

Blueprint For Living - Separate stories
ABC listen
Your weekly expedition to the heart of modern life through buildings, design, gardens and food. Separate stories for bite-size listening.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 26, 2024 • 16min
Patrick Grant on the Savile Row suit
Patrick Grant is the co-owner of Savile Row tailors Norton and Sons and the author of The Savile Row Suit- the art of bespoke tailoring.He shares his insights into the joy of a well cut suit, albeit at an eye-watering price.

Jul 26, 2024 • 16min
Last Supper: Andrew McConnell's spaghetti vongole
Andrew McConnell is a chef and the owner of a plethora of Melbourne restaurants, wines and food providores.He shares his deep love of cooking with a dish he would choose for his last meal, spaghetti vongole.

Jul 26, 2024 • 17min
Plastics in fashion
A staggering 62 per cent of the clothes we buy in Australia have some form of synthetics in them. With the rise of fast fashion the ubiquity of plastics will only worsen over time.Dr Tamzin Rollason is a lecturer at RMIT's School of Fashion and Textiles who argues we need to rethink not just consumer behaviour but the life cycle of clothes from start to finish.

Jul 19, 2024 • 9min
The Makers: Nadine Keegan, glass artist
What inspires us to make and create? In this new series we visit craftspeople artisans, and makers in their studios to hear about their craft.First up is Nadine Keegan, glass artist.

Jul 19, 2024 • 11min
Feminism and the 15 minute city
The benefits of 15 minute cities, where amenities are within easy reach for urban life, are gaining traction around the world.Stephanie Bertolo, Associate at Springboard Policy, a public policy research and advisory firm in Canada, explores what this idea means for women in particular.

Jul 19, 2024 • 13min
Annie Smithers on Elizabeth David's vegetables
Annie Smithers explores the next chapter in Elizabeth David's seminal work French Provincial Cooking.This time it is the turn of vegetables to come under Elizabeth's exacting eye.

Jul 19, 2024 • 21min
The architecture of Geoffrey Bawa
Geoffrey Bawa is one of Sri Lanka's most renowned architects and now a new documentary is highlighting his extraordinary body of work.Afdhel Aziz is the director of The Genius of Place which is available to stream via the Shelter Architecture channel.

Jul 12, 2024 • 16min
The architecture of power
Professor Sophia Psarra discusses how architecture shapes power structures in parliaments worldwide. Topics include the evolution of parliamentary design from ancient Greece to modern Europe, the symbolism of parliamentary layouts, challenges in creating the Scottish parliament, and architectural choices in post-colonial nations.

Jul 12, 2024 • 19min
The great milk divide
Chef, farmer, and author Matthew Evans delves into the divisive topic of milk. Exploring lactose intolerance in mammals, the unique properties of Tasmanian devil milk, milk symbolism in identity, and ethical concerns in dairy production.

Jul 12, 2024 • 17min
The birds of Mary-Jane Walker
Mary-Jane Walker is an evolutionary scientist and artist based in Geelong, Victoria.She is working in 'paper taxidermy' to create more than 80 birds which are under threat in her Now You See Us art project.