Hello friend,

When Berry and I were discussing what theme to explore this issue, we’d just got word that Melbourne would be entering its sixth lockdown. Amidst the flurry and slightly raised anxiety that has come with these announcements, we got to talking about how important our gardens and favourite spaces in the home are, and how they have been able to delight and sustain us through these hairy times. With grand adventures in the outside world no longer possible, we’ve been encouraged to seek pleasure in the domestic: in the simpler, smaller landscapes we inhabit daily.

Treasured spaces are the kind that move us and make us feel things, that light up our senses and send us to other times and lands. It felt like a moment to celebrate them, and also to honour those spaces beyond our doorsteps that we’ve been missing – the bars and restaurants we glamour up for, the places in nature that ground us, the galleries that ignite our imaginations and connect us to our cities. Over the past two years, our relationship with these spaces – how we both affect and are affected by them – has come into focus, and is something many of us will value more greatly going forward.

Of course, it’s easy to get caught up in the belief that to have a beautiful space, we must follow the latest design trends or replicate someone else’s version of beauty. We see a very nice kitchen on Instagram and that becomes the kitchen we must have. But as almost everyone points to in these pages, the spaces that make us feel good and juicy are those that express something deeply personal. Whether it’s the way a table has been set for lunch or furniture has been arranged in a room, the treasured space is one that reflects a rich and tended-to inner life.

I’ve been inspired by so much in this issue: sumptuous art, thoughtful hospitality, vibrant food traditions, mesmerising wilderness – and ultimately, what is possible when we look at our homes and community spaces as canvases for what we care most about. What if we think about our home planet as a treasured space? How would that shape how we live and what the earth feels like in 20 years’ time?

Wherever you are, I hope you read this with something you cherish close by.

Sending love, Nathan