GOLDEN HOUR

Cast your mind back to a favourite seaside holiday, and the delicious feeling of settling into a plush sofa, glass in hand, as the afternoon draws in. After a day in the white-bright beauty of surf and sun, there’s nothing more restful than watching the afternoon light, Midas-like, turn everything it touches to gold. This is Golden Hour. “It’s all about coming home, and embracing the coastal lifestyle with a 1970s nod,” says Fiona. “It’s a holiday at home, and it celebrates golden-brown as a colour on the rise, for its grounded and earthy qualities. Now that we spend more time at home, we’re moving away from white-on-white in favour of a space that feels warm and comforting.”

HARNESS THE POWER OF TOUCH

Introduce the soothing warmth of Golden Hour into your home through tactile elements such as timber, shell, linen, rattan and grasscloth. “Earthy tones of texture make spaces feel solid and transform an ordinary room into a primitive sanctuary which stirs our souls,” says photographer Kara Rosenlund, whose inviting home glows across pages 22 to 28. “Woven textures are also key to give a space soul and heart. Woven baskets and lampshades are the closest link we have to the natural world.”

NOD TO NOSTALGIA

An undercurrent of 1970s California-Cool permeates Golden Hour, reminding us to take refuge in the remembrance of sun-kissed, simpler times, even as we look to brighter days ahead. Choose cushions in burnished shades of velvet, furniture or joinery with rattan panels and shell light pendants to infuse your interiors with the light-hearted simplicity of a ’70s summer.

GO FOR GRASSCLOTH

Your sleep zone is the perfect place to usher in the gentle rhythm of Golden Hour – try grasscloth wallpaper as a tactile feature wall behind your bed. “Textured wallpaper gives the sense of an established room,” says Kara. “I deliberately used darker shades of grasscloth in all the bedrooms of our house, as I wanted to create little dark havens and encourage a slow and gentle way to rise on the weekend mornings.”

CAST A GENTLE GLOW

“To achieve a homely warm golden glow each evening, only use warm-white globes in lamps and light fittings,” advises Kara, who always uses dimmers. “I suppose, in a way, I mimic the direction of the sun – direct overhead light is too harsh, much like the midday sun, so always go for lamps and wall lights which are at the angle of a rising or setting sun.”

“One of the latest looks in window dressing is pairing blinds with sheer curtains. It’s a combination that is ideal for Australia’s natural light and climate, while also adding depth and interest to a room” – Vera Meharg, marketing communications manager, Luxaflex Window Fashions