Australian House & Garden

Welcome to our annual Top 50 Room Awards issue. We are delighted to present 50 incredible rooms imagined by Australia’s leading design talent. We feel privileged that Australia’s top creatives choose to enter the Awards and that we have the opportunity to share their work with you. The sensational standout and overall winner this year is Sydney-based architect Madeleine Blanchfield. Madeleine and her team submitted a breathtaking portfolio of work to this year’s awards – obviously all different due to the client brief and location, but all exuding her unmistakable design DNA. Her interiors look effortless and a pleasure to inhabit, but we know to achieve those results, a lot of precise design work goes on behind the scenes. Congratulations to Madeleine and team and to all of our other…

EDITORIAL Editor in chief Tanya Buchanan Creative director (acting) Marissa Foye Deputy editor Karen Spresser Chief copy editor Peter Griffiths Senior copy editors Bethan Lacoba, Debbie Duncan ART & STYLE Art director Andrea Healy  Stylist Sophie Wilson  Prepress specialist Matus Kundrat CONTRIBUTORS  Victoria Baker, Paul Barbera, Mike Booth, Victoria Carey, Lucy Carroll, Lisa Cohen, Daniel Corden, Amanda Cordony, Steve Cordony, Michelle Cox, Claire Delmar, Tom Ferguson, Marissa Foye, Martina Gemmola, Maree Homer, Stephanie Hope, Holly Irvine, Timothy Kaye, Esteban La Tessa, Alana Landsberry, Olga Lewis, Rhiannon Lidbury, Ryan Linnegar, Mitch Lyons, Shannon McGrath, Kathy McKinnon, Jack Milenkovic, The Palm Co, Chris Pearson, Melissa Penfold, Carli Philips, Sue Ramsey, Prue Ruscoe, Jeremy Simons, Anson Smart, Kristina Šoljo, Kirsten Stanwix, Tess Thyregod, Linda Tjaturono, Edward Urrutia, Pablo Veiga, Isabella Walker-Smith, Dave Wheeler,…

“I love to spend Sundays in the ‘good room’ (as my husband, Richard, calls it), listening to music while reading and chatting to him,” says No Chintz founder, Chrissie Jeffery. Banumbirr (Morning Star pole) by Henry Gambika Nupurra. Diptych by Clare Milledge above the No Chintz linen sofa. Bronze work by Anne Wienholt on a Knoll coffee table. Ceramics by Erez Ben-Or. Armchairs, Copeland & De Soos. Rug, Robyn Cosgrove. KITCHEN Chrissie loves to cook: “I find it very relaxing,” she says. She took her colour cue for the Peter Lewis Paints custom wall paint from the handmade zellige splashback tiles from Teranova. Joinery painted Dulux Palmerin and kitchen island in dark stained oak, both DSK Kitchens & Furniture. Custom pendant light, Opal Lighting. A curved cut-out in the Fusion…

TOMATO BREAD WITH ANCHOVY & MARJORAM Prep time: 15 minutes + cooling. Cooking time: 4 minutes. Serves: 4-6. 3 tablespoons (60ml) extra virgin olive oil, extra to serve ½ sourdough baguette 2 ripe Oxheart tomatoes ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 1 garlic clove, sliced in half 6 white anchovies in vinegar 5g fresh marjoram leaves 1 Heat a skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of the oil. Slice sourdough baguette diagonally into 6 x 1.5cm-thick slices. 2 Place bread slices in skillet, pressing down on each side for 2 minutes to toast. Remove from skillet and set aside. 3 Grate tomatoes into a small bowl using a cheese grater. Strain excess tomato liquid and discard along with any large pieces of tomato skin. You should be left with ½…

KITCHENS Best Kitchen WINNER SPONSORED BY ROOM OF THE YEAR SPONSORED BY Winnings 1 BRIGHT STAR Madeleine Blanchfield & Nick Channon, MADELEINE BLANCHFIELD ARCHITECTS, PADDINGTON, NSW A single-storey rear pavilion extension with a generous ceiling height and skylight provided the ideal space for this standout open-plan kitchen with its layered yet balanced design. A sculptural, stepped island stands firmly centrestage, while timber joinery adds warmth below the concrete ceiling. “The final form, nestled in leafy surrounds, is a warm, open residence that embraces its modern essence,” says Madeleine. madeleineblanchfield.com. 2 WORK OF ART Jessica Gombault & Alexandra Kidd, ALEXANDRA KIDD INTERIOR DESIGN, POTTS POINT, NSW The brief: serene and sophisticated. The result: “an open, airy space that is both a culinary haven and a stylish gathering spot,” says Jessica, who…

Australian House & Garden ‘Sandy Cape’ washed Belgian linen quilt cover set in Earth and in White, $299.95/queen, Myer. Crisp, cool bed linen. Tucked-in corners. Inviting pillows. A freshly dressed bed is one of the finer things in life, and yet many stumble here. To create harmony, work with your overall colour palette. The colours do not have to exactly match the rest of the room, but the tones do need to be complementary. There are many different ways to make a bed, but you need layers to prevent it from looking like it’s in student digs. The old-school, simple but sumptuous, bed setting – without piles of handmade cushions that invariably must find a home for the night – is always a sign of good taste. After the mattress…