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Thanks to Marie Kondo and her minimal lifestyle phenomenon encouraging us to hold our worldly possessions to ask if they spark joy (and if not, out they go), we're all increasingly interested in the energy flow of our homes. Of course, the aesthetic remains important (the facade of your home is a decision worth very close consideration - it’s the first impression of your dream build), but choosing your floor plan can go beyond practical and personal preferences – it can be about energy flow. Or, feng shui.

Sophistication has a new address with the opening of Clarendon Homes’ Stamford 45 at Forestville. The two-storey, five-bedroom design with home office marries a flexible family floorplan and architectural detail to create spaces perfectly calibrated for contemporary living.

Cancel the holiday and stay home. That’s the word on the street with the opening of the Boston 37 with new Brighton facade by Clarendon Homes at Forestville. This two-storey, four-bedroom design has everything for the ultimate staycation, from light-filled, spacious interiors to multiple living rooms and outdoor spaces designed to catch the breezes - and the views.

The past 18 months have yielded some strange outcomes in the housing market. Even as restrictions on building sites came and went, prices for housing sites continued to surge and demand has remained stubbornly high. Indeed, some experts suggest that those fortunate enough to get into the market even a year or two ago have made more on their properties in the past 12 months than they would earn in their day jobs. 

As Australians, we’re very aware of the amazing climate we enjoy. Unlike our European and North American neighbours, our milder seasons often mean that for much of the year, we have the option of living outdoors.

There’s a reason why the most beautiful homes have well cared for front gardens - and it’s not just about impressing the neighbours. For many, stepping through the front gate and putting the key in the door signals time to unwind, exhale and just be themselves.

There was a time when single storey designs ran a poor second to their double storey counterparts. Not anymore. The Airlie 30, on display at Clarendon’s Warnervale Display Centre in Hamlyn Terrace, is part of a new generation of single level designs offering the convenience of having everything within easy reach without compromising on the comforts, privacy and sophisticated style modern families have come to expect.

Australians are a nation of travellers. Perhaps it’s our island status at the bottom of the world that makes overseas travel inevitable but many of us think nothing of packing our bags and heading for the airport.

Some expressions are thrown around so much that they start to lose their meaning. These days, ‘family friendly’ is attached to everything from movie sessions and restaurants to workplaces and hotels. But what does it mean for home designs?

Where and how you’re living while your new home is being built needs to be as much part of your big-picture budgeting as the purchase of the house. It’s a common concern we see by customers in the early stages; How can manage rent and repayments? Particularly for knockdown rebuilds. But it’s also a concern we see customer after customer resolve in a financially stable, stress-free way. 

Your new home marks a new chapter in your life so create spaces that tell your story in the most beautiful way for the years ahead. There’s a point when you’re in the process of moving house where the place you’re leaving no longer feels like home. Often, the furniture is still in place but the things that made those spaces feel like yours have already been packed in the moving truck.

There’s no disputing the calming effects of nature. In recent years, there have been studies to show that everything from bushwalking to working in the garden has a positive impact on our wellbeing. So it’s not much of a stretch to see how beneficial it can be to draw a little bit of our natural environment indoors.

When you’re in the thick of raising a family, everything just needs to work. Ensuring the smooth running of day-to-day activities from getting out the door in the morning to completing homework and eating dinner together at night is essential. And when another hectic week is over, having time and space to relax with family and friends on the weekend offers a chance to recharge and reconnect.

If there was such a thing as a country destination house, then The Bowral would be it. With four bedrooms, separate home office plus multiple living spaces, inside and out, there’s everything a family needs in this ranch-style design.