Joanne Hawkins

The kitchen truly is the heart of the modern Australian home. It’s a practical space where we prepare food, but also a place where we come together with family and friends. And because it has such a prominent position adjacent to dining and lounge areas, your material choices here, particularly for benchtops, will have a huge impact on the style and function of your home’s interior and the lasting impression it makes on visitors.

Mention Hamptons style and you’ll probably think of chic and sophisticated beach houses, full of natural textures, light-filled spaces and an abundance of ocean-inspired blues and whites. Australians are also fans of the Hamptons aesthetic, which originated in the exclusive coastline of Long Island, north of New York, with its distinctive houses made from brick, shingles and stone.

Have you ever wished you could take a little bit of the country home? That feeling of being surrounded by nature, with gum trees, big skies and views that seem to go on forever.

Our homes should be the place where we feel calm and at peace, inducing feelings of serenity and reassurance...