I’m doing what I can to keep the holiday spirit alive.

There’s plenty of golden weather still ahead of us, so although coming back to reality after a holiday break can leave some people feeling deflated, I like to consider returning to my routine as an opportunity to look at it and my home with fresh eyes. What do you genuinely love about your life and where you live it? What’s no longer serving you? I’m intending to revive a few corners of my house with the help of some family hand-me-downs I smuggled into the boot of my car when I was helping my mum with a review at her place.

As much as I gain satisfaction from slowly ticking off the investment purchases my partner and I have planned, I also enjoy finding cost-effective solutions to elevate our environment. While we save up for the special pieces that’ll remain meaningful to us long-term, I’m devoting home-improvement energy to our outdoor areas by reusing existing hard landscaping materials to reinvigorate the garden, scouring second-hand stores for pots to dot along the breezeway and planting bargain plants from our son Ted’s school fair.

On location for this issue’s cover shoot, I was inspired by homeowner Gina Riley’s ability to change the mood of a space simply by arranging and rearranging décor details. Objects displayed just so, soft furnishings layered to provide visual texture, and flowers and foliage added for effect are among the things that make her house sing. You’ll see what I mean on page 58. In fact, every page from here on in is full of ideas to help you create a home that reflects where you’re at right now and the progression of your personal taste. Start the new year true to you!