Curator of all things design and architecture, Karen McCartney is an internationally renowned editor and author, having released her latest book The Alchemy of Things in September.

Hailing from the UK, Karen’s interest in design and architecture electrified when she moved to Australia and became the editor of the marie claire lifestyle magazine. From there she went on to be the founding editor of Inside Out magazine, which she helmed for a decade.

However, a big shift came when Karen was on maternity leave and came up with the idea for her first book Iconic Australian Houses (2005). Living in a 1967 Bruce Rickard designed house in Sydney, she realised that if that house existed, then there must be other places in Australia that exemplified exceptional and daring design.

This week, Karen is in Canberra as part of the DESIGN Canberra 2018 program, speaking at not one but two events – today’s Symposium on acclaimed architect and creator of some of Canberra’s most unique buildings, Enrico Taglietti, and her own talk – The Alchemy of Things this Saturday 17 November at the National Gallery of Australia.

Coming from a journalism background, Karen’s says that her writing is based on self-education and her own interests in design and architecture. Her approach is to make it accessible and not too academic.

“It’s about the experience of being in the house, what the architecture delivers back to the inhabitants and the experience of living in a place,” she says.

A space that embodies these attributes and ticked all the boxes for Karen is NewActon’s Hotel Hotel, which she says is a reflection of what a great social space should look like.

“I just really loved it. I’m not a person that likes traditional high-end glitzy luxury. It doesn’t appeal to me very much. Hotel Hotel navigated that space between good service and beautiful quality, but it wasn’t showy. I really identified with it.”

In addition to admiring Taglietti’s work, Karen has also featured the Italian-born architect in The Alchemy of Things. She says she’s excited to pay homage to particular elements of Tgalietti’s unique designs during the Symposium.

“My talk will be more the humane aspect,” she explains. “I kind of thought it would be a good basis to talk about the home and the studio as a laboratory of ideas, kind of more intimate and a bit more personal. The nature of relationships and how relationships foster creativity and how he has worked in his home.”

“There are some quirky things, it’s not a schmick architectural space, it’s quite collective and quirky so I think it’s quite revealing to see how someone lives. The things that have meant a lot to him over the years and what they say about him.”

Karen McCartney’s The Alchemy of Things: Transforming Interiors Through Objects will take place Saturday 17 November from 2.30-3.30 pm at National Gallery of Australia, Parkes. Tickets are $20. See the website for more information.