Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2022 i Better Homes and Gardens Australia

Every garden needs a path or two – to get you to the clothesline, the shed or your front door. It can be formal and straight or snake around your garden, taking you on a voyage of discovery. It can be rustic, or modern and sleek, depending on the style of your home. And the path material can blast a hole in your budget or be as cheap as wood chips. But what isn’t optional is that your path should take you up close and personal to your plants. DESIGN considerations • Try to make your path materials fit in with the colours and textures of your garden, as well as the style of your home. A gravel path sits well in the succulent garden of a modern home, while…

Recipes on page 84 Recipe on page 87 Recipe on page 86 AN ORGANIC OLIVE AND GRAIN FEAST Menu for 6 MAIN Falafel SIDES Sweet potato, beetroot and lemon purée Oven-roasted eggplant Chopped herb, tomato and cucumber salad Two-ingredient sweet potato flatbread Garlicky tahini parsley sauce DESSERT Chocolate mousse cake FALAFEL Preparation time 25 mins plus 24–36 hours soaking Cooking time 15 mins Makes 30–35 2 cups dried chickpeas200g red onion, cut into chunks2 handfuls parsley stalks and leaves1 handful coriander stalks, leaves and roots, roots washed2 tsp ground cumin¾ tsp ground cardamom1 tsp salt½ tsp black pepper2 Tbsp chickpea flour or teff flour(available from health food stores and online suppliers)4 cloves garlic1 tsp baking powder1½ cups extra virgin olive oil, for deep-frying1 quantity Garlicky tahini parsley sauce (see right),…

ON DISPLAY Try a tablescape where disparate pieces are bound by a common colour. Jardin wall decor 70 x 100cm in Multi, $249.95; Lynden table lamp 40cm dia. x 45cm in Gold/White, $199; Roset photo frame 16 x 21cm in Burgundy/Pink, $32; Sedona vessel/pot 12.5 dia. x 23cm in Maroon/Pale Pink, $63; amalfihomewares.com.au. NEW DIRECTION Change your decor instantly with the Harlequin Multi cotton velvet cushion, $84.95, amalfihomewares.com.au. Seat of style Every living room needs one statement piece and this armchair, with its beautifully textured boucle fabric upholstery and sophisticated walnut finish scissor-leg design, more than delivers! Grand Designs Lennox Armchair in Bisque, $729, isalbi.com.au. potted perfection A surefire way to love your new houseplant is to pair it with the perfect pot. Although the selection is endless, we are…

FOOT NOTES Your feet are a marvel of human design, each one packing in more than 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments, 33 joints and 26 bones – nearly a quarter of your body’s total. Issues can start when their health and wellbeing are neglected. So it’s time to show them TLC. They’ll thank you for it later. SOLE MATE Our feet do so much heavy lifting – literally carrying the weight of our bodies. They need exercise for flexibility, strength and mobility, but we often restrict them in shoes. So treat them kindly by going barefoot for these moves. 1 FOOT STRETCH Sit near the edge of your chair. Reach your right foot back, tucking the toes underneath such that the top of your foot touches the ground, with your…

THE LATEST SUSTAINABILITY PRODUCTS AND TRENDS ECO COLOUR Bring beautiful eco-conscious colour into your home with Benjamin Moore premium paints, a more environmentally friendly range of water-based, low VOC products with superior performance and application, benjaminmoore.com.au. LIVE WELL Eat well and live better with Egg of the Universe by Bryony and Harry Lancaster (Murdoch Books, $49.99), a seasonal guide to delicious food and mindful practices. Climate control Save on energy costs in style with Duette Shades. The honeycomb construction of these beautiful blinds traps and blocks incoming heat so you can enjoy cooler interiors throughout your home, luxaflex.com.au. Go greener BEVVIES After a more planet-friendly tipple that tastes amazing? Cupio 1.5L bagnums have sustainable packaging, a lower carbon footprint and stay fresh for up to 30 days after opening. Available…

KEEP YOUR COOL Personal cooling is the way to go for relief from the summer heat while sleeping, working or travelling. Featuring innovative evaporation tech, Evapolar portable devices cool, humidify and purify the air. Ultra quiet and energy efficient, they come in three sizes and styles, from $149-$299, evapolar.com/en-AU. PORTABLE SOUND Get size-defying sound at home or on the go with a lightweight smart speaker you can control with an app or use with your Sonos system for multi-room listening. Switching from Wi-Fito Bluetooth, the Sonos Roam, $299, gives you hours of audio indoors and out, sonos.com/en-au. POOL PARTY! Add sound and lighting to your next pool party with a waterproof wireless speaker. Enjoy state-of-the-art sound, sync your music and even answer calls with the Rechargeable Bluetooth Underwater Light Show…

Don’t get scammed! Puppy scams are a sophisticated, multimillion dollar rip-off, targeting people seeking a furry companion. The ACCC’s ScamWatch has reported Aussies lose hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on dogs that don’t exist! WHAT TO LOOK FOR Animal welfare charity Companion Animal Network Australia shares red flags to watch for. • Websites and ads in online classifieds and on social media for sought-after dog breeds where email is the only way to contact them. • Sellers who stop you travelling to meet and pick up your puppy. They ask for upfront payments via money transfer to pay for the pet and transport. • Having paid a deposit, scammers find new ways to ask for more money, such as claiming higher transport costs to get across interstate borders.…

It may sound a little counter-intuitive, but replacing grass with gravel is one way to go greener in your garden. Immediately you’re helping the environment and reducing your carbon footprint by removing the need for mowing and artificial fertilisers. Your water use also declines dramatically as does your weeding and use of herbicides. Plus, your garden can still be as warm and inviting as it was with the lawn. You’ll just have more time to appreciate it. DESIGN TIPS • With no need to mow, you can put your plants wherever you want. • Combine your gravel with barefoot-friendly stone or timber pavers. • Put in plenty of airy grasses and perennials to make your garden easygoing and soft-looking. • Lots of greenery creates a lush feel, even in a…

SEEN ON BHG TV FRIDAYS 7.00 creating resort-style living in your own backyard has rocketed up the renovation wishlist! It’s not just outdoor dining either, with the lounge taking pride of place under a new pergola. Flanked by rock retaining walls and mature plants, this design faces carefully curated garden beds enclosing an existing mature tree. TIPS FOR LANDSCAPING ON A SLOPING SITE Critical issues to work with – and around 1 MAKE A PLAN This is the most crucial step of them all! Tick off your lifestyle wishlist, but, more practically, have the site surveyed to work out levels and check if you need planning approvals. A professional planting scheme will also ensure garden beds integrate with the overall design. 2 RAISE THE WALLS There’s a wide range of…

TOP GRAIN Discover your new pantry staple. Bulgur is a Middle Eastern grain that is high in fibre, protein and vitamin B, and is low GI. Use this unsung superfood for bread, vegie patties and salads, and in pilaf dishes instead of rice. Find Duru Bulgur, from $3 for 1kg, at Coles and Woolworths, with recipes at durubulgur.com.au. ALL-NATURAL CHOC Size matters, so go small for a guilt-free snack. Plant-based gluten- and dairy-free Bounce choc bars in Peanut and Mylk are $4 at Coles, bouncefoods.com.au. Taste of Thai From its start at the markets, Pam Pam Food’s plant-based Thai cuisine has gone national. The range includes frozen buns – mushroom, and Massaman and green curry flavours – curry pouches and readymade meals, pampambuns.com.au. VEG VOYAGE Go on a culinary journey…

SEEN ON BHG TV FRIDAYS 7.00 It’s surprising that the blanket box ever went out of fashion, since it’s such a versatile piece! It’s got storage, is an occasional table and footrest in front of the sofa, and even adds extra seating when you have a party. Straight lines and modern materials give yours a stylish twist on the one Nanna had. EASY STEPS TO YOUR BLANKET BOX Gather your supplies • 2400 x 1200 x 17mm plywood • 18 x 18mm x 2.4m dressed pine • 42 x 19mm x 1.8m dressed pine • 1200 x 596 x 12mm plywood • 30mm x 2.4m pine external angle • 915mm brass piano hinge • Lid support stays (2) You’ll also need Circular saw; scrap ply for saw guide; sander; drill;…

Pop your favourite playlist or podcast on in the background and make the most of your peaceful downtime to be creative. From a modern spin on crochet and embroidery to a woven bowl and a terrazzo-like vase, you can indulge yourself by learning the art of the handmade. Even if you always thought you didn’t have a creative bone in your body, the various projects’ easy-to-follow step by steps will effortlessly guide you through, dispelling that belief forever more. Enjoy! Instructions on page 122 EASY STEPS TO YOUR TERRAZZO VASE Terrazzo has firmly established itself as the ultimate modern material, and now you can recreate its colour-chipped luxe in vase form to jazz up your home. This version of terrazzo uses a non-toxic and solventfree casting resin to create the…

Ever noticed how you tend to feel hungry, sleepy and productive about the same time every day? That’s your circadian rhythm (part of the body’s internal clock) hard at work. Understanding your natural sleep and wake cycles will help you get in sync to function at your best. 6-7am WALK YOUR DOG OR YOURSELF A main contributing factor that helps with regulation of your circadian rhythm is exposure to light, which sets in motion production of hormones that impact your sleep-wake cycle. Exposing yourself to daylight first thing in the morning helps lower levels of melatonin, a hormone that promotes sleep. 9am MAKE BIG DECISIONS One of the best times to weigh up the risks and rewards of a situation is soon after you wake up. This is when your…

SHORTEN YOUR MORTGAGE Genius ways to save thousands of dollars! PAY FORTNIGHTLY MoneySmart (moneysmart.gov.au), the government website that helps Aussies take control of their money, suggests changing your repayments from monthly to fortnightly. “By paying half the monthly amount every two weeks, you’ll make the equivalent of an extra month’s repayment a year (since each year has 26 fortnights),” it says. FORGO INTEREST ONLY While interest-only loans on investment properties can help cashflow when rates are high, financial adviser Helen Baker (onyourowntwofeet.com.au) says it could be wise to clear more mortgage with rates so low. “By doing so, you boost equity,” she says. “And if the property becomes positively geared, you have an extra source of income.” GO FOR GREEN Analysis by comparison site finder.com.au says solar panels can pay…

The renowned garden on show at Broughton Hall in Victoria’s Gippsland is one you can only dream about having, considering its size, the time it takes to tend and its celebration of roses. What is attainable, however, is the multitude of ideas it presents – such as how a little wooden arched seat fortified with pots of lavender can sit sweetly in your garden. Or what plant is ideal for a shady spot. Or how one pillar in a colonnade can become a vertical garden in your courtyard. It shows that, while flowers catch your eye, it’s form and foliage that fill the picture. ABOUT THE GARDEN On top of a hill where cattle once grazed, grace is energised Broughton Hall grew from a cow paddock outside Jindivick village in…

WINNING WAYS Australian-bred and a gold-medal winner at last year’s National Rose Trial Garden of Australia awards, Jessica’s Rose has elegant pink buds that form masses of large pink blooms before fading to nearly white. Lightly fragrant and diseaseresistant, these roses form a rounded bush that grows 1m wide and high. Available in pots, or on order for winter delivery, from Wagners Rose Nursery, wagnersrosenursery.com.au. SO COOL LOUNGE ABOUT Kick back and relax with Sunbrella outdoor cushions from Outdoor Interiors. With a five-year warranty against fading, they’re water-, chlorine- and stainresistant and come in a range of sizes. Canvas 30 x 65cm cover in emerald green, $75, and peacock blue, $135, with cushion inserts extra, outdoorinteriors.com.au. BE INSPIRED Gardens next door Inspiration flows across the pages of In the Company…

Recipe on page 76 Recipe on page 76 Recipe on page 78 GOOD TO KNOW THE COB LOAF DIP HAS BEEN AROUND FOR DECADES, BUT THIS ONCE DAGGY DISH IS NOW AN AUSSIE PARTY ICON MEGA BARBECUE PLATTER Preparation time 30 mins Cooking time 1 hour 50 mins Serves 6 1kg American-style pork spare ribsSea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season600g chicken thigh fillets, trimmed, cut into 4cm pieces (you’ll need 16 pieces)600g lamb leg steaks, trimmed, cut into 4cm pieces (you’ll need 16 pieces)16 raw peeled king prawns2 Tbsp olive oil¼ cup lemon and almond dukkah2 Tbsp honeyStorebought tabouli, lemon wedges, flatbread and Greek-style yoghurt, to serve RIB MARINADE ½ x 355ml bottle pale ale⅓ cup smoky barbecue sauce2 Tbsp maple syrup1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce1 Tbsp Australian…

never let it be said you can’t rise to the challenge that a small space provides to transform a granny flat or studio apartment into a multi-purpose living, entertaining and sleeping zone. Space-saving organisational strategies throughout make the most of the available floor area, resulting in a stylish but functional space that seamlessly transitions from party mode to bedtime. And, because a good idea is a good idea in anyone’s language, many of the awe-inspiring storage ideas seen here can be translated to suit more generously proportioned homes and rooms.…

SAFE AND STYLISH Covering up while out for a stroll on a sunny day may sound crazy, but it’s the best strategy to avoid sun damage. Solbari is an Aussie brand making effective and stylish UPF50+ accessories and apparel. The super-soft clothing is made of natural bamboo fibres and cotton, blocks UVA and UVB rays, and helps regulate body temperature so you’re cool and protected, solbari.com.au. PREVENTION IS KEY HEART MATTERS Early assessment of your heart health can dramatically cut your risk of a heart attack, one of the leading causes of death in Australia that can strike even the fit and healthy. The latest technology, cardiac CT scanning, gives doctors a fuller 3D picture of the heart and its arteries than ever before, allowing for better assessment. For more…