sneaky style inspiration

I'm a little obsessed with checking out interiors - in magazines, in movies and TV shows (I bought The Break Up DVD for Jennifer Aniston's character's apartment. And wardrobe. Oh, and hair...) And I'm sure my nearby homeowners sick and tired of my very obvious attempts to peek at their luxe living rooms and spacious decks on my daily walk along the waterfront reserve they face. But I've found another way to satisfy my interior cravings: real estate websites. Aussie sites like domain.com.au and realestate.com.au are great for local inspiration, but I'm in love with the incredibly lush Hamptons homes and New York lofts at corcoran.com and the pretty English homes at primelocation.com. It's a great way to indulge in a posh life for a few minutes, make note of unique ideas or fab furniture and most of all, be inspired by truly magnificent properties featuring the best money can buy. Even if you know you'll never be able to afford the contents of the home, let alone the building itself, it's great eye candy and source of inspiration. Just print your fave pics and add to your dream home scrapbook... Or is it just me who does that?

Love how this room looks real and lived in but still eclectically stylish

The trifecta: hair, dress, house - perfect!

Tip: Look for the posh areas of major cities - anything in Sydney, Eastern suburbs and Northern Beaches; London's Notting Hill, Hampstead or Belgravia and New York's Greenwich Village, Tribeca and The Hamptons. I want a house in the Hamptons. More specifically, I want Gwyneth Paltrow's house in the Hamptons. Quite surprisingly, given how she's always on about her privacy, she opened the doors of her summer home to American House & Garden. And it's perfect - there are a heap of style pointers to steal. And to my delight I noticed a few tiny similarities to my own style: the lamp in the bedroom (my version is the Freedom Bolero), use of graphic black and white fabric on an occasional chair and an ottoman in a Signature Prints fabric I had put on my list-of-must-buys after seeing it in the November issue of real living! Stretching the comparisons, I know, but I did feel a little smug at my "Gwynethness"! You can check all the images at House & Garden's site. Or for a heap of brilliant behind the scenes pics and a bit of gossip, check out the very cool Habitually Chic. Wish I had those contacts!

The bright and breezy living room

I want everything in this room. (except the shoes - have a pair already!)

Love contrast of dark wallpaper and bright white

Perfect! I could live right here...

PS: real living is launching an online department store in just a few more sleeps. You can buy great gifts for your friends and family, your kids, yourself and your home from October 23. The address is realshopping.com.au, but you can read all about it at our website. I already have a list of things to buy once it goes live (shh, don't tell my husband!)