Anthony Burke's By Design

Afleveringen

• How the sari became fashion’s ultimate chameleon 04.06.2026 13min

  It’s a single strip of cloth that has shaped centuries of style and identity.Worn for thousands of years across India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, the sari is one of the world’s most enduring—and adaptable—garments. From sacred ceremonies to high fashion runways, it has continually reinvented itself while carrying deep cultural meaning. But how has one garment continued to feel fresh, relevant and strikingly modern over so much time?
• How an interior designer really sees your home 02.06.2026 24min

  What do designers notice the moment they walk through your front door? Interior designer Adelaide Bragg and photographer and author Robyn Lea reveal how they read a room—translating light, objects and atmosphere into deeply personal stories. We explore their collaboration on City, Coast and Country and what it takes to style and capture uniquely Australian homes with meaning, not just bea
• How was the fork an instrument of evil? 28.05.2026 12min

  It sits quietly on the table, beside the knife and spoon, rarely asking for attention. But the fork hasn’t always looked — or behaved — the way it does today. From scandalous novelty to everyday necessity, this small object has played a powerful role in shaping how we eat, how we gather, and how manners became habit.
• Public toilets: The design, history and politics of who gets to go 26.05.2026 27min

  ‘The sewer is the conscience of the city’, or so the French writer Victor Hugo once claimed. It’s a confronting idea, but a revealing one: the way a society deals with waste can tell us a lot about its values, priorities and politics. And yet our toilet habits are something we’re usually taught to ignore, avoid or feel embarrassed about. We look at one everyday object that sits right at the intersection of design, morality and public life: the public toilet. Used by everyone, discussed by few, and designed very differently across cultures and centuries, it turns out the humble loo has a lot to say about who we are.
• Extraordinary Everyday: The dressing gown 21.05.2026 12min

  Today, the dressing gown is as likely to appear over pyjamas during a dash to the bins as it is at a lazy breakfast table — but it wasn’t always this casual. Once, this was a garment that signalled leisure, status and a certain velvet‑chair‑owning elegance. In this episode, we wrap ourselves up and trace the surprisingly stylish design history of the dressing gown, from indulgent luxury to everyday comfort.
• Mary Featherston: Design, disruption and advocacy 19.05.2026 27min

  When we think about design in Australia today, it’s impossible not to trace its evolution back to pioneers like Mary Featherston, AM. A leading force in shaping a more human‑centred approach, Mary has spent decades reimagining design as something embedded in our everyday environments — not just objects, but experiences. From transforming the way we think about learning spaces to helping define a distinctly Australian mid‑century modern design language alongside Grant Featherston, her influence runs deep. These days, however, Mary sees herself as more of an activist than a designer. So just how did she get there? And does design still have a role to play in her activism?
• Extraordinary Everyday: The esky 14.05.2026 11min

  From cricket sidelines to camping trips, the esky is an essential tool of getting out and about, making sure cold drinks are always within reach. It’s so familiar it feels stitched into Australian life. But where did the esky actually come from? And is it really an Australian design, or something we simply made our own?
• Will the budget finally make it easier to buy a home? 13.05.2026 33min

  What does the federal budget really do for Australia’s housing crisis? Peter Martin from The Economy, Stupid joins Anthony Burke from By Design to examine whether changes to tax settings will make it any easier to buy a home. And what impact it will have on rents.  
• Inside Eurovision’s high-stakes world of spectacle design 12.05.2026 28min

  Once a punchline, now a powerhouse. For decades, Eurovision lived on the fringes of Australian culture — loved by some, dismissed by many. But when Australia entered the competition in 2015, perception began to shift. What was once mocked for its camp excess and theatrical scale moved steadily into the mainstream. After 70 years of spectacle, ambition and visual escalation, how has Eurovision gone on to influence the way entertainment is designed today?
• Extraordinary Everyday: Umbrellas 07.05.2026 13min

  The umbrella has seen more than rain.For centuries, its silhouette has barely changed — but its story is anything but ordinary. From ancient status symbol and sun shield to political prop and covert weapon, the umbrella has quietly intersected with power, fashion and invention. In this episode, we trace the dramatic design evolution of an everyday object we only notice when it rains.
• How do you design your way out of a sinking city? 05.05.2026 26min

  It sounds like a dystopian story - a city sinking lower every year, streets flooded by tidal waters.. But this is the lived reality of many cities across the globe, particularly in Jakarta, where the city is sinking at a rate of 200 mm per year, the fastest in the world. So far there have been plans to relocate the political community to a new city, and walls to keep out the rising sea. But will any of this be enough? How do you design your way out of a sinking city?
• Extraordinary Everyday: Men’s ties 30.04.2026 14min

  If you stop and think about today’s item, it’s one of fashion’s strangest inventions. We loop it around our necks, pull it into a neat little noose, and call it an accessory. Yet the humble men’s tie - this decorative strip of fabric - has survived centuries of reinvention. And somehow, it has come to symbolise masculinity more strongly than almost anything else you can wear.
• Why neurodivergent minds need better design — and how our spaces exclude them 28.04.2026 25min

  Flickering lights, windowless offices, overwhelming noise — bad building design affects everyone, but for neurodiverse people it can be exhausting. We explore how everyday design irritations are amplified for neurodivergent minds — and how the built environment can quietly work against the brain. We ask what neuro‑inclusive design really looks like, and why changes made for some could end up making spaces better for everyone. Plus it turns out that big changes are coming soon to Australian design standards on this very front.
• Extraordinary Everyday: The kettle 23.04.2026 12min

  Australians love a cup of tea. From the boil of a billy by the campfire to “everybody jiggling” a Lipton tea bag, a good cuppa has long been woven into our cultural identity. So it feels only natural that when it comes to delivering this liquid gold, Australians would be at the forefront of engineering the best way to boil water - and it's come a long way since the days of the billy can.
• What is lost when buildings become casualties of war? 21.04.2026 28min

  One of the greatest tragedies of war is the loss of innocent life, and it’s rightly at the forefront of how we measure the cost of conflict. Against that reality, the protection of buildings and monuments can seem frivolous — even misplaced. But organisations like Blue Shield, a non‑profit dedicated to safeguarding cultural heritage, argue otherwise. They believe the built environment carries deep meaning, memory and identity — and that preserving it plays a vital role in the resilience and recovery of communities caught in conflict.
• Extraordinary Everyday : Gravestones 16.04.2026 14min

  Gravestones may be stark reminders of our mortality, but they’re also powerful records of history, identity and belief. What can the design of these enduring markers tell us about the people they commemorate — and the eras they lived through? From symbolism and materials to craftsmanship and changing cultural values, we trace how grave markers have evolved over time.
• Is adaptive reuse worth the investment? 14.04.2026 25min

  Heritage buildings can be pretty … but are they worth the money? Adaptive reuse advocates argue that reworking existing structures isn’t about nostalgia — it’s about unlocking potential. These projects take longer, cost more, and demand far greater creative problem‑solving, but for designers willing to take them on, the value extends well beyond the balance sheet.
• Extraordinary Everyday: Pockets 09.04.2026 14min

  Men expect them in every pair of pants, every jacket, every coat. And yet, for women, pockets have been mysteriously withheld, removed, resized, or declared “unnecessary” for centuries. Why? In this episode, we unpack the surprisingly political, practical, and quietly rebellious history of pockets — from their deliberate disappearance in women’s fashion to the small jolt of joy when a dress actually has them. This is a story about design, power, independence, and the everyday details that shape how we move through the world. Guest: Nicole Jenkins, Fashion historian, Circa Vintage
• How AI is reshaping architecture 07.04.2026 24min

  Algorithms are sketching, rendering, optimising, and quietly reshaping who holds creative power. In this episode, we ask the uncomfortable questions: Is AI a tool, a collaborator, or a threat? What happens to expertise when clients can generate designs in seconds? And who really benefits when intelligence is automated? Guests:  * Philip Allsopp, Co-Chair, RIBA Expert Advisory Group on AI, Generative Design and Data * James Loder, Wardle
• Extraordinary Everyday: Surfboards 02.04.2026 12min

  Australia’s surfing story has been influenced from far beyond our shores, from ancient Peruvian reed boards to Hawaiian royalty and the design revolutions that shaped the modern surfboard. So how did we get from the earliest surf boards of heavy wooden planks to the sleek, high‑performance boards ridden today?  Guest: Andrew McKinnon, Surf reporter and historian