Cover story
With Scyon ™ Linea ™ weatherboards your home can have all the charm of weatherboard without the hassle of traditional timber.
When Jenna and Paul decided on a Hamptons’ look for their new home, they knew exactly what they needed; Scyon Linea weatherboards. “There’s nothing quite like the Linea board,” says Jenna. “It has the weight and thickness we needed for that solid wood effect, with the durability and fire resistance of cement composite.” The clever couple also selected Scyon ™ Axent ™ trim as an exterior architrave around aluminium sash windows to give the appearance of the frames being wood. So Hamptons, so good.
Favourite summer gardening activity? Watering the garden while drinking a chilled dry white.
I collect Books on your reading list? books on design. My everyday reading tends to be stats, specs and the news. What’s your soundtrack for summer? Pretty diverse. SBTRKT and Bronski Beat to Nirvana and Kendrick Lamar.
I love Restaurants you’re keen to try? food but never know what’s hot. I have several favourite Italian eateries: Fratelli Paradiso in Potts Point (Sydney), Cafe Di Stasio in St Kilda (Melbourne) and Locale in Noosa. Negroni. Preferred summer tipple? Sailing. It allows How will you unwind? me to forget everything else.
Shaynna Blaze Interior designer, judge on television series The Block and co-host of
Selling Houses Australia.
Relaxing, peaceful and Summer is… when I smile more than at any other time of the year.
Sitting A favourite summer pastime? outside until the sun goes down and lighting the fire pit when the chill sets in. Summer is outdoors. The Wrong What’s on your reading list? Girl by Zoë Foster-Blake, John Farnham: the Untold Story by Jane Gazzo and Game On by Bianca Chatfield and Leigh Russell. All books by strong, inspiring women. Soundtrack of your Every summer summer? there’s a new one but Justin Timberlake’s Can’t Stop the Feeling will be on high rotation. Vodka Favourite sundowner? with soda and cucumber. A restaurant you’re keen to I can’t wait to get back try? to Donovans in St Kilda. Swapping Summer indulgence? a main meal for gelato. Tips for a summer home spruce-up? Draw back the curtains and open the windows. Sunlight and fresh air are like an injection of happiness.
Use citrus-scented candles in the bathrooms and living areas. They’re cheaper than fresh flowers and add a long-lasting scent to the room. Clear all your surfaces. Summer is about feeling free and easy, so clutter on the benchtop, on the bedside table and on the coffee table makes you feel visually heavy. Use fresh flowers, candles and platters of food as decoration. And for entertaining? Serve drinks in coloured jugs and glasses. It makes any occasion feel festive.
Have the best cheese you can afford in the fridge, a variety of biscuits in the pantry, and a couple of bottles of wine or bubbly in the fridge. You never know when someone is going to pop in. And if no one does? Well go ahead and spoil yourself!