Ready for our second sneak peek inside the pages of the latest issue of Inside Out? How about this amazing home?!

“The second home – styled by Jason Grant and photographed by Prue Ruscoe – is nicknamed “Austinmer Opera House”. It’s perched on a cliff in the beach suburb of Austinmer (in Wollongong, an hour south of Sydney) and has a striking look that was inspired by the 10-year-period (!) where architect Alex Symes (in association with G+V Architecture) spent drawing the Sydney Opera House in his spare time to work out why he liked it so much. The home has won a Master Builders Australia award for energy efficiency and environment management, which makes it a perfect fit for our eco issue, ” writes Lee Tran.

Don’t forget the Jan/Feb Inside Out hits the news stands in Australia tomorrow and you can read along on Zinio, Google Play and the Apple Newsstand too. I’ve read and reread my Zinio issue so many times that if you could wear out a tablet screen then I have!

Oh how I’ve been hanging out for the new Inside Out. I’m such an addict! An email from Lee Tran Lam, Managing Editor, gave me little butterflies of excitement. I knew she would be sharing another fabulous home with us. I was wrong. There wasn’t a sneak peek attached. No there were two!

“The first home – styled by Andrea Millar and photographed by Prue Ruscoe – is a really quirky warehouse in Sydney. There’s a “Spaghetti Bar” sign in the kitchenette, a lap timer clock from a swimming school in the dining room and even a trapeze (!) that hangs between the second and third level. (Originally, there was a rope and pulley system between the floors to move goods. The owners put the swing up to take over the void – and use it for chin ups and fooling around!) My favourite room would be the teenage daughter’s bedroom, which has this ultra-colourful rug that looks like a rainbow of burst balloons have been swept into the room.” I love this home. I’d move in tomorrow! The second house? I’ll share that one in a few hours. Completely different and very cool!

Aussie readers can pick up their copy of the Jan/Feb Inside Out Thursday. Don’t fret if you aren’t in Australia though because you can read along on Zinio, Google Play and the Apple Newsstand.

I’d love to see more of this New York apartment by Marc Webb and Naoko Takenouchi, the husband-and-wife team behind Singapore-based studio Takenouchi Webb, more widely know for their hospitality design. Lots of lovely inspiration from their commercial work over on their site but it was this simple yet stylish apartment that really grabbed me. Yes there are a few more photos on the website but they add nothing to the narrative. A space that I think is really cool should have great shots to really sock it to us.

I love Dana Gallagher‘s work. This talented photographer weaves dreams with light and shadow. Her shots are luminous and her passion for interiors (and food and lifestyle and beauty) shines brightly too. It’s not the first time I’ve lost myself in her portfolio. I keep going back to search for my favourites. The last image is one of them. Simple, understated elegance for this holiday season. Beautiful idea, beautiful photograph. Images via her rep’s site.

Any closer to getting into the Christmas spirit? I’m still floundering. Here is my next attempt at getting my holiday mojo back. Introducing my vintage book Christmas tree stack. Now my decorations amount to candles in brass sticks and old books. You’ll be pleased to know that for safety sake they are in different rooms 😉