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9 Ideas For Creating an Elegant Outdoor Space
PICTORIALS
1. Let the fresh air in. Create your own little sanctuary near an open window so you can enjoy gentle breezes, natural light and an ever-changing view.
2. Use a favourite corner to build a decadent day bed. You’ll be surprised at how often you find yourself sneaking away to enjoy it.
3. Add a few decorator cushions. It’s an easy way to set a mood and introduce a boost of colour or... [View]
Landscape Design Principles
PICTORIALS
Since the space that a garden occupies is three-dimensional, the starting point of design is to get inside that space and create it from within. Imagine being inside a piece of sculpture. The developing space needs to evolve to accommodate the use, comfort and pleasure of its creator. The design elements are then employed to determine the way space will be perceived. All artists –... [View]
Water-Wise Gardening
PICTORIALS
Water-wise gardening has become a subject of conversation due to drought and water restrictions. In any normal summer, we need to be water-wise to care for our garden properly without wasting a precious resource: water.
In summer, plants need more water. It is also easier to use water incorrectly at this time of the year. Naturally you will need to water your plants more often when it is hot... [View]
On Top of The World
PICTORIALS
To meet the challenge of developing their steep site, to maximise views and create a useable, attractive outdoor space, the property owners enlisted the help of Chris Owen Outdoor Design (in association with Allawah Landscapes). The elevated, Gold Coast hinterland locale provided a dramatic backdrop for this striking landscaping project.
Allawah Landscapes’ sympathetic treatment gives... [View]
Fresh Corn Salad
FOOD & WINE
(serves 4)
> 4 cobs of corn
> Cut corn approximately finger width discs and cook on stove for 10 minutes.
> Refresh in cold water.
Dressing
> 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
> 1 tablespoon seeded mustard
> 2/3 cup olive oil
> 1 tablespoon honey
> Salt & pepper
Method
Whisk vinegar, mustard and honey in a small bowl and add oil slowly.
Season with salt and pepper
Serving... [View]
Mediterranean BBQ Vegetables
FOOD & WINE
Turn your next barbeque into something special.
by Brent Southcombe, executive chef, designed2taste.
> 8 wedges of pumpkin 2 garlic bulbs
> 8 oyster mushrooms and 8 fi eld mushroom caps
> 1 eggplant, sliced 2cm thick
> 80 g Persian feta, cubed*
> 1⁄2 red capsicum
> 1⁄2 yellow capsicum
> 1 large Spanish onion, cut in wedges
> 4 thyme sprigs
> 2 rosemary sprigs
> 4 parsley... [View]
Sweet Potato, Pumpkin& Rocket Salad
FOOD & WINE
(serves 4)
> 1⁄2 pumpkin (skin on) diced and oven roasted
> 2 sweet potatoes, (skin on) diced and oven roasted
> One finely sliced red onion
> 4 handfuls rocket
> Extra blue cheese if you would like to garnish the salad
Method
Place the pumpkin, sweet potato, rocket and red onion in a large bowl and toss gently with the prepared mayo dressing.
Dressing
> 1 egg yolk
> 1... [View]
Silverbeet or Baby Spinach Salad
FOOD & WINE
(serves 4)
> 1 bunch of silverbeet or 8 handfuls of baby spinach
> 1 finely sliced red onion
> 200 gm pine nuts (preferably toasted) or sunflower seeds
Method
Place the silverbeet or spinach and red onion, and 1⁄2 of pine nuts in a large bowl and toss gently with the prepared honey dressing. Then sprinkle remaining pine nuts over the salad
Dressing
> 1/3 cup white wine vinegar... [View]
English Martini
FOOD & WINE
For each martini you’ll need ...
> 1 rosemary sprig
> 60 ml Bombay Sapphire gin *
> Elderflower cordial
Place leaves from 4 cm rosemary sprig into a boston glass, press lightly to release aromas
Fill glass with ice. Add gin and a dash of elderflower cordial
Stir 15 times and double strain into a chilled martini glass
Garnish with a rosemary sprig
* or other quality gin... [View]
Apple, Basil and Elderflower Collins
FOOD & WINE
For each drink you’ll need ...
> 2 chunks of apple
> 4 basil leaves, slapped and torn
> Sugar syrup *
> Elderfl ower cordial
> 50 ml Bombay Sapphire gin
> 15 ml lemon juice
> 10 ml apple liqueur
> Soda water
Muddle apple in a boston glass and add basil
Add a dash of sugar syrup and elderfl ower cordial, plus the lemon juice, apple liqueur and gin
Fill with ice, shake and... [View]
Strawberry and Apple Mojito
FOOD & WINE
For each mojito you’ll need ...
> 45 ml white rum
> 15 ml strawberry liqueur
> A dash of apple juice
> 2 strawberries
> 2 teaspoons sugar
> 1 bunch of mint
> Half a lime
Muddle strawberries and lime with sugar
Slap 6 mint leaves and add
Add rum and strawberry liqueur, and top with crushed ice and apple juice
Stir, and garnish with a mint sprig.
Note: “Muddling”... [View]
Passionfruit and Star Anise Sour
FOOD & WINE
For each drink, you’ll need ...
> 60 ml passionfruit-infused vodka *
> 20 ml star anise sugar syrup
> 30 ml lemon juice
> 1 egg white
> Star anise to garnish
Place vodka, lemon juice, star anise sugar syrup, and a dash of egg white into a boston glass
Shake vigorously and strain over ice into a rocks glass with a sugar rim
Garnish with star anise
* You can infuse vodka with... [View]
Caipiroska
FOOD & WINE
For each drink you’ll need ...
> Half a lime
> 60 ml good quality vodka *
> 2 heaped teaspoons of sugar
Muddle lime with sugar
Add vodka, top with crushed ice and stir
Top with more crushed ice, and garnish with lime rind
* We recommend Zubrowka Bison or Grey Goose. 42 Below (from New Zealand) is also a good one.
Note: “Muddling” refers to the crushing and pressing of... [View]
Negroni
FOOD & WINE
For each drink you’ll need ...
> 20 ml Bombay Sapphire Gin
> 20 ml Sweet Vermouth
> 20 ml Campari
> Soda
> Orange slices for garnish
Fill a rock glass full of ice, add gin, vermouth and Campari
Top up with soda and garnish with orange. [View]
Lavender Martini
FOOD & WINE
For each martini you’ll need ...
> 2-3 lavender sprigs
> 5 ml Parfait Amour
> 5 ml Dry Vermouth
> 60 ml Bombay Sapphire Gin *
Bruise one sprig of lavender in a boston
glass with a muddling stick
Fill with ice and add parfait amour, vermouth, and gin
Stir and strain into chilled martini glass, garnish with a lavender sprig
* or other quality gin, such as Martin... [View]
Best of both worlds
PICTORIALS
“When we moved to Brisbane from Auckland ten years ago, I relished the chance to design a tropical garden with all the beautiful plants that I had admired, but couldn’t grow, in Auckland’s temperate climate. The dilemma was that I love the classic, more traditional style of garden. The answer was to create both styles, each one isolated visually from the other.” And that is exactly what... [View]
Le Jardin Cosser
PICTORIALS
This elegant slice of France was three painstaking years in the making, but it now feels right at home in the Brisbane suburb of Chelmer.
To say that attention to detail is one of Phillip Cosser’s strong points is something of an understatement. Not content to bring a vaguely French feel to his garden renovation, Phillip and his willing accomplice (wife Catherine) spent months on... [View]
Parsnip, potato, leek and cannellini bean with caramelized bacon hock
FOOD & WINE
Parsnip, potato, leek and cannellini bean with caramelized bacon hock
SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS FOR STOCK
1 medium ham hock
1 carrot
1 onion
1 celery stalk
2 bay leaves
1 litre chicken stock (either bought or homemade)
1 litre water
10 black peppercorns
SOUP INGREDIENTS
3 parsnips, peeled and diced (note: save peelings for garnish)
1 tin cannellini beans
4 medium... [View]
Mushroom and roasted garlic
FOOD & WINE
Mushroom and roasted garlic
SERVES 4
500 ml chicken stock
300 ml cream
1 rasher of bacon, diced
2 large onions (sliced)
4 small pickling onions (whole)
2 sprigs of thyme
4 knobs garlic, cut in half
1⁄/2 bunch Italian parsley
250 grams field mushrooms
250 grams Swiss brown mushrooms
1 bay leaf sea salt white pepper
2 knobs butter
1/⁄2 cup grape seed oil
... [View]
Thai pumpkin and sweet potato soup
FOOD & WINE
Thai pumpkin and sweet potato soup
SERVES 6
1⁄/4 peeled, diced large jap pumpkin
1 large sweet potato (peeled and diced in large pieces)
1 4cm knob ginger, sliced
2 medium diced chilli with seeds removed
2 knobs garlic, sliced
3 medium onions, sliced
2 litres chicken stock
1 x 400ml coconut milk
2 teaspoons curry powder (alternatively use red curry paste)
6 kaffir... [View]
Roasted tomato and capsicum soup
FOOD & WINE
Roasted tomato and capsicum soup
SERVES 4
2 kg ripe tomatoes
4 truss tomatoes, peeled and scooped out
1 head of garlic
2 onions
1 red capsicum (seeds removed)
1 yellow capsicum (seeds removed)
1 bunch basil
1⁄2 bunch Italian parsley
1 tablespoon honey
1⁄2 cup olive oil (Romanico is a good one)
4 teaspoons Persian feta Sea salt
Juice of 1⁄/2 a lemon
... [View]
Stupendo
PICTORIALS
The dream to build their own unique kingdom – African style – has finally come to fruition for Lorna and Warwick Cannon of Redlynch, a semi-rural area set amongst the high picturesque hills of Cairns.
Their home Upendo, Swahili for love, proves that following one’s individuality and sense of ‘what’s right for us’ can create spectacular results.
The house, by Cairns-based... [View]
Di Lightful
PICTORIALS
It's mostly about the lines in this beautiful new house on Noosa Sound: lines that flow and curve, sweep and rise, angle and glide. Ceilings are layered, giving texture and intrigue, walls ascend and compel the eye up to a mezzanine level and beyond to a pyramid glass roof.
These exciting lines begin at the entrance where a strip of pink Italian porcelain set in the white tiles is mirrored... [View]
Downsize? Never!
PICTORIALS
It would seem logical, when moving into a very compact apartment, to downsize everything - and this is what the ordinary mortal would do - but when those doing the moving are known for their love of breaking the rules, it’s a given that this is going to be something very different.
HAVING SEEN A NUMBER of large homes where the decor has been put together by the duo affectionately known... [View]
Country Life
PICTORIALS
There is something very soothing about a drive in the country ... particularly in the fertile region around Kalbar, south-west of Brisbane.
JUST ONE HOUR FROM BRISBANE and the air is clean, the traffic is light and quiet pervades eardrums more attuned to extraneous noise. The nerves settle, hearing becomes sharp enough to discern the hum of insects and the chittering of birds, and the... [View]
Summer Feast
FOOD & WINE
The great outdoors is the best place to share this delicious summer fare with family and friends. [View]
Choosing a Builder
BUILDING & RENOVATING
- Be clear on your budget and your housing needs;
- Shop around - compare plans, inclusions and prices of a range of project builders;
- Check with BSA that the builder is currently and appropriately licensed. This free advice is available by phoning BSA on 1300 272 272 or visiting BSA’s free Online Licence Search. You can also obtain important information about the contractor’s past... [View]
Tropical Gardens
OUTDOORS
A tropical garden is simply a themed garden with elements that mimic a perceived inter pretation of what a 'tropical garden' is . In reality a tropical garden can be as diver se as a rainforest, a sandy beach, or even a rocky hill with spiky succulents. [View]
Winter Feast
FOOD & WINE
Cold winter nights are the perfect excuse for a hearty serve of comfort food.
More-ish mains and piping hot puddings are ideal for a fi reside-inspired
feast. Our favourite Executive Chef, Brent Southcombe of Designed2taste
has prepared a warming winter dinner party, including a delicious seafood
chowder and saucy slow-cooked venison shanks. But leave room for dessert
- a... [View]
Smart & Sustainable
PICTORIALS
Inspired by Melbourne's famous boathouses,
this beachside home at Salt Village on the
Tweed Coast, blends classic features with
contemporary architecture where every
element has been carefully chosen with long
term sustainability in mind. [View]
White Light
PICTORIALS
You may think that living and working
between Brisbane and Munich would be
a surreal experience - imagine having
homes in both places and commuting
between them. [View]
Aromatherapy for the Home
HOME & LIVING
Practical aromatherapy can easily be applied to your home, garden and pet care. You can use essential oils to clean, to protect, to deodorise and to enhance harmony in and around your home. You'll also gain personal satisfaction in knowing you're doing your little bit for the environment, because essential oils can, in fact, replace common household cleaners and garden chemicals, and when used... [View]
20 Things to Do This Summer
HOME & LIVING
Set your alarm clock (and your resolve!) to watch a summer sunrise. Watch as extraordinary pinks, oranges and yellows splay across the sky at first light. There's plenty of national park hotspots to visit. Pack a gourmet breakfast to keep your energy up. [View]
Clutter-free Feng Shui
HOME & LIVING
Interior designer and owner of the Beaumont School of Interior Decorating and Design, Tracie Dunne believes that though some schools of Feng Shui concentrate heavily on the more superstitious aspects of the practice, the original teachings did not. They focused instead on using good sense to encourage good energy flow. In the home, this can be achieved principally by de-cluttering, cleansing,... [View]
