Indholdsfortegnelse for February 2026 i Australian Home Beautiful

I’ll be honest. I don’t love the heat of summer. Maybe it’s because I’m so pale. Perhaps it’s because I’m prone to perspiration, and it’s hard to be elegant when you’re sweating. But I do think it’s important to look on the bright side of life, so I make the most of things. Summer is the perfect time to fling open the doors and air out the house, wash and dry like there’s no tomorrow and socialise well into the night. It’s also a wonderful time to create your own dream staycation. I like to spend a couple of days blitzing the house clean (more on that on page 18) and then pretend I’m on holidays in my own home. Alas, without room service. I stock up on my favourite…

Outdoor encore If you love both Coco Republic and Business & Pleasure, you’re in luck – they’re back with a new outdoor collab. Find the poolside furniture pieces, umbrellas, bolsters (shown) and more at cocorepublic.com.au. PICK & MIX COLOURED COUPÉS AND FLUTES, HIGHBALL, MARTINI AND TUMBLER GLASSES – WATERFORD’S ‘MIXOLOGY’ SETS ARE A LITTLE PLAYFUL AND A LOT SPECIAL. SHOP THE CRYSTAL DRINKWARE AT WATERFORDCRYSTAL.COM.AU. TREAD LIGHTLY ADD A DOSE OF PRETTY PATTERN WITH THE LATEST KIDS RANGE FROM DOUBLE RUGS. IT’S NICE TO KNOW THEY’RE ORGANIC COTTON AND WASHABLE, TOO. THE LINE-UP INCLUDES ‘IMAGINATION MULTI’ (LEFT) AND ‘MICRO CHECK LIGHT YELLOW’ (RIGHT). SHOP THEM ALL AT DOUBLE.ONLINE. SHOP WATCH ABI Interiors has opened its long-awaited Sydney showroom – a tastefully designed display in the heart of Rosebery’s creative precinct.…

BEST SPLURGE For Cara and Jonathan, their new art collection provides moments of drama and was worth the investment. “It’s been a lovely experience commissioning artworks for specific walls and getting to meet the artists,” says Cara. “The large Timothy Johnston piece near the entrance certainly adds to the wow factor we wanted. We saw the rowing boat in a gallery while holidaying in Whistler, Canada, and knew straight away it would be perfect.” It was the scale and scope of a rambling 1920s home on Sydney’s North Shore that first intrigued Cara and Jonathan. But when the couple discovered that the house, just moments from the water’s edge, also presented dress-circle views of Sydney Harbour, there was no turning back. “The home had great bones,” shares Cara. “It ticked…

Indoor kitchens might be the heart of the home, but when the sun is shining and the sky is clear, they can feel almost like a prison. After all, who wants to stay cooped up inside, working over a hot stove, while your family gets to enjoy the brilliance of an Australian summer? Thankfully, that’s where outdoor kitchens come in. Now even the cook of the household can soak up some rays while concocting a delicious dish, all with the added benefit of keeping that cooktop heat outside. They can be as big or as small (freestanding barbecue, anyone?) as your space comfortably allows. But there are a few key design details you need to get right, lest you create a space that will only last one season in a…

If you’ve embarked on an international flight beyond Bali or New Zealand, chances are you would have experienced a brief stopover in Singapore and spent a few hours in Changi Airport, which in itself is an impressive place. Yet just a short train trip out of the busy terminals into the heart of the island, Singapore offers a fantastic choose-your-own-adventure holiday – whether it’s luxury shopping immersion along Orchard Road, trawling colourful neighbourhoods like Little India and Chinatown, a foodie odyssey sampling local fare at the many hawker centres or spending a few days simply hitting the hotspots loved by tourists and locals alike. The CBD is a great base, particularly if you get a room with a view overlooking the city’s many architectural gems and the Singapore Strait where…

Breezy, effortless and never theme-y – this is the vision interior decorator and textile designer Heather Chadduck Hillegas (pictured) of Heather Chadduck Interiors & Textiles brought to life in this Florida holiday home. “I used natural textures, unfussy finishes and a palette that nods to the beach without ever shouting ‘beach house’,” she explains. Working alongside architect Jim Strickland from Historical Concepts, Heather embraced a coastal style that feels fresh and perfectly translatable to Australian homes. A quiet standout is the stair landing (shown opposite), where preserved pickled walls lend a soothing sense of age and authenticity. In this space, a Roman blind in Quadrille’s ‘New Batik’ fabric in Cloud New Brown on Tint dresses the window, adding a subtle pattern that reinforces the home’s understated mood. FOLLOW THE SUN…

ALL PAINT COLOURS MAY VARY ON APPLICATION “People walk in and can’t believe it’s not an original Queenslander,” says Maggie of her newly constructed home in Bangalow, where she and her husband Josh live with their two sons and newborn daughter. Prior to building the four-bedroom abode on a vacant 750-square-metre block, the couple were intent on purchasing and renovating an older character house. Originally from Adelaide and returning from a short stint living in the US, they were drawn to the natural landscape and lifestyle of the Northern Rivers. In 2020, they bid on an old Queenslander on their favourite street bordered by rolling farmlands, but it wasn’t meant to be. “We were disappointed to miss out on that house, because we really wanted an old home with charm,”…

With foliage spilling over retaining walls and wildflowers popping up between boulders, this garden in an East Melbourne suburb is clearly thriving. It’s a far cry from the barren construction site it was built on. “The site was heavy yellow clay that you could definitely make a set of dishes out of,” recalls landscape designer Lori McNutt of McNuttnDorff Landscapes. “There were a lot of issues – the block’s quite steep and there was no drainage.” It was a challenge, but Lori was excited to create a sustainable garden to match the energy-efficient Passivhaus in construction. She completed the design in stages, working with builders MVH Constructions as they excavated the site. This collaborative process helped instil a sense of untamed beauty. Says Lori, “That created the layers in the…

Is there anything more serene than the combination of water, sunshine, fresh air and surrounding greenery? With an outdoor shower you get all of the elemental delights that Mother Nature has to offer, plus plenty of functional benefits. You can rinse off chlorine or salt water after a swim in the pool, wash away dirt and sweat from a strenuous gardening session or simply enjoy a little moment of self care, immersed in nature. The biggest benefit is clear: keeping dirt outside where it belongs. But which materials are hardy enough to withstand direct exposure to Australia’s harsh climate and how do you ensure privacy from neighbours? Toby France, director of Exterior Architecture, Antony Aris, director of Bondi Landscapes and Anthony Wyer, founder of Wyer & Co, share a clean…

INTRODUCING HB’S PODCAST DARREN PALMER Our first podcast guest had to be special and who better to help us break the ice than a bona fide blockbuster? Interior designer and judge of ‘The Block’, Darren Palmer sat down with HB’s editor-in-chief (and host of The Edit) Elle Lovelock to share the secret to starting a home from scratch. From his experience with celebrity clients to the topic of “easy luxury”, Darren has opinions and he certainly isn’t afraid to share them. JAMES TREBLE When we think of status symbols, our minds often turn to investment properties, resort-like outdoor spaces and the latest in home tech. But designer and TV personality James believes there’s an even bigger money pot that’s about to trend, and you likely already have enough space for…

Like fairy dust in a Disney movie, a humble tin of paint has a magical touch that’s endlessly versatile and instantly impactful. “Painting walls is a low-cost way to quickly transform a space,” says interior designer Sarah Yarrow. “Considered paintwork subconsciously impacts the way you feel, and colour elevates an ordinary wall so that it takes on a whole new meaning in the room. That’s the power of paint.” If you need another incentive, just look to the season we are in. Summer creates better drying conditions and benefits from extra daylight hours. So, pick up a colour chart and we’ll take you through the steps, from finishes and colour palettes to techniques and trends. A glossary of finishes Matte A non-reflective, velvety finish that masks imperfections and softens glare,…