Stalking a trophy home

I'm stalking Belhaven, one of Sydney's trophy estates. High on a ridge in the exclusive suburb of Bellevue Hill, it is home to Westfield executive and Brambles chairman Stephen Johns, his wife Michele Bender and their vast art collection. (Their neighbours are media mogul Lachlan Murdoch and his wife Sarah.) I'm not bothering with the listing's pictures. They do not do the home justice. The video does. This is how the other half lives unpretentiously in Australia. The home is expected to fetch $25 to $27 million. Link here while it lasts

Hideaway in the city

I can't help it. Even though it's winter here I keep daydreaming about backyards and outdoor spaces. And if I owned a teeny tiny courtyard garden behind a terrace house in the inner city I couldn't think of a better outdoor solution. Pool, a place to sit and soak up the sun, benches for friends to gather, perhaps a slightly bigger table for al fresco dining, a frangipani to grow up and give me shade in the summer and sun in the winter and the promise of a carpet of sweet smelling flowers at my feet. A private hideaway tucked above a garage in Sydney's Paddington by Outdoor Establishments.

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It's French

It's at times restrained and contemporary. At others it's OTT. It's old and new. It's eclectic. It's light hearted. It's fabulous. It's French. It's Rue du Japon Toulouse by Paris-based design duo RMGB, aka Baptiste Rischmann and Guillaume Gibert.

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Contemporary meets classic garden

This Vaucluse, Sydney garden may be young but it's contemporary meets classic formality mix is fabulous. It will be perfect when the trees mature and the stakes and ties are no longer needed. Another great design by Harrison's Landscaping.

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Bondi backyard beauty

It's hard to take winter seriously in the sub-tropics where I live. Today it's 22°C. Perfect weather for daydreaming about backyard redesigns. For small block inner city living this Bondi backyard is just about perfect. Pool? Tick. Outdoor kitchen and al fresco dining? Tick. Tropical plantings including statement container plants? Tick. A bit of grass and a swing for the kids? Tick. Privacy in the middle of a bustling city like Sydney? Tick. Who needs anything more? By Harrison's Landscaping.

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