3 Letter from the Editor

WHEN PEOPLE HEAR THAT I work on a homes magazine, their first comment is always: ‘You must have an amazing home!’ The reality is that, like most people, I’m full of dreams of how I’d like my house to look and constantly edge towards achieving it. I love the excitement of buying something new – no matter how small – or getting major work done. Our biggest project by far was having the loft converted, and when the builders packed up after finishing, it really did feel as though the fabulous new spacious bedroom they left behind had appeared by magic.

But, of course, updates and renovations are much grittier than that and tend to involve a lot of dust, noise, and paint-splattered dust sheets. A lot of that came back to me while we were judging the entries to this year’s Renovation of the Year Awards. The standard was really high and it was difficult to settle on winners for our three categories – whole house, room and project. The winners of the whole house category certainly had their fair share of mess as, all by themselves, they transformed an unremarkable Aberdeen flat into a stunning Scandiinspired space. Turn to page 72 to see their handiwork.

Although the time of year I love most is summer, November holds a special place in my heart. This is mainly because it’s my birthday month – I share the day with Prince Charles, though fortunately not the year! – but also because it’s time for two of my favourite events: Bonfire Night and the House Beautiful Awards. This year the Awards will be staged at a glittering ceremony in the heart of London. We’ll be recognising the best home products and services, and honouring the businesses you’ve voted as best homes and online homes retailers. Look out for our March issue to find out who the winners are.

I hope your November is spectacular!