SUNSHINE DAYS
Ahhh, January. How I have missed you: your long and languid days, frangipanis and last-minute get-togethers that say summer’s here. I absolutely love December and all the family, joy and festivities it brings (in addition to Christmas, both my children are December babies). But I must say, when the new year rolls around, it’s then when I take a very long, deep breath.
For January in my home is open doors and windows, afternoon naps, dips in the ocean or pool to top and tail each day, daily fresh food shopping, where the biggest decision is working out what dish from our new Christmas cookbooks we’re going to make that night and which chardonnay will match. Bliss.
The January issue of Home Beautiful has always been a favourite. When we start planning the issue, we picture you, as we always do, and for this one we see you in a stylish wide-brimmed hat, a gorgeous beach bag slung casually over your shoulder – with a copy of HB tucked inside. Each year, we endeavour to capture that holiday, summer-time feel with gentle reads, lots of blue skies and summer homes we know you’ ll love.
Another reason why I love the January edition is that it’s also when we get to peek inside the homes of some of our favourite stars. And this year’s celebrity special (from page 37) doesn’t disappoint. The HB team, led by acting associate editor Gavin Kirk, has come up with a stellar cast once again this year. From the beautiful Hamptons-inspired Sydney home of the very chic media personality Deborah Hutton – who until tackling her rather large renovation had only ever retiled a bathroom – to Australian Survivor powerhouse and champion aerial skier Lydia Lassila’s divine cliff-hugging home on the Victorian coastline that is the model of sustainability, these homes are simply inspirational.
But it’s not only the homes I love in this yearly special. It’s seeing how some of our favourite people in the spotlight are just as houseproud as the rest of us – and have very similar obsessions. “If I have a day off and I’m just pottering around my house cleaning, I’m so happy,” Home And Away superstar Ada Nicodemou told HB. “I find it really therapeutic, along with organising my cupboards and pantry.”
This month, I hope you get a chance to put your feet up and relax (or organise a few cupboards if that’s your thing!) and the sun shines brightly for you and your family throughout the rest of the year, wherever you are.