Rammed earth is a construction method that has been used throughout history (you will find it used in some pretty famous, ancient structures), despite the lengthy history of rammed earth it still remains a relativity obscure practice. In this instalment of the Semper Journal I’m going to explore what rammed earth is and is it a sustainable building practice. So, what is so great about rammed earth? First and foremost (and the reason I love it so much) rammed earth is an incre

Last weekend I had the absolute pleasure of attending the Conscious Space event in Barangaroo. It was a wonderful marketplace event with a blend of home, fashion, food, environmentally and socially progressive brands. I could have spent all weekend going through all of the different stalls, trying all the delicious food and drinks. Below I’ve rounded up a couple of my favourite stalls. Reso & Co. Reso & Co. is a beautiful custom based furniture and homewares, fabrication and

Passive design is a building that is designed and built in a holistic way where there is minimal technology and building services required for the building to run, therefore cutting down emissions. There are five factors that need to be included for a building to be certified as passive, they are: thermal insulation, airtightness, ventilation, high performance windows, and thermal bridge free construction. One example of passive house design is Lark Rise by bere:architects. L

About Amelia // Hi there! My name is Amelia, I am the creative director and owner of Semper Interiors. I created Semper Interiors after working in hospitality studios for many years, during that time I found myself feeling increasingly guilty about the waste created throughout each project. I wanted to be able to design and create spaces that have a minimal impact on our beautiful earth. My approach to sustainability is based around ensuring my projects have longevity in both

You might have heard me mentioned closed loop or circular design before, it’s a principle that is rapidly gaining momentum within the sustainable design world. What exactly is closed loop design? The phrase closed loop refers to using a circular method of design and production (produce, use, recycle back into production), where traditional design is linear (produce, use, dispose). In simple terms it means designing a product that can be recycled at the end of its life to crea

Trends is not something I really like to follow, I feel trend following will often result in a space having to be redesigned (creating less waste, lower impact on the environment). However, there are a few ‘trends’ I have seen growing in momentum and I hope they are here to say! So here it goes, my predicted non-trend trends for 2021: 1. Rendered internal walls Rendered walls are something that traditionally was used for exteriors. However, stucco, limewash, and venetian plas

Welcome back to the Semper Journal, after a much-needed break we are back and ready to tackle 2021! For the first journal of 2021 I wanted to continue with a really great question I received from Instagram, “What’s your biggest consideration when designing a sustainable kitchen?”. This is a fantastic question and something I get asked a lot. Like everything in design and environmental consciousness there are many factors in play, however, I’ll break it down into a couple of t

First off, thank you so much to everyone who sent in questions for this journal, there was such a great response to my call out! It was so inspiring to see how many of you had such interesting and important questions! Because of the overwhelming number of questions and my in-depth my answers are I’m going to focus my next couple of blogs on a couple of questions, don’t worry if you aren’t in this week – I’ll message everyone individually and make sure everything is answered!

So I have to apologise I've been quiet on the Semper Journal recently, it has been a very wild time of year! I wanted to share an exciting little article that was published about Semper Interiors in this months issue of My Village News. My Village News is a lovely little publication in Brisbane that showcases local businesses, people and events in Kangaroo Point, Newstead, Newstead North, Teneriffe, Fortitude Valley, Bowen Hills, New Farm, Spring Hill, and Petrie Bight. Thank

This week I’ve had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with the wonderful Franco Crea. Franco is a product designer, who has a luxury furniture company, named FrancoCrea. Originally from South Australia, Franco is now based in Melbourne creating designer furniture for both residential and commercial spaces. Franco and I had a really beautiful phone call earlier in the week, where we honestly discussed the challenges and rewards of starting your own design business. It was r

If you read this journal regularly you will know the sustainability approach at Semper Interiors is to use local designers, suppliers and trades in every feasible situation. Buying local furniture and materials eliminates a lot of transportation time, which in turn cuts down on the carbon emissions and footprint of a product. I love to specify local designers and suppliers because their products are bespoke, there’s a story and their process is usually a lot more transparent.

Studio Flek is a small design studio based on the Gold Coast, and is the brainchild of Lisa Kajewski, a Graduate of Architecture and Industrial Designer, Chris Miller. This week I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with the wonderful Studio Flek to hear all about their process, products and partnership. Thank you so much Lisa and Chris for taking the time to chat with me. I love your name, Studio Flek and how you describe what ‘Flek’ means. How did you come up with thi

2020 has seen the world turned on its head. The traditional office space has also been turned upside down as many office spaces can’t facilitate appropriate social distancing. If you have been lucky enough to have a job that you can work remotely you’ve probably had to adjust your home to suit your new work from home (WFH) life. There are some quick and easy ways to keep your WFH situation functional, looking good and most importantly friendly to the earth. 1. Choose a consid

2020 has seen almost every industry and business effected by Covid-19, and I have seen it hit my creative friends a lot harder. Covid has effected creatives all of kind from performers, designers, creators. It is now more important than ever to be supporting local businesses and designers as Melbourne sees their lockdown extended as they try to battle through the devastating second wave of Covid- 19. By supporting these local designers, you are not only helping individuals ge

There has been a lot of talk in 2020 about keeping our phalanges (AKA fingers & hands) clean. Washing your hands has been discussed a lot that one of the most effective ways to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. I've created an internal monologue counting system while washing my hands, along with the phrases don't touch your face, don't touch your nose. When leaving the house, the check list goes phone, wallet, keys and it includes hand sanitiser. I now also find myself star

You might have heard me mention in previous blogs that one of the easiest ways to help reduce your carbon footprint in your renovation or home build is it use local suppliers, trades and interior designers. My favourite thing about using local designers is their pieces are unique, the process of the creation is usually transparent and of course the less transportation required the carbon footprint of the product is reduced. It can be fairly time consuming finding local furnit

Joost Bakker the man who gave us Silo, Greenhouse, and Brothl. Joost is a man who I have admired, followed and inspired me for many, many years now. He is a man with many talents and wears many hats. Joost Bakker is at the forefront of the Zero Waste movement, installation designer, floral stylist, environmental activist and a ground-breaking creative and designer. Joost Bakker’s 25 year commitment to the sustainability movement has been so important I’m a little bit overwhel

This month our feature 'Spotlight' on Australian company Brickworks and the amazing sustainable innovations they are producing. The negative impacts of the construction industry have been a running theme in the Semper Blogs. However, our goal is to educate and introduce as many products, designers, and materials that are doing their bit to counteract the damaging effect we are having on our planet without compromising aesthetics. Brickworks Building Products is also an umbre

Hi! I’m Lachlan Spencer and I’m a digital UX/UI designer pixel pushing for the last eight years working for brands like Youfoodz & Topdeck Travel. After a two year stint visiting Queen Lizzie, living and working in London and exploring around Europe I’ve recently moved back to the motherland - Brisbane, Australia. A friend once told me that living sustainable is a personal journey for everyone. I’m three years into my journey and I am relatively new to this thinking, but with

Cork was a staple in 1970’s interiors, it had a small slump in popularity but now is back more popular than ever. Using cork might have been previously been a faux pas but it is now seen as an incredibly green and versatile product. As the world moves to create a more ethical and sustainable future, cork has been making waves in interiors, architecture and furniture design and is being used by some of the world’s most famous designers and architects. Aesthetically cork is lik