looking at interior design Down Under this week; visit Remodelista to see some of our favorite remodels.