simple pleasures

A few design tweaks can make your home lower maintenance, your life easier and your decor more beautiful, too. What's not to love?

THE LOWDOWN ON... ADDING AN OUTRIGGER EXTENSION

DAVID ELAND, DIRECTOR AT OEB ARCHITECTS, TALKS US THROUGH PLANNING THIS CLEVER REAR ADDITION OTHERWISE KNOWN AS A POD ROOM

OUTDOOR FEATURE OF THE MOMENT...

KITCHENS TONGS AT THE READY! TAKE BARBECUING TO THE NEXT LEVEL BY INSTALLING A FULLY-FUNCTIONING

colour insight: in the pink

THIS HUE HAS BEEN CLIMBING THE PAINT CHARTS SO IT'S TIME TO LEAVE ANY PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS ABOUT IT AT THE DOOR

wall story

From painterly block prints and botanical palms to textural plains and flowing lines, wow wallpapers are in the spotlight and there is something to suit every scheme

up on the roof

The favourite room in this London penthouse apartment is outside just take a look at that view (wow, WOW, WOW)

a life in colour

This vibrant home shuns convention and embraces the unexpected - making it a wonderfully magical place to live

catch the sun

The living is beautiful in this sun-drenched villa complete with rooftop deck and pool for chill-out sessions - the inside is pretty spectacular, too

generation game

The architect behind the renovation of this Victorian worker's cottage looked to the past and the future to give it a magnificent and multifaceted new identity say

THE LOWDOWN ON... A FRONT OF HOUSE MAKEOVER

KERB APPEAL COUNTS – ARCHITECT GEORGE BRADLEY SHARES A FEW SIMPLE STEPS TO ENSURE A SUCCESSFUL EXTERIOR REVAMP

Victorian goes playful

With equal measures of traditional touches and imaginative ideas, Amandine and Julien's period home feels completely cutting edge

Innovative laboratory

Using pop and graphic elements, designer Axel Chay has transformed his late-19th-century house in Marseille into an arty refuge where great ideas fuse

Take the plunge

Interior designer Liz Hall dived in head first when it came to transforming her now utterly amazing Aussie home

Murals etc

Transform your walls into art with big impact, large-scale designs - abstract forms and painterly motifs will ensure an artistic edge

Inspiration gallery: beautiful bedrooms

NEW SEASON, NEW LOOK? THESE IDEAS WILL DELIVER A DREAMY SPACE

Leading light

AS HE LAUNCHES A SHOW AT SALONE DEL MOBILE, SCOTT RICHLER, FOUNDER OF GABRIEL SCOTT, EXPLAINS HOW LIGHTING IS THE JEWELLERY OF A ROOM

Colour insight: vibrant hues head outside

IT'S OFFICIAL - THE SUMMER FORECAST IS BRIGHT AND SUNNY WITH HITS OF BOLD COLOUR IN THE GARDEN BEING BIG NEWS

Cottage culture

A pastoral palette and time-worn textures have given this sustainably constructed new build timeless appeal - and it has more than a hint of cool

Bold renaissance

Drawing on the architectural style of French and Dutch modernists, the interiors of this made-over Melbourne home are a class act

A feast of colour

Restaurateur Ravinder Bhogal has picked a deliciously evocative palette from the dulux heritage range here she reveals the inspiration behind it

painting the exterior

COLOUR WAS USED BEAUTIFULLY INSIDE AND OUT IN ANNA AND JOHN'S HOME ARCHITECT BILLY SINCLAIR TALKS GETTING THE OUTSIDE RIGHT DAN

OUTDOOR FEATURE OF THE MOMENT... GARDEN BARS

AN ICE-COLD ROSÉ OR A CHILLED MARGARITA? WHATEVER YOUR TIPPLE OF CHOICE, ENJOY IT OUTSIDE BY INSTALLING YOUR VERY OWN DRINKS ZONE

THE LOWDOWN ON... BUILDING A NEW STAIRCASE

FLIGHT OF STAIRS GETTING IN THE WAY OF A DREAM RENOVATION? ARCHITECTURE FOR LONDON'S AMRIT MARWAY TELLS US HOW TO GO ABOUT CREATING A NEW ONE

natural touch

Interior designer Andrew Griffiths brought the feel-good factor to this home with a palette of delectable tactile materials

the scene

ISOLA BY SAN CARLO IS THE EPITOME OF COLOURFUL SICILIAN STYLE - GREG AUSTIN AND ANDY GOODWIN FROM FETTLE DESIGN STUDIO SPILL ITS DECOR SECRETS

where the heart is

British-born Hilary Robertson shares her Connecticut home, Tater Hill, as part of her new book, Nomad at Home - she describes the interiors as European modern country and a mix of all the places she has lived and loved

city sanctuary

Arianna De Gasperis brownstone has a very British aesthetic and it's blissfully peaceful and pared-back

a little bit country

When Heide and Nick swapped London life for village life, they asked our columnist Rebecca Wakefield to give their new home a modern edge

California dreaming

Capturing both the laid-black and glam vibes of Palm Springs, this Lucas Interior-designed home is absolutely fabulous - inside and out

gardens that give

PUT BIODIVERSITY AT THE FOREFRONT WHEN PLANTING YOUR PLOT