logo
Open for inspection: Homes for sale that have embraced the dark side

Open for inspection: Homes for sale that have embraced the dark side

7NEWS4 days ago

Forget white and beige facades, this week it's all about the properties embracing the dark side. From a modern masterpiece in Richmond to a beachside beauty in Cottesloe, here are the best properties for sale with moody exteriors.
View Living Senior Reporter, January Jones gives her pick of the property listings.
A new build with a focus on modern design, this Richmond home offers a stylish interior combined with spacious living. The home features three bedrooms, two bathrooms, landscaped courtyards by Eckersley Gardens Architecture, a plunge pool and off-street parking.
"There is nothing more beautiful than a vine-covered faade. This home offers residents an exterior that will change with the seasons, creating a truly striking street presence. January Jones - View Living Senior Reporter"
January Jones - View Living Senior Reporter
Western Australia: A beachside beauty in Cottesloe
Designed by Michelle Orszasky, the striking home was created using recycled brick, cedar cladding and New Guinea Rosewood. Positioned in the blue-chip suburb of Cottesloe, the property features four bedrooms, a centrepiece kitchen, alfresco area with pool and lush landscaping.
"An exceptionally designed home with a facade that offers great street appeal. Modern and elegant, this property is sure to impress. January Jones - View Living Senior Reporter"
January Jones - View Living Senior Reporter
Queensland: A waterfront home in Minyama
Designed by award-wining building designer Peter Taylor, this Minyama home offers an exceptional 35 metres of water frontage. Located in a sought-after enclave, the property features six bedrooms, three bathrooms, swimming pool, guest studio and home cinema.
"With a dark, moody facade, this property offers something different to the multitude of white and beige properties surrounding it. January Jones - View Living Senior Reporter"
January Jones - View Living Senior Reporter
New South Wales: A beachside sanctuary in Thirroul
This architecturally-designed beachside sanctuary in Thirroul features a striking facade with Shou Sugi Ban charred timber cladding and copper feature gutters. The home has been designed with sustainability in mind and includes passive solar design, windows with Low-E glass and native landscaping.
"This property offers a sophisticated take on the traditional beachside home. While still incorporating classic timber boards, the architect has opted for charred timber to give the home a more modern, high-end look. January Jones - View Living Senior Reporter"
January Jones - View Living Senior Reporter
Tasmania: An architect-designed sanctuary in Nicholls Rivulet
Another architect-designed home, however this one is surrounded by the natural beauty of Nicholls Rivulet. Located on 10 acres of bushland, the property features three bedrooms, two bathrooms, dedicated study and spacious outdoor deck.
"Part A-frame, part cabin, this striking property offers a home that is perfectly in touch with its surroundings. January Jones - View Living Senior Reporter"
January Jones - View Living Senior Reporter
South Australia: Reimagined and renovated in Kensington Gardens
Reimagined and renovated, this home in Kensington Gardens has been completely transformed. Featuring three bedrooms, a chef's kitchen, open-plan design, outdoor entertaining area and landscaped gardens.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Delays on M4 after earlier crash
Delays on M4 after earlier crash

South Wales Argus

time10 minutes ago

  • South Wales Argus

Delays on M4 after earlier crash

As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience – the local community. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times.

Emmerdale's Fred Kettle breaks silence on Dylan's return
Emmerdale's Fred Kettle breaks silence on Dylan's return

South Wales Argus

time10 minutes ago

  • South Wales Argus

Emmerdale's Fred Kettle breaks silence on Dylan's return

Fred Kettle, who played troubled teen Dylan Penders, will head back to the village and has teased 'trouble'. Dylan played a vital role as April Windsor's friend when she ran away from home, and fans were gutted when he left. Speaking to The Mirror, Fred said he couldn't wait to be back on the ITV soap. Dylan Penders is returning to Emmerdale. (Image: ITV) "I am so glad to be back,' he said. 'It is going to be a nice journey for Dylan, given his experiences. But he is going to cause a bit of bother in the village." Fred also shared how happy he was to have the backing of fans, after they enjoyed his debut earlier this year. Dylan was first introduced as a friend of April Windsor, who she met while living on the streets. He later arrived in the village in an attempt to get clean from drugs and was last seen in March, on his way to rehab. In recent weeks, Emmerdale newcomer Joe Absolom, formerly of EastEnders fame, confirmed a "dark storyline" surrounding Dylan's return to Digital Spy. Fred also confirmed that there would be some new characters tied into his return. He said: 'Watch this space. I can't wait for fans to see what happens. It will be interesting to see his return and how the plot develops. 'But we'll just have to watch and find out." Actress Amelia Flanagan, who plays April, also had shared that she was excited to film with Fred once more. Emmerdale boss Laura Shaw had previously told The Mirror what's ahead for Dylan. She said: "The lovely Fred Kettle who played Dylan is coming back to the show. He is going to be bringing his past back to the village with him and that's going to cause huge problems for April and the family there. "We've got a couple of exciting new castings who are going to be joining us for that story, but I can't tell you who they are yet but watch this space. It's very exciting." Fans react to Dylan returning Earlier this year soap fans were quick to take to social media in support of Dylan – even suggesting he could be a long lost Dingle relative. Now, they await his on-screen return. Recommended reading: One person commented on X: 'And lovely Dylan is returning #Emmerdale." 'Dylan seems likeable enough but he's still a stranger to Marlon,' another added in reference to April's father. Others said: 'Dylan actually seems like a decent lad.' 'I notice they're bringing Dylan back next week! Wouldn't it be funny if Dylan ended being a long lost Dingle!'

Microplastics shed by food packaging are contaminating our food and drink, study finds
Microplastics shed by food packaging are contaminating our food and drink, study finds

CNN

time11 minutes ago

  • CNN

Microplastics shed by food packaging are contaminating our food and drink, study finds

Food & health Corporate news PollutionFacebookTweetLink Follow Ripping the plastic wrap from the meat or prepackaged fruit and veggies you purchased at the grocery store may contaminate your food with micro- and nanoplastics, according to new research. Plastic contamination may also occur when you're unwrapping deli meat and cheese, steeping a tea bag in hot water, or opening cartons of milk or orange juice. Glass bottles and jars with a plastic-coated metal closure may also shed microscopic bits of plastic, the study found. In fact, the abrasion from repeatedly opening and closing the caps on glass and plastic bottles can release an untold amount of micro- and nanoplastics into the beverage, said Lisa Zimmermann, lead author of the study published Tuesday in the journal NPJ Science of Food. 'The research shows the number of microplastics increases with each bottle opening, so therefore we can say it's the usage of the food contact article which leads to micro- and nanoplastic release,' said Zimmermann, scientific communication officer at the Food Packaging Forum, a nonprofit foundation based in Zurich, Switzerland, that studies chemicals in food contact materials. Researchers have measured micro- and nanoplastics in such food and drink products as beer, canned fish, rice, mineral water, tea bags, table salts, take-out foods and soft drinks, according to the study. 'This is the first systematic evidence of how normal and intended use of foodstuffs packaged in plastics can be contaminated with micro- and nanoplastics,' Zimmermann said. 'We found food packaging is actually a direct source of the micro- and nanoplastics measured in food.' A separate investigation by the Food Packaging Forum published in September 2024 found more than 3,600 chemicals leach into consumer products during food manufacturing, processing, packaging and storage, ending up in the human body. Seventy-nine of those food-processing chemicals are known to cause cancer, genetic mutations, endocrine and reproductive issues, and other health concerns, according to the September 2024 study. And while scientists have long known about potentially toxic chemicals from plastics leaching into food, 'what's less clear, and deeply concerning, is just how significant food packaging is as a source of exposure to plastic particles and what that means for our health,' said David Andrews, acting chief science officer at the Environmental Working Group, a Washington, DC-based health and environmental advocacy organization, in an email. 'This new study highlights food packaging and processing equipment as potentially significant sources of microplastic contamination in the food we eat, and ultimately in our bodies,' said Andrews, who was not involved with the research. 'This study should raise alarm bells.' CNN reached out to the Plastics Industry Association for comment but did not hear back before publication. Microplastics are polymer fragments that can range from less than 0.2 inch (5 millimeters) down to 1/25,000th of an inch (1 micrometer). Anything smaller is a nanoplastic that must be measured in billionths of a meter. At 1,000th the average width of a human hair, experts say nanoplastics are so teeny they can migrate through the tissues of the digestive tract or lungs into the bloodstream. As the blood circulates, the plastics may distribute potentially harmful synthetic chemicals throughout the body and into cells. A flurry of recent studies have discovered microplastics and nanoplastics in human brain tissue, the testes and the penis, human blood, lung and liver tissues, urine and feces, mother's milk, and the placenta. In the first analysis to illustrate harm to human health, a March 2024 study found people with microplastics or nanoplastics in their carotid artery tissues were twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke or die from any cause over the next three years than people who had none. The latest research searched thousands of studies to find those that did the best job of identifying and measuring plastics in tested foods before narrowing the list to 103 for the review. Microplastic research is quite new, and studies so far often use different methods of microplastic identification and measurement. The lack of standard protocol can make it difficult to adequately compare findings, said senior study author Jane Muncke, managing director and chief scientific officer at the Food Packaging Forum. 'The novel aspect of our analysis is we didn't just collect all the studies, but we also examined the scientific reliability of their methods. We included a critical appraisal step,' Muncke said. 'That left us with seven highly reliable studies — more high-quality research is definitely needed.' According to that research, ultraprocessed foods contain significantly more microplastics than minimally processed foods. 'There's a higher number of manufacturing steps with ultraprocessed foods, which can increase the contact time with plastic food processing equipment,' Muncke said, 'thus increasing the chance of micro- and nanoplastic migration.' Migration into food also increased when the plastic packaging was heated, washed for reuse, exposed to sunlight and subjected to mechanical stress — such as the twist used to open a bottle cap, according to the review. That sort of repeated stress could lead to higher abrasion than opening a plastic container, so future research should consider how plastic is used as well as the types of plastics, Muncke said. 'This is a rigorous, detailed and critical study that applies robust systematic methods to review the existing literature on microplastics and food contact materials,' said Megan Deeney, a research fellow and doctoral student in plastics and global health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine at the University of London, in an email. 'What is particularly important is that the authors take the time to extract and evaluate evidence on whether the presence of microplastics changed over time in these studies — this can help to identify the food contact material itself as a direct source of food contamination by microplastics,' said Deeney, who was not involved with the new research. One of the studies included in the new review found 1 liter of water — the equivalent of two standard-size bottled waters bought at the store — contained an average of 240,000 plastic particles from seven types of plastics, of which 90% were identified as nanoplastics and the rest were microplastics. Another example involved melamine, which is used to make bowls, plates, cups and other plastic tableware. 'In one study, researchers washed a melamine bowl 10 times, 20 times, 50 times, 100 times and measured the amount of microplastic it released each time,' Zimmermann said. 'Then they put something in the bowl and tested it and found more microplastic release after increased washing.' While it's not yet possible to clean microplastics from the food supply, there are steps one can take to reduce exposure to plastics and the chemicals they secrete. 'One is to reduce our plastic footprint by using stainless steel and glass containers, when possible,' said Dr. Leonardo Trasande, director of environmental pediatrics at NYU Langone Health, in an earlier interview with CNN. 'Avoid microwaving food or beverages in plastic, including infant formula and pumped human milk, and don't put plastic in the dishwasher, because the heat can cause chemicals to leach out,' Trasande said. In addition, check the recycling code on the bottom of packaging to find the plastic type, and avoid plastics with recycling code 3, which typically contain phthalates, he added. Bring reusable bags to the grocery store, suggests the Natural Resources Defense Council, a New York City-based environmental advocacy group. Invest in a zippered fabric bag and ask the dry cleaner to return your clothes in that instead of those thin sheets of plastic. Bring a travel mug to the local coffee store for takeout and silverware to the office, cutting back on plastic cups and utensils. However, due to the pervasiveness of microplastics in the environment, 'this is not something that any individual can solve on their own,' Deeney said. 'We need systemic action to reduce plastics production and pollution,' she said via email, encouraging anyone concerned about the issue to send a message to their representatives. 'There's a critical opportunity for individuals to engage with governments to demand strong, ambitious action on plastics in the upcoming final round of negotiations for a Global Plastics Treaty in Geneva this August, where more than 175 countries will convene to determine a legally-binding instrument to end plastics pollution.' Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN's Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store