Editor’s note

Kitchens and bathrooms get a lot of airtime in the homestyle office, but it’s during the lead-up to our annual special issue that we really start lusting over the genius fixtures, fittings and surface treatments used when designers and homeowners fearlessly embrace something other than ‘ready for resale’ options.

I appreciate the need to be financially responsible when building or renovating, but a little bravery can go a long way towards creating a home that makes your life more joyful. Take, for example, the renovation of our cover home on page 68, for which interior designer Tomi Williams devised a bold blue-on-blue scheme with tan, clay and ornate patterns that honour the homeowners’ Indian heritage, while bringing a thoroughly modern edge to a traditional villa.

Sometimes it’s something as simple as a sea view that can inspire creative thinking, as it did with Nicole McKenzie and Dave Glackin’s Auckland abode on page 106, and Thandi and Bachelor Tipene’s Taranaki home on page 78, where you can watch the waves while soaking in the bath, thanks to the floor-to-ceiling glass window in the ensuite. How’s that for the ultimate spot for a couple of former professional surfers sussing out the swell?

I also have great admiration for Kip&Co co-founder Alex McCabe and her commitment to combining colour and texture in her Melbourne cottage. I’ll leave you to discover her crushworthy kitchen for yourself on page 92, but just have to share a shot of her laundry here, because who else would combine chipboard with emerald green tiles and pink concrete?!

Of all the courageous spaces we’ve showcased in this issue, my personal favourite would have to be architect Benoit Viaene’s understated bathroom on page 53. The spare decoration with textured plaster walls and black steel detailing is a testament to good design being as much about what you dare to leave out as what you put in.