When setting out to source projects and inspiration for this issue I had a clear idea in my mind, even though I couldn’t quite reduce it down to a single word. I wanted to share work that evoked a feeling and had a certain quality of space. As a working title I went with ‘the simple things’. I thought of things like abundant natural light, clever design solutions, charm, homeliness, nature, serenity, character, authenticity. Often, it’s these intangible qualities that are the hardest to get right.

You would be hard pressed finding an architect or designer who doesn’t understand the value of natural light and how to manipulate it – and the work we’ve highlighted in this issue cements that notion. From Make Architecture’s Amado house (pictured) covered by Melissa Rymer, through to the sculptural way Luigi Rosselli crafts light in his projects, as detailed by Stephen Crafti. We also look at three projects that break the mould with the use of transparent or semitransparent roofs and walls in the Materials Survey, providing an innovative way to let the light in.

Another simple but critical element that cropped up was the harmonious effect of nature, and this issue’s The Tour project is an exemplary example – Ivanhoe house by Auhaus Architecture. Susannah Hardy chats with the architects about how it uses the site and surrounding bush in its design. Plus, Byron Smith of Urban Growers give us tips for growing edible gardens, even in tiny places. Some of our other stories consider ‘the simple things’ in a more obscure way. From a selection of homes that utilise heirlooms to a one-bedroom regency style apartment in Sydney that has been rejigged to great effect.

I hope you enjoy this issue and can glean inspiration from its pages, it doesn’t matter how big or small, some of the best results just need a simple idea.

Lead image, Amado house by Make Architecture. Photo by Peter Bennetts.

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Read our cover story from MEZZANINE #9, Fifty Fifty house by Architecture Architecture.