Drawn to the flickering glow of a lightbulb, Volker Haug is a man spellbound. Based in Melbourne, the designer creates ingenious lighting products, ranging from pendants and table designs to wall fixtures and exclusive custom pieces, in his signature style of industrial meets minimal with an injection of humour.

By Danielle Hanrahan

Sarah Mouchot is revolutionising the way we look at cardboard with her furniture design business, Bibi Carton.

Sarah is giving a new lease on life to the handy but often overlooked material, traditionally used for packaging. “Cardboard is such a great material to work with,” she explains. “It’s eco-friendly when you source it well and keep a careful eye on the recycled content and it’s lightweight and very versatile. Plus, you can create anything out of it and make it look the way you want – once you know the techniques the possibilities are endless!”

The festive season is an exciting time of year, there’s the David Jones window displays, carolling in the park and my favourite, all the pretty decorations that light up the city. So, we decided to ask some of our favourite bloggers about what they love about Christmas and what they hope to find under their tree!

1. YELLOWTRACE www.yellowtrace.com.au

Dana Tomic Hughes, a Sydney-based interior designer, shares her love for “great design and clever people” on her cutting-edge and influential design blog, Yellowtrace.

Passionate about design, Tai Schaffler left her career in journalism and became the marketing manager for a Western Australian fashion wholesaler. Frequently travelling to India as a buyer, Tai saw the opportunity to start her own homeware label and soon after, Bandhini Homewear Design was born! Producing quality, handmade soft furnishings, Bandhini is a popular fixture in homes across Australia and New Zealand. Tai talks to Selina Gordevich about pursuing her dream and the joys and challenges of working in India.

Three words to describe Bandhini Homewear Design?