GUEST EDITOR
Jenna Moore
When Fran and Jude, the owners of Verve magazine, invited me to be the guest editor for this issue I was touched. We first met when we were seated together at a media event for the launch of Eight restaurant at the Langham (now Cordis) hotel many years ago — none of us can remember how many! A quick recce to the internet (what did we do before Google?) tells me Eight launched in early 2011 so said lunch would have been the end of 2010/early 2011. Wow! Nine years. A year or so later I became a contributor at Verve and it’s been a pleasurable and (obviously) enduring undertaking ever since. Jude and Fran have created a great publication at a time when studies show we value local community stories. What makes the pages so special are the people and businesses whose stories fill them. It’s always gratifying to write a piece about someone for Verve because I know they will have an interesting story to tell or inspiring business to share. The bonus is they’re usually delightful to work with. In this issue, we visit the over-50s and look at retirement — crucial issues relevant to a large percentage of the population. My mother passed away just after Christmas following a struggle with pancreatic cancer. She lived in a lifestyle village for retirees on the North Shore and I was there pretty much 24/7 during her final months. There was a real sense of care and community among the people, not to mention a great chef in the restaurant. The villas, as they call them, are modern, attractive and well designed which is important to most of us today. Who doesn’t love a stylish home? If you’re as passionate about that as I am you’ll enjoy reading this issue’s feature on kitchens and bathrooms, home design, and renovations. I was fortunate to interview David Baker of Bakers-Builds, Heather Walker at Cocohills and interior designer Celia Visser this month. When I’m going for a new look I can assure you their talents will be on my wishlist. Enjoy.
⟶ Top to bottom: Jenna, Fran and Jude Jude at The Apollo Restaurant, Sydney
Coming up in May: Women in Business, Real Estate, Cosy Couches and Favourite Design Pieces.
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