Bottle stores and tasting rooms are now often showpiece features of a home, rather than being hidden away

The arts patron has built ‘a sculpture to live in’ that is more monument than residence

Brad Hickey hopes to make a name for himself (using an alias) in Australia’s wine country

It may be ‘no longer the land of smiles’ but Paula Bronstein loves living in the Thai capital when she is not in the world’s trouble spots

Strong, cheap, flexible and sustainable, the material is a natural choice for architects across the continent

Life in a popular boy band leaves Sydney-born Henry Prince Mak little time to enjoy South Korea

Sound artist Mira Calix says the sense of space in her adopted home reminds her of the savannah where she grew up

The country wants to catch up with its richer Asian rivals but for now it still offers good value for international homebuyers

Thailand’s capital is split between prime areas where prices are rising and a lower end suffering from reduced local demand

Jang Jin-sung, once an official poet to Kim Jong-il, is preparing for the day he can return to Pyongyang

After fleeing the Democratic Republic of Congo as a child, Future D Fidel is now writing plays and films in Brisbane

‘Robots are easy; humans are complex’: Sydney-based Mari Velonaki explores the interactions between man and machine

Designers are responding to demand for room-sized aquariums, pirate caves and indoor waterfalls in high-end homes

Miners work alone and risk life and limb as they tunnel 60ft below the earth’s surface

People are being tempted back to homes in the inner city by a series of bold urban renewal schemes

The capital’s highly educated, transient workforce is helping to transform city-centre districts

Michael Hobbs renovates and sells properties in Le Marche and is embracing the region’s quiet, laid-back lifestyle

A rallying market in some city areas could be a sign that the worst of the economic crisis is over

Yearning for the quiet life, Anna Thomson and her family moved to a remote mountain region an hour from Kyoto

The area around Sydney’s famous beach has ditched its gritty image and gone upmarket

Barrie Goodridge describes how the territory has changed since he arrived in 1982

Barcelona-born Blaï Mateu Trias on working in war zones and refugee camps to offer comic relief

How the culinary writer’s exile in London brought tahini, falafels and hummus to the staid English dining table

Ben Frost on riding out the financial crash and becoming more ‘Australian’ in Iceland

A house with high eco-credentials in Australia could be the next big thing for an underrated sector