One month till… cough, cough, gurgling noise in the back of the throat… Christmas. There I said it. Christmas. Christmas! CHRISTMAS! That’s me screaming. Why does the year slide past for quickly? Why does it feel like I packed away last year’s Christmas decorations only yesterday? Perhaps because there are still a couple of snow-dusted bottle brush trees sitting on the top shelf where I can’t reach them without some effort and no one has noticed and I convinced myself months ago that they go with the decor. No hiding from the encroaching holiday season now. Oh no! The monthly email from Inside Out magazine’s Managing Editor Lee Tran Lam has dropped into my inbox and (insert Bing Crosby crooning) “it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas”.

I’ve got for you the cover story, which is about the Christmas-friendly home of cook and food stylist Mish Lilley. She’s already got a head start on creating holiday-worthy dishes, given her recipe-savvy background (we feature some of her festive feast suggestions in the mag). But the fact she has a pretty amazing kitchen doesn’t hurt – she is definitely in no danger of running out of bench space (check out that lavish marble island she has to prep from!). How great is this bright strip of storage mounted along her ceiling-high mirrored splashback, too? It’s definitely the kind of dream kitchen you could imagine on a TV cooking show. Also, the rest of her home is pretty appealing, too – from the ensuite’s black clawfoot bath with that postcard-perfect view of the cactus springing from her garden to the pegboard-like fun of her children’s bedroom. I hope you enjoy seeing all these great corners of her home. Styling by Heather Nette King. Food styling by Mish Lilley. Photography by Mark Roper.

Can’t wait to flick through the pages of the December issue out tomorrow. Maybe I’ll get my Christmas mojo on. Don’t fret if you aren’t in Australia though. You can read along on  Zinio, Google Play, the Apple Newsstand and Nook.

I knew it was familiar. I knew I’d seen it before. Not the living area. No, turn around. It’s the kitchen. And that table. And those windows, those glorious windows. We all love clicking through the listings on our favourite location sites. It’s a bit like real estate stalking. I’d never seen a house before that I recognised though until I saw this place. They filmed Jamie’s 30-Minute Meals here. I must confess that my attention was only half given over to Jamie Oliver’s cooking whenever I watched the program. I was scoping out the kitchen and trying to imagine what was outside those wonderful windows. Now I know. Faith House via Airspace Locations.

New from Sydney-based design duo Christopher Glanville and Megan Burns of CM Studio the Paddington Project builds on the success of their Cross Street project. Known for their elegant, liveable, modern spaces the studio has partnered with leading Australian furniture retailer Living Edge to create the Paddington Project, a quintessential Sydney terrace renovated with sophisticated minimalist interiors and styling. Here’s the twist. It’s all for sale. From the Marc Newson For Noritake Espresso Cups to the MO Bed to the artwork to the house.

Additional collaborators include Sydney Florist Doctor Cooper whose floral arrangements will adorn some events throughout the project and Sebastian Goldspink who has curated a collection of contemporary Sydney artists to be represented in the space. Design Open Days Friday 27th/Saturday 28th/Sunday 29th November and Friday 4th/Saturday 5th/Sunday 6th December 1pm – 5pm. The Paddington Project is at 51 Oately Rd, Paddington.

A stunning location and a stunning building. Almost like paper folds except with concrete. Rugged, box-like, brutal lines broken by walls of glass. A contemporary home on an ancient coast. Casa Ronco by Chilean architectural firm Estudio Valdés.

Someone really, really, really likes Albert Einstein. What I really like are the stairs, that floor level window in the living room and the lap pool that stretches from the front yard to the back under the bridge-like entrance hall. I’m stalking in Brighton in Melbourne. Link here while it lasts.