I am a firm believer in making your home reflect who you are, what you are truly inspired by and let it reflect your personality. Ultimately, it's your space and it needs to work for you and how you live or want to live. I think the best homes feel like the person who lives in them; you can feel their lives, dreams, and aspirations through what they collect and have on show.
I have a long-held love of modernist architecture and mid-century modern furniture and that's a huge part of what our house is, but it's not meant to be a museum. We have pieces and things from all eras and artwork spanning seven decades.
My favourite things in the house are things that we have collected, and they can be as simple as shells from beach holidays, little op shop finds like ceramic bowls, or vintage toy cars from overseas trips. I think it is okay to take your time to get your house right, to let it evolve and grow with you.
Getting the right ambience
One of the reasons I love our 1959 home is its abundance of light. We love how light floats across the room at different times of the day and with different hues depending on the seasons. It somehow floats across our favourite things and it's amazing how it lifts your mood. At night, we create our own ambiance by dialling things down. This is something we take special care in procuring as nothing completes a space more than having the right lighting.
For small corners and tight areas to spotlight, I like adding unique lamps that also become their own features but for large spaces, I am especially fond of Legrand Australia's Excel Life Smart.
Downlights add a contemporary touch to our home, and with Excel Life Smart they are controllable using voice, touch or a smart device. You can also set scenarios to suit your lifestyle. For example, a 'relax' scenario could automatically dim lights to 20 per cent, close blinds and shutters and activate your favourite tunes via your TV. Alternatively, scenarios could be based on the time of day - bright in the morning and dimmed from 7pm.
The best homes feel like the person who lives in them; you can feel their lives, dreams, and aspirations through what they collect and have on show.
- Tim Ross
Entertain with finesse
It's all about making up for lost time with family and friends in 2022, and my family and I love to organise casual dinners with friends. Hosting is all about relaxing and enjoying the night and spending time with your friends and making them feel at home too.
You can make things easier with today's smart technology, there's really no excuse to be bustling about while my guests enjoy themselves.
With Excel Life Smart I can turn on outdoor lighting or adjust the Inspire Sweep Fan remotely for the perfect ambience and natural breeze to keep guests comfortable in summer.
With these smart devices in place, I won't need to lift even a finger - unless it's for cheering to a safe and happy 2022!