design interiors – The Interiors Addict

Take 5 with Chloe Brookman

Each week we shine the spotlight on some of Australia’s best designers, artists and stylists and have them share with us what’s making them tick; anything from the best advice they’ve ever received to their favourite holiday destination. Today we chat to Chloe Brookman, one half of kids furniture business, Olli Ella.

1. What is your favourite cafe?

Tigermottle in Paddington. Killer coffee, delicious breakfast (my favourite meal) and nestled amongst gorgeous Paddington terraces. It’s also walking distance from our home!

2. What is your favourite holiday destination?

Costa Rica. Although last time we went there we chose a little eco lodge on a beach called Playa Nicuesa, which the locals lovingly refer to as Mosquito Beach! We didn’t find that out until we were actually there unfortunately.

Costa Rica I love for the food, the proximity to both beaches and rainforests and the people. It’s an untouched paradise.

3. What three people would be at your perfect dinner party?

Oscar Wilde, Stevie Wonder and Stephen Hawking.

4. What’s your go-to recipe?

Homemade spinach pesto pasta. It’s delish (the whole family loves it) and it’s the only way I can get my kiddies to eat greens without some serious molecular gastronomy!

5. Who is your favourite musician?

Billy Bragg for his folky melodies that you can sing along to at the top of your lungs, driving with the windows open and the kids covering their ears in the back.

Two-bed Surry Hills home feels bigger through clever design

Renovating a two-bedroom, one-bathroom townhouse in Sydney’s Surry Hills, designer Anoushka Allum had the challenge of making a small space feel larger without changing the floor plan. And we think she did a great job!

“I had to make the space feel as light and spacious as possible while designing a home that reflected my clients’ personalities,” explains Anoushka. “I love designing for small spaces, mainly because everything in the rooms needs to provide a function and a sense of spaciousness; from making the room feel larger through use of colour, to multi-functional pieces of furniture.”

Keeping the kitchen and bathroom designs fresh and traditional in style, Anoushka used a light colour palette with darker accents for depth to make the space feel bigger. “We selected a colour palette that was light and bright and then added pops of darker hues to ground the design. Light wall tiles and counter tops, custom cabinetry and bathroom vanity all helped to make the best use of the space available. We maximised storage too.”

Along with selecting light colours and custom-built storage, Anoushka created the illusion of a larger house by using window coverings that let the most amount of light in and choosing a large rug to define the open-plan living room.

Selecting furniture was one of the most important tasks. Anoushka explains that while using smaller furniture and less of it seems like an obvious choice for increasing space, in many cases this only makes the problem infinitely worse. “When selecting furniture, we ensured that the scale worked well, for instance the living room depends on the right sized sofa and chair. We went with less larger pieces rather than more smaller pieces as this helps to make the space feel larger and less cluttered.”

With an overall design that is timeless, elegant and calm, overlaid with plenty of interest through the use of colourful geometric fabrics, monochromatic artwork and patterned rugs, the finished project looks positively spacious compared to prior to the renovation.

Specialising in helping clients design smartly for small spaces through her company SmartSpace, Anoushka believes that having a small space doesn’t have to be the kiss of design death! “It’s important to work out how to make a smaller home best work for you before making any design choices. Just because your space is small, this doesn’t mean that it can’t be inspiring, inventive and completely practical to your lifestyle.”