During the process of collating our annual issue of Denizen Modern Living, I find myself in the position of being more cognisant of the idiosyncrasies of interior design than ever before. While I may have had more than 20 years at the helm of design magazines, this issue is my first that is being completed while I simultaneously renovate my own home.

Like many, the overwhelming desire to elevate my own surroundings came as a result of far too many hours spent in that idiom of our times, ‘working from home’. And now, two years on, it has resulted in a much larger than anticipated, overhaul of my family home.

What I’ve learned during this entire period, from design conception and development to implementation and installation, is that there is far more that goes into creating the beautiful images that appear on the pages of our magazine than meets the eye. It is imperative that each individual element — from sofas to refrigeration, light switches to pendant lamps — all must work in harmony, to ensure the ultimate, seamless expression of one’s personal tastes. And successfully achieving this is, as I have come to learn, far more complicated than it appears at face value.

My appreciation for the creative talent that goes into conceptualising and implementing these impeccable builds is immense. The sheer number of people, from extremely talented interior designers and architects, to builders, electricians, plumbers and more, all of whom are required to bring their heads together to resolve solutions throughout the process, make me appreciate the complexities of achieving the perfect outcome even greater. While we may like to think of tradies as the people with great mechanical skills, the level of creativity that is also employed by and expected of them, should not go unacknowledged.

The symphony of all parties working together is what creates the sort of design excellence that is evident on the following pages. The immense creative enjoyment I have uncovered by working alongside and harnessing the skills of many of the great designers, suppliers and manufacturers featured in our latest issue (many of whom have been wonderful supporters of Denizen Modern Living for more than 14 years), is thrilling.

Home is the heart and soul of any family, so creating a space that is on the one hand, so extremely personal, yet on the other, still requires the collective creative thinking of so many external contractors and suppliers, who deeply appreciate how immensely important the personal outcome is, is impressive.

I hope you find as much inspiration, as I have, in this issue — on sale today.