Major apps are being redesigned to create a unified mobile experience – and a similar process is taking place in the physical world too. In the second of a two-part report, Canvas8 looks at how the Airspace aesthetic is blending work, home and leisure environments from Sydney to Silicon Valley.

Once a source of fascination for conceptually oriented designers, ugly aesthetics have entered the mainstream, with both brands and consumers championing the bizarre, gross, and impractical. How have minimalism, global politics, and a desire for self-expression fuelled this appreciation?

As eco-conscious shoppers put pressure on brands to be sustainable, what can they learn from nature? Canvas8 spoke to Michael Pawlyn, founding director of Exploration Architecture and Nudgestock speaker, to find out how biomimicry can solve some of the world’s material problems.

The simple, uncluttered aesthetic of minimalism has become the de rigueur for interiors around the world, with brands such as IKEA appealing to consumers who want functional, simple and stylish pieces. So how did minimalism rise to such predominance and have people finally had enough of it?