Awash with sunshine and colour, white walls and floors. A casually chic family home with stunning sea views. The perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of city living yet still on the northern beaches of Sydney. Palm Beach Tower. It can be yours for a few days or a few weeks as a holiday let. Who wants to join me for a winter weekend getaway?

Who says you can’t have a garden when you live in an apartment? Illura in West Melbourne by Elenberg Fraser.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love the boho meets faded vintage, meets real life in the city vibe of this East Village, NY apartment by FIG Interior Design. I love how the living area transitions to dining and kitchen. I love a stylish open plan. I love the layers of detail, the textures, the little things, the cherished things, the clutter of things. I love that you can see lamp cords and that the sheets aren’t steamed wrinkle free for the shoot. I love seeing rooms by day and as the light fades. I love the personality and the panache. I love the drama of dark walls and the play of flames in the fireplace.When I daydream of living in New York this will be the place I do it in.

It’s that time of the week. The ones that made the cut but then didn’t because I hummed and hawed and changed my mind. My stalking leftovers. Why? I’m very fussy. Call me particular, finicky, choosy and hard to please. Not quite right, bad photos, I need more photos please, house is amazing furniture is deplorable or no furniture at all! Can’t quite put my finger on it listings with something that has me nodding “yes”. This week I’m fixating on little kitchens and bathrooms including a new meaning to “the bath is just off the landing”. There’s a church conversion too and a couple of cottages in the country. All via realestate.com.au.

Serene and sophisticated. A timeless marriage of the contemporary and the traditional. Light, dark. Urban and ethnic. Relaxed and refined. I’m drawn into the creative web of interior designer Gillian Khaw. Imagine this first house as a weekend getaway. I’d never leave.