Gavin Kirk joins a series of new editorial appointments and initiatives for Australian House & Garden, Belle and Country Style

Are Media, Australia’s #1 women’s lifestyle network, today announced a new chapter for its Homes & Lifestyle division, unveiling a series of appointments across three of its most iconic homes brands: Australian House & Garden, Belle and Country Style.

The announcement accelerates Australian House & Garden, Belle and Country Style as connected content brands spanning print, digital, video, social, audio, and experiential channels.

Are Media General Manager, Homes & Lifestyle, Jocelin Abbey, said the new approach aligns consumer behaviour with advertiser demand, creating trusted, high-reach environments. Each brand will deepen its editorial authority while expanding the commercial offerings across talent-led properties, event-based IP, thought leadership programs and content-to-commerce innovation.

The first new initiative unveiled under the new strategy launches in September with Australian House & Garden’s Interior Agenda, a premium trend and forecasting platform that will expand into a content and event series in 2026. It will complement the brand’s iconic Top 50 Rooms awards program, now in its 27th year and recognised as Australia’s longest-running residential interior design awards.

Jocelin said: “This evolution is about growing the impact of our Homes brands – creatively, culturally and commercially. We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome Gavin Kirk to the helm of Australian House & Garden, joining a powerful, agenda-setting editorial team across the Homes vertical. Gavin’s creative vision and deep understanding of the Australian architecture and design community will help us grow Australian House & Garden’s impact while building deeper connections with our audience and partners. From Top 50 Rooms to the Belle Fanuli Interior Design Awards, our Homes brands will continue to set the cultural agenda for design in Australia.”

To support the strategy, Are Media confirmed several senior editorial appointments across the portfolio:

• Gavin Kirk, Editor, Australian House & Garden. Gavin returns to Are Media after editing Belle and most recently as General Manager of luxury communications agency Élysée Collective.
• Tanya Buchanan, Editor-in-Chief of Belle and Country Style.
• Kylie Imeson, Editor, Country Style.
• Hannah James, Deputy Editor, Belle and Country Style (previously Deputy Editor, Country Style).
• Kate Hassett, Digital Editor across Australian House & Garden, Belle and Country Style (previously Deputy Editor, Inside Out).
• Bethan Lacoba, promoted to Features Editor, Australian House & Garden.
• Saskia Neascu, Senior Content Producer, Belle (joining from Habitus).

Are Media’s Homes & Lifestyle division includes Australia’s most loved and respected home content brands: Australian House & Garden, Belle, Country Style, Home Beautiful, Better Homes and Gardens, Inside Out and Real Living. Together, they inform and inspire more than 13.5 million* consumer touchpoints a month across print, digital, social and retail.

Source: *Roy Morgan Single Source Australia, March 2025 – all people 14+.

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