Australian House & Garden

top 50 rooms

Submissions open! We’re thrilled to announce the return of the H&G Top 50 Rooms showcase, celebrating the best-looking rooms from residential projects across Australia. Do you have a recently unveiled project? We are seeking a diverse range of room designs that together display the pinnacle of beauty, quality and creativity in Australian interiors today. Entries close Friday, January 29, 2021 with the final showcase to appear in the April 2021 issue of H&G. Entry requirements Send in high-resolution images (jpg or tiff) of the room/s you would like to submit. Rooms should be professionally styled and photographed. Be sure to include all contact details, including mobile number and email address. We welcome images of all rooms – kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, studies, laundries, outdoor rooms – that highlight a unique…

editor’s letter

“THIS YEAR has brought difficulty on the one hand; on the OTHER, it has opened up opportunities WE may not have CONSIDERED.” Living the dream. That’s what beautiful, inspiring homes magazines promote, and that’s what a mix of stunning imagery and fabulous interior decorators can do so well – they bring to life the aspirations of homeowners everywhere. This year has brought so much difficulty and sadness on the one hand; on the other, it has opened up opportunities we may not have explored previously. Take, for example, Australian decorating fair Decor+Design. Usually we would be in Melbourne meeting, greeting and doing live seminars and interviews with interior designers, trend forecasters and retailers. This year, we all had to pivot! Yes, pivot, that buzzword of the pandemic. The same things were on…

your h&g

I bought the October issue of Australian House & Garden because the bright, beautiful home on the front cover reminded me of the old Queenslanders in my native Brisbane. A sudden family emergency meant that I didn’t get to read it immediately. On emerging from that fog, I finally picked it up and I can only say that I have never felt such a sense of contentment reading a magazine. Thank you for providing me with a calming and restorative place to go just when I needed it. Kate Fanning, Glenthompson, Victoria SILVER LININGS I’m a new homeowner and was feeling somewhat overwhelmed about decorating it when my husband bought me a subscription to Australian House & Garden to help hone my design ideas. Then Covid-19 hit and we have both been housebound,…

cultivated & curated

Sally Beresford’s name is synonymous with antiques. A fashion designer before she relented to her passion for old wares, Sally established her eponymous emporium two decades ago, based initially in the Southern Highlands of NSW and then in the chic Sydney suburb of Woollahra. She quickly built a reputation for impeccable taste and an eye for detail. Antiques have been a constant in Sally’s life. “I grew up with them,” she says. “My mother was a lover of trees but also a lover of antiques, and she would say, ‘You’re just the caretaker.’” Fine French furniture is Sally’s specialty, but her connection to France goes beyond an appreciation of its design history. “My mother has French ancestors on her paternal side, albeit a long way back, and I like the…

life & style

“I’m inspired by my late parents and high-achievers in all walks of life.” FIRST ADULT HOME? A two-storey cottage in Wahroonga [on Sydney’s Upper North Shore] which I renovated with my father before moving in .The owners were moving into a unit so we took over their dog as well. BUCKET-LIST DESTINATION? Paris (2) and our favourite bar, J’Drouot, where we mix with the locals, eat duck omelette then stagger back to our hotel. I’D CROSS THE WORLD TO… Visit my children in England and France, stopping in Hong Kong (as it used to be) for a few days on the way. DREAM CAR? A Porsche Macan (6) with tan leather upholstery. I LOVE A VASEFUL OF... Tall white flowers (4). FAVOURITE ARTISTS? [New York-based Australian painter] Teresa Byrnes, Picasso, Richard Allen, John Olsen (1) and…

open season

DINING Chic furniture sets the stage for an affair to remember. ACCESSORIES All the elements you need to make alfresco living even easier. Versatility is key, especially in smaller spaces. Look for pieces that are lightweight, have wheels, fold up or include storage. LIVING Soak up the sun in the best seat in the house. LIGHTING Bright ideas for enhancing the ambience in an alfresco space.…