April has flown by so fast. It seems like only yesterday that the last email from Matilda Duffecy, Social and Senior Editor at Inside Out popped into my inbox. The rapid passage of time is not something I enjoy (OMG am I really 54 years old!) but I’m always hungry for all the goodies inside the pages of my favourite magazine. Here’s what’s in this month’s issue.

May madness has begun! Almost at the halfway point of 2016! This month, we have a brilliant issue packed with renovation inspiration, expert advice and wishlist buys. In fact, this issue is a bathroom special, featuring 5 fresh makeovers. They really are beautiful spaces. Our cover home is a true labour of love. The family who lives here have been working on the home for over nine years! It’s the perfect representation of how you can weave your own stories throughout a renovation. And that plunge pool looks like a lot of fun! The home was styled by Jane Frosh and photographed by Derek Swalwell.

The kid’s room this month packs serious WHAM! and POW! It’s made for a young hero who deserves a headquarters worthy of Batman. It was styled by Vanessa Colyer Tayand photographed by Sam McAdam-Cooper .

Via our best buys features, we’ve pulled together all the olfactory paraphernalia with pieces that offer the perfect scents. Marble and brass and glass, delightful! Our other best buys feature takes a look at the dark side and the light side…in equal parts. The collection of graphic towels are very striking. Both features were styled by Joseph Gardner and photographed by Sam McAdam-Cooper.

In keeping with the movie theme, our food feature offers up recipes perfect for optimal binge watching. These tasty recipes are just the thing for a quiet night curled up on the couch starring three types of popcorn, ice-cream sandwiches and more! Food styling by Kristen Wilson, photography by Sam McAdam-Cooper, merchandising by Alicia Sciberras, production by Mia Daminato.

The May issue hits stands today but don’t fret if you aren’t in Australia. You can read along on  Zinio, Google Play, the Apple Newsstand and Nook.

Verandah Restaurant by GamFratesi or The Ugly Duckling by Hecker Guthrie? Why choose? I’ll take both.

The real estate adage goes “location, location, location” and I don’t think you can get a more spectacular location than Ben Buckler Point in Sydney, overlooking iconic Bondi Beach. Here houses spill down to the high water line bravely facing the unremitting waves. How do you design a house that is up to the challenge of sea and scene? How to embrace the view and the site restraints? Ask architects Tobias Partners or better still drink in the restrained beauty of their design, Deepwater House.

Monochromatic and moody this art deco apartment in Sydney’s Potts Point is raw yet polished with its stripped back floors and exposed brick in counterpoint to ornate plaster ceilings and slick modern kitchen. An oasis in the bustling inner-city by design studio Lawless & Meyerson.

It’s what Australian architects seem to do so well. The extension, the addition to an old house that opens the living areas up and out. House facades and streetscapes are maintained while out the back clever two storey additions fulfil family needs for modern living. Love the monochromatic palette of this home warmed by the rich wood accents. Contemporary, clean lined, sleek and stylish (although I’m a little worried that, at least here in Australia, the Flos Lighting Aim Lamps are in danger of going the way of Tom Dixon’s Beat Lights and become ubiquitous). Elwood House by Melbourne-based Architecture and Interior Design practice Therefore Studio.