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Life & Luxury

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Mercedes-Benz’s GLC300 is a classy family car. But is it exciting?

The Mercedes-Benz GLC300 is a worthy update of its luxury medium-sized SUV. Here’s why it’s a dependable choice while waiting for the next EV.

  • 40 mins ago
  • Tony Davis
Blanche Violet Maher’s portrait of her two sisters at the river on Collaroy Station.

How the discovery of old photos exposed an ancestor’s hidden talent

A young woman’s record of rural life in Australia in the late 1800s is finally getting its day in the sun after her great-granddaughter found her work in a Sydney attic.

  • Elizabeth Fortescue
Sophie Taylor hiking in the mountains outside Queenstown in New Zealand.

Hiking is great for strategising about work, says this founder

Sydney-based ethical clothing brand founder Sophie Taylor loves hiking – in the Blue Mountains, New Zealand or on a high-altitude trek in Peru. But there’s one place on her ultimate wish list.

  • Life & Leisure
Espagnole (Buste) [The Spanish Woman], 1922, by Henri Matisse. Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of Julian and Josie Robertson.

How Auckland Art Gallery suddenly scored 15 modern masterpieces

One of America’s wealthiest investors has left $167m worth of famous artworks to Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. The question on everyone’s lips: why New Zealand?

  • Elizabeth Fortescue
Merida eBig Tour 400 EQ

With just a few tweaks, this e-bike would be perfect

It wouldn’t take much to make Merida’s eBig Tour 400 EQ a favourite, whether for commuting or mountain bike trails.

  • John Davidson
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This Month

Returning to live in London after 20 years. Here’s what I learnt

After two decades away, this journalist discovers a city that still has an undeniable buzz – yet in other ways it’s grinding to a halt.

  • Mark Ludlow

The innovator defying ‘doom and gloom’ in a struggling wine region

Riverland growers are in crisis. But Ashley Ratcliff of Ricca Terra Wines is buoyed by the region’s potential.

  • Max Allen
Peruvian artist Cristina Flores Pescorán with her woven sculpture at White Bay Power Station.

The Paris powerhouse backing Sydney Biennale’s First Nations artists

The handspun work of Peruvian artist Cristina Flores Pescorán couldn’t be further from the world of high jewellery and watches. But that’s exactly why the Fondation Cartier loves it.

  • Stephen Todd

‘We don’t do curry’: this chef wants to change our idea of Indian food

Is progressive Indian food anything like the stereotype? What actually is Filipino cuisine? All will be revealed at the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.

  • Necia Wilden
BYD Seal Performance sedan

BYD’s fast new EV sedan is hot on Tesla’s tail

The Chinese makers of the BYD Seal Performance Sedan are so proud of its acceleration they’ve put a badge on the boot boasting of the rate. But this fast EV has other surprises, too.

  • Tony Davis
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From TISM to Ben Elton, seven shows you must see in March

Your downtime won’t be a letdown with our guide to some of the best shows happening around the nation this month.

  • Michael Bailey

Surrealist arm candy and Lululemon trainers: What to buy this week

Whether it’s fitness, glamour or time out you’re after, we have inspired suggestions for you.

  • Eugenie Kelly

Show-stoppers, lots of sparkle and green dials: what’s new in watches

The year’s timepiece trends are already coming into focus and signs are if it’s not green, it’s got to have sheen.

  • Bani McSpedden

February

A sunburst brick collage references the front porch in this rear extension to a 1937 house in Roseville,  Sydney.

How to avoid the ‘Madonna effect’ when renovating your home

How should old houses be redesigned for modern living? A new book documents some of the country’s best makeovers – and the results are beautiful and surprising.

  • Stephen Clark
George Hartley

‘Life before Shazam was tough’: how heavy metal educated this exec

George Hartley co-founded the online art marketplace Bluethumb, but music has always been his passion, and piano his forte.

  • Life & Leisure

How Denmark is using its design knack to transform trains 

The country is investing almost $3 billion in its new IC5 train fleet. Expect carriages fitted out to give passengers the feeling of “cosy friendliness”.

  • Robert Bevan

How Apple’s new goggles will rock your reality

2024 is already a huge year for technology, with Apple changing the VR headset game and generative AI redefining the way we use mobile phones.

  • John Davidson
solar-powered Atmospheric Water Generator 

How one woman’s mission to harvest water from the air is changing lives

Beth Koigi’s 30 solar-powered atmospheric water generators already produce more than 200,000 litres a month for people facing extreme water scarcity in Kenya. Now Rolex has stepped up to help.

  • Hannah Tattersall

From the Gold Coast, a luxury motor yacht at technology’s fore

A new $3.8 million personal cruiser from top boat builder Riviera is proof of an innovative and thriving industry; the biggest surprise is what lies beneath.

  • Tony Davis
Better than the water cooler: meet-up spaces at Deloitte encourage interaction.

From a hot desk at Deloitte, the future looks bright

Over 14 floors of the award-winning Quay Quarter Tower, the professional services firm has created some of the most desirable workspace around.

  • Stephen Todd
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Cono di Luce lights by Ron Arad: the light source is effectively part of the form.

These ‘cones’ of light are the latest in desirable design

Venice-based Lodes has been producing stylish lighting since 1950. Now it’s partnered with a top industrial designer to release something radically new.

  • Robert Bevan
Ascent, an 86.6-metre-tall mass-timber tower in Wisconsin designed by Korb + Associates Architects, has been certified as the world’s tallest timber building.

‘Plyscrapers’ take tall buildings to new heights

Could the era of generic glass towers be coming to an end? An expert on tall buildings says the future lies in high-rises using engineered timber.

  • Tony Davis
Andrew Caillard MW: ‘The Australian wine industry was magnificent once upon a time, you know? I’ve always felt that.’

Wine history comes alive in this definitive magnum opus

For this author, Australia’s wine history is personal – so he wrote a lavishly illustrated, three-volume work on it that’s just come out in paperback.

  • Max Allen
Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing prepares to sit in the car prior to F1 Testing at Bahrain International Circuit on February 20, 2024 in Bahrain.

Who’s who on the grid for this year’s F1 season

The 2024 Formula 1 season will be the busiest ever. Here’s our guide to the teams and drivers – and their chances of success.

  • Tony Davis
Pelayo Diaz wears white shirt, beige striped tie, camel coat, black trousers, black shoes, black Hermes bag, outside Hermes, during the Menswear Fall/Winter 2024/2025 as part of  Paris Fashion Week

Why are men still expected to wear ties?

Once considered a necessity, ties are being cast off in favour of a more casual workplace. But can you really get away with ditching them?

  • Lauren Sams