Combatting Wasteful Consumption, With Tamara DiMattina

Combatting Wasteful Consumption, With Tamara DiMattina

Author: The Design Files August 8, 2024 Duration: 48:23

Tamara DiMattina is passionate about promoting low-waste, sustainable living. So much so, that she actually hasn’t bought anything new for more than 20 years — aside from food and the occasional personal hygiene essentials. Instead, she’s been shopping for her clothing, shoes, furniture, and (literally) everything else, second hand! 

In this episode, Tamara shares how she founded the annual Buy Nothing New Month, The New Joneses, and her journey to change people's attitudes about excessive consumerism.

Learn more about Tamara's work in the full story on The Design Files here, and head to The New Jones website to watch their free episodes on sustainability.

Follow us at @thedesignfiles or subscribe to our weekly newsletter so you don't miss a thing.

This episode of TDF talks is brought to you by Momentum Energy.


Every other week, The Design Files Talks opens up a conversation that feels like pulling up a chair in a creative studio. Lucy Feagins, founder of Australia's long-running design platform, sits down with the country's most thoughtful makers, designers, and artists. These aren't just surface-level chats; they delve into the real, often messy, process behind creating a beautiful and considered life. You'll hear architects explain the emotional weight of a renovation, gardeners discuss the philosophy behind their plots, and furniture makers unpack the journey toward sustainable practice. It’s a podcast that connects the dots between aesthetics and everyday living, exploring how intention shapes our homes, our leisure, and our environment. The discussions are grounded, practical, and rich with the kind of insights that come from over a decade of deep engagement with the design community. For anyone curious about the stories behind the spaces we inhabit and the objects we live with, this series offers a genuine and inspiring listen.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 83

The Design Files Talks
Podcast Episodes
TDF Talks @Mercedes Me With Jeremy McLeod [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:35
The revolutionary Melbourne-based architect is the founder of award-winning practice Breathe Architecture, as well as Nightingale Housing. He charts the trajectory of this game-changing new housing model, and in doing so…
TDF Talks @Mercedes Me With Joost Bakker [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:10
Joost is many things: flower grower and a florist, he’s an artist and a designer, passionate foodie and restaurateur, but underpinning all of this he’s a champion of no-waste living. In this thrillingly candid convo (lan…
TDF Talks @Mercedes Me With Amanda Briskin-Rettig [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:58
Over the last fortnight, we have been hosting weekly conversations at the Mercedes me Store Melbourne. For our first event, Lucy spoke with the inspiring founder of Australian accessories labels A-esque and Mimco, Amanda…
The Design Files Talks: Stylist + Designer Simone Haag [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:44
Hello and THANKS so much for listening to TDF Talks! TDF Talks is a fortnightly podcast from Australia’s most popular design blog, hosted by founder/editor Lucy Feagins in conversation with trailblazing Australian creati…
The Design Files Talks: The Big Group Co-Founder Chyka Keebaugh [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:04
Hello and WELCOME to The Design Files podcast! TDF Talks is a fortnightly podcast from Australia’s most popular design blog, hosted by founder/editor Lucy Feagins in conversation with trailblazing Australian creatives fr…
The Design Files Talks: Interior Designer, David Flack [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:00
Hello and WELCOME to The Design Files podcast! TDF Talks is a fortnightly podcast from Australia’s most popular design blog, hosted by our founder/editor Lucy Feagins, in conversation with trailblazing Australian creativ…