A note from the editor.

In our homes, the kitchen and bathroom are spaces that invite us to slow down and succumb to the repetition of familiar tasks. They offer us a shift in focus from the pressures of the workday to a more easy, restful pace. They are also the home’s most sensory spaces – where the smell of a favourite shampoo, the unparalleled feeling of freshly brushed teeth, the sound of the kettle boiling, or the first bite of a home-cooked meal infuse our day with heady moments of pleasure. These fleeting experiences can easily be taken for granted, but they are luxuries to be savoured.

Daily rituals such as these are often rosetinted with nostalgia, memories and sensations that are fundamentally tied to the atmosphere of the spaces in which they are performed. Function is no longer all we’re looking for in our kitchens and bathrooms; instead, designers are innovating and embellishing with unexpected materials, details and accent pieces that entice us to linger longer and to indulge in the everyday.

At Sandy Point House (cover and page 100), Kennedy Nolan has drawn inspiration from the textures and colours of the home’s coastal surrounds, while also thinking about how various generations of a family will holiday there together.

The designs in this issue of Houses: Kitchens and Bathrooms are personalized and original in a distinctly Australian way. I hope you relish the colour, character and creativity reflected by the exceptional kitchens, bathrooms and products featured here and discover inspiring ways to bask in your own small rituals each day.