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o say that I’m thrilled to be here at Belle is perhaps the biggest understatement of 2019. Well, for me it absolutely is. A path laden with late-night model-making and down-to-the-wire assignment submissions that was intended to be the launching ground for an interior architecture career was somewhat, let’s say, interrupted many moons ago as I accidentally stumbled into the brightly lit, dazzling, fastpaced world of media. Merging an ever-present love for art and design, and the expeditiously evolving ‘magazine land’, though, has been a marriage made in heaven – enabling a deep-set passion for understanding how Australians live and providing the platform to experience how truly magnificent design can make all of our lives even more amazing.
So what better way to start to my role at this ship’s wheel than with the 2019 Belle Coco Republic Interior Design Awards? While the evening can only crown a handful of designers, being present in a room filled shoulder-to-shoulder with creative types at the forefront of defining the Australian interior design language was a real buzz (said buzz was undoubtedly helped along with tray-loads of tipples dispensed like clockwork). See the event coverage on p195, and we can’t wait to see what the tenth year of the awards reveals in 2020.
Now, television ratings suggest that unless you’ve been living under a rock it’s been difficult to avert your gaze from Nine’s powerhouse song-fest, The Voice. Where am I going with this? Well, we were fortunate to be welcomed into the recently completed family home of The Voice judge Guy Sebastian and his partner, Jules. The home was designed by architect Joe Snell (unanimously decided to be “the most handsome man in the room”), see p82 for the full reveal. But there is only so much we can show on our glossy pages – so we’ve put together a home tour video for you, too. Go to homestolove.com.au/guysebastian to take a look.
Guy’s new-build is only one of an extraordinary 17 homes by Australian designers that we showcase in this issue. Turn to p91 and you’ll discover our Smart Spaces feature, proving that a slightly smaller footprint need not sacrifice style. Then, head to p141 for a fabulous line-up of homes designed by Aussie all-stars.
Before I leave you to enjoy this issue, I must put a big thank you in print to the people who have welcomed me to the Belle team with absolute enthusiasm or sent beautiful notes of congratulations (you know who you are!). I’m so honoured and excited to be onboard for this next marvellous chapter.