The August Edit with Lucy Glade-Wright

I’m a Leo, so it’s fair to say August is my favourite month of the year, and this one delivered.

My husband became a YouTube sensation, our family thawed out in sunny Queensland, I embarked on a tough but worthy mission to save Fred, and we’re back sharing home tours again.

It’s also been a big month for events and giveaways. We gave one lucky person a Thermomix, but the biggest giveaway would have to be an entire designer home in Camberwell. Hard to top that one.

Here’s what I’ve been thinking about, watching and loving this month.

If we all love colour, why do we play it safe?

Last week, I had the pleasure of seeing a preview of the 2027 Dulux Colour Forecast. I can’t give away any spoilers, but I will say this: blue is definitely having a moment. Yellow and orange are making a return through the side door, while rich berry, red and teal are setting a more sophisticated tone.

I love seeing this evolution of colour, shaped by the global tastemakers of Milan Design Week, but what interests me even more is how it translates into Australian interiors.

Australian homes have their own signature style. I’m still trying to work out exactly what that is, but there’s a freshness to our interiors that feels different from other parts of the world.

Of course, every home and location is unique, but collectively we seem to share a love for life and for our homes. We want to entertain. We want to feel connected to our environment. We love natural materials.

And, from what I can tell, we all say we love colour.

So why do so many of us find it so difficult to actually use it?

If you had to choose between:

A) Painting your entire bedroom blue
B) Adding blue bedlinen or artwork

I’d hazard a guess that most of us would feel more comfortable with B.

There’s no right or wrong answer, but when I’m surrounded by so much incredible colour inspiration, I can’t help wondering: why don’t more Australian homes look like this?

Last month, I visited The Block and toured all five completed houses for a media preview.

I must admit, I haven’t watched any of The Block, but from the snippets I’ve seen on Instagram, the general consensus seems to be that it’s all quite… boring.

When someone at the same media event asked me which house was my favourite, honestly? I’d already forgotten quite a lot of them. Or rather, they’d all started to merge into one.

Only one house used timber that wasn’t light oak, and I can’t remember seeing much colour at all, other than perhaps in a kids’ room.

This isn’t a neg towards the contestants. It makes sense that the rooms start to look similar when everyone is selecting from the same preordained list of suppliers.

But given the contestants are not spending their own savings, why not have some fun?

Why not add some depth, some colour, something that sets your home apart?

Unfortunately, I think our fear of colour often comes down to my least favourite word: “resale”.

“What do you mean you painted your bedroom blue, Barbara? Think about what you’ve done to your resale value!”

So, in a bid to pander to some hypothetical future buyer, we stick to white and neutrals.

We play it safe because it’s comfortable. It’s familiar.

I’m no stranger to playing it safe either, and I’m certainly not saying colour is always the right choice. But wouldn’t it be great if adding colour and personality to your home actually added to its resale value?

Better yet, maybe we stop thinking about resale altogether and start designing for ourselves.

You know, the people actually living in our homes right now.

 

Inside a $5.3 Million Luxury Home You Can Win

It’s good to be back snooping around houses again, and this one was quite the surprise.

Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to tour many Royal Melbourne Hospital Home Lottery homes, but I wasn’t expecting this one to become such a fast favourite.

A design collaboration between Mazzei, Webster Architecture and Nathan Burkett Landscaping, this home plays with a surprising contrast between its exterior and interior, exploring texture, metals and natural layering throughout.

There were plenty of unexpected moments too.

The sunken lounge, the ‘NOTHING’ room — you’ll need to watch to see what I mean — and feature blackened steel applied across the kitchen and living spaces.

There was a lot to love.

If you win this home… feel free to invite me round!

Watch the home tour →

Run time: 15.02 min
Lucy’s rating: 9/10. Lost one point cos I can’t win it.

 

We Installed 36 Solar Panels + 40kWh of Batteries: Can We Go Off-Grid?

This video is popping off on YouTube right now, so it seems there are a lot of you wanting to get your head around solar panels and batteries.

Here’s the thing: Jonno did a ton of research — and I do mean a ton — before he embarked on this solar endeavour.

Luckily for you, he’s broken it all down into a bite-sized, tasty treat that’s much easier to digest.

And if you want the real talk, stay until the end, where I chat with Jonno (and Dusty) about the realities of living with our new system.

Watch the solar video →

Run time: 21.11 min
Lucy’s review: I’ve never seen a solar battery video this enjoyable. Yes, I’m biased. Yes, I love my husband. And no, I didn’t even skip the bit where he geeks out on batteries.

Old Water Tank v New: The Results

Jonno’s shed series continues and this one is all about water filtration.

I don’t quite know how my husband manages to do so many things, but I do know I like having fresh, filtered rainwater in my glass.

In this one, he breaks down the process of connecting our new Kingspan Water Tank to our new Puretec Water Filtration system, and how it all works together.

Watch the water tank video →

Run time: 31:10 min
Lucy’s review: This is not a pretty house video — although we do take you inside our kitchen — but if you love plumbing, learning or fixing things, this one’s for you.

📌 On My Radar

🪞 Decor: Lake Rug in Thistle, Milk & Sugar
I saw this in their showroom and loved the colour. Not quite mushroom, not quite mauve. They call it ‘thistle’; I’d call it ‘baby elephant’.

🪑 Furniture: Rhythm Side Table in Earth Marble, RJ Living

👚 Fit: Daphne Top, Henne
Worn in my last home tour. Obsessed with the shoulder pads.

🎵 Beats: The Hardest Part, Olivia Dean and Leon Bridges

📖 Book: Still reading Yesteryear.
It hasn’t been a page turner for me, but still enjoying it.

🍿 Watch: Jennifer Lopez Said I Am Not a New Yorker, Casey Neistat

🎧 Listen: Keke Palmer on Good Hang with Amy Poehler
I love so many of Amy’s interviews; she is brilliant, but this one with Keke was just pure sunshine and happiness and so bloody funny. Perfect if you need a little pick-me-up.

💭 Thinking About

Turns out designing from a blank canvas is harder than it sounds.

After years of working without a real place to do it from, we’ve finally started chipping away at plans for two dedicated spaces.

One each, because according to Jonno, I talk too much.

Two offices also means two completely different designs.

Jonno wants to go dark. Real dark.

I want colour. I’m just not sure which one yet.

Because we’re building from scratch, I’m specifying every finish, every detail, every little decision.

And honestly, I’m finding it harder than I thought.

When you can do anything, suddenly choosing anything feels impossible.

I think I actually prefer improving an existing space. I like having boundaries to work within and problems to solve.

Starting with a completely blank canvas is apparently where my indecision thrives.

So right now I’m navigating the minefield of finishes, colours and materials.

And not to put too much pressure on myself, but these kind of need to be our ‘dream, never-want-to-leave’ offices.

No biggie.

I’ll keep you posted once I finally make a decision.

Want the next one?

Once a month I share what I’m thinking about, working on, watching and loving — along with new home tours, things I’ve found and whatever else is on my radar.

One email a month. That’s it.