Tag: murdoch books

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Expert Tips Styling

Kitchen styling ideas: the heart of the home

By Geneva Vanderzeil

The kitchen really is the heart of the home, and it should therefore take a big focus when you’re decorating. It’s an important room even from a time perspective. If I were to calculate the room where I spend the most waking hours, it would have to be the kitchen. It’s where we cook food for our loved ones, and make memories with friends and family around the dinner table. It’s the heart of the home for a reason.

Although the kitchen is sometimes seen as a purely utilitarian space, the aesthetics of your kitchen shouldn’t be overlooked. Given the amount of time you spend in it, you might as well make your kitchen a place that suits your style just as much as it makes for good cooking. A great kitchen is equal parts beauty and function.

I’ve lived with my share of scary kitchens, from tiny corridor kitchens that had a ‘one in, one out’ rule, to giant, echoing spaces where everything I needed was a mile away. But with a few simple DIY and styling hacks, I’ve always been able to make the most of these rooms and turn them into spaces where I enjoyed spending time. Sometimes it might be a challenge, but trust me, it’s doable!

Checklist for a functional, beautiful kitchen 

There are lots of ways to create a gorgeous kitchen that doesn’t feel like a place where you simply slave away over a hot stove. It’s important to develop a vision and then integrate functional as well as beautiful elements into the space.

Location
Think about how you actually use your kitchen. Consider where the different activities take place and what needs to be close by to make those activities quicker and easier. Storing items close to where you use them is ideal.

Stations
Unless your kitchen is tiny, it’s useful to set up a few stations that cater to the various activities that occur in different parts of the kitchen. For example, store the items you use for making tea and coffee on a tray near the kettle, or have a caddy with olive oil, salt and pepper near the stove. Creating stations is very simple, but they do make a difference to your daily life.

Seating
In the past, the kitchen was more of a transitional space, but these days it’s a place where people tend to gather and relax. It’s essential, therefore, that there’s a place for people to sit. It’s worth considering adding a couple of stools, a bench or a table when you think about the layout of your kitchen.

Storage
What’s the point of a beautiful kitchen if you have nowhere to store everything you need? Having sufficient storage is essential and should be included in the form of drawers and cupboards. I love open shelving, but it only works if you have enough other storage – otherwise you risk your open shelving becoming overstuffed and messy.

A rug
I know that a kitchen is a controversial place to put a rug, but hear me out! A rug is the easiest way to make a space feel cosy and homely. Kitchens often suffer from feeling underdressed, and a rug is an easy way to turn that around. If you’re considering putting a rug in your kitchen, it’s important to find one that’s suitable for the busy (and messy) kitchen space, so look for something that’s durable and easy to clean.

A personal touch
The goal for making a home is to make it yours – a space that makes you happy to be there and shows your personality. That’s why I love to add a personal touch to my kitchen, whether it be through some art, small mementos, a favourite vase or a framed quote. I love having open shelving where I can inject some of my own style.

Ask Geneva: How do I style a beautiful kitchen? 

Question: The kitchen is my favourite room of the house, but I’m struggling to turn it into a gorgeous space that’s in keeping with the decor in the rest of my home. How do I make my kitchen a beautiful space?

Answer: We don’t often think about the decor in our kitchen, and focus instead on how it functions. But no matter the actual design of your kitchen, there are lots of small tweaks you can make to ensure it’s beautiful and a joy to be in. And they don’t have to be costly or involve a major renovation. It’s just about considering the details and putting your own personal stamp on the space.

Clear your benchtops
A clutter-free kitchen is the first foundation of a beautifully styled space. If you’re feeling like your kitchen needs a refresh, consider clearing the benchtops – find places for all of the functional, not-so-pretty items in cupboards and start with a clean slate.

Label it up
I have an addiction to my retro label maker. It’s such a lovely detail to label all your bottles and jars, and it’s also incredibly functional! Even better, by using jars instead of bags, you are taking a step towards a plastic-free and low-waste kitchen.

Display your favourite utensils and vessels
Why put your favourite ceramics and utensils away in a cupboard or drawer, when they can help style your beautiful kitchen? I like to layer wooden chopping boards by leaning them against a wall, and also display ceramic vases with wooden spoons and other nice utensils.

Style up open shelving
As long as you have enough other ‘hidden’ storage, open shelving is such a lovely way to display some favourite kitchen items. Start by placing your favourite cookbooks on the shelves, add some pretty ceramics and then some plants.

Display your fresh food
Delicious, fresh seasonal produce is a feast for the tummy and also for the eyes. Use baskets to display citrus and other pretty fresh foods. This will also make you more likely to eat them before they spoil, so it’s a win-win!

Project: Painted wooden spoons 

Cooking is supposed to be a joy, but sometimes it can feel a bit tiresome. I’ve found that investing a little time in making beautiful accessories for my kitchen helps inspire my cooking. This project, while relatively simple to execute, is a great starting point for updating your kitchenware and the space itself. Think of it as the gateway to a complete overhaul!

You need

  • Wooden spoons
  • Food-safe paint
  • 
Painter’s tape
  • 
Damp rag
  • Basic toolbox

How to

Gently sand the spoons to remove any rough areas. Wipe away any dust with a damp rag.

Wrap a piece of painter’s tape around the handle of each spoon to create a guide for painting.

Paint the spoons, using two coats of food-safe paint. Allow the spoons to air dry for at least an hour.

Place the dry spoons in a cold oven, then heat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Bake the spoons for 25 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave the spoons to cool completely in the oven. Wait at least 3 days before using the spoons. They should always be hand-washed.

Tip: Choose paint colours that complement the decor of your kitchen.

–Images and text from Home Is Where You Make It by Geneva Vanderzeil, photography by Geneva Vanderzeil. Murdoch Books RRP $35.00.

Geneva’s blog, Collective Gen

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Expert Tips Styling

How to personalise a rental home: 5 ideas

By Jessica Bellef

Are you a tenant who despairs of having a home that truly reflects your style and personality? When we rent a house, we are borrowing the space. These houses weren’t built for us, and they weren’t built for the people who will move in after us, but they temporarily become our own when we arrange our things in them, go through our daily routines and create memorable moments in them. The walls aren’t always going to be the colour we want them to be, the floors may not give us the starting base we were hoping for and often the detail of the building structure looks tired (if any architectural detail exists at all).

Renting a home is a rite of passage, the first stop after careening from the family nest. It may be the first time we have had to share common rooms with people outside our circle of kin, and it’s often the first time we have had to think about what furniture as well as bits and pieces go into rooms that aren’t the bedroom. Budgets are usually restricted when we rent in our youth, as we are juggling study, entry-level jobs and the pull of a vibrant, glittery social life. Hungover Saturdays are spent constructing flat-packed furniture and dragging home beat-up items found on the side of the road.

Current social trends in Australia’s major cities have us renting well beyond the heady student years, as the cost of living keeps rising. We tend to hold back on setting ourselves up completely in a rental, waiting for that magical day when we can drop boxes of our things onto the floor of our perfect forever home, taking in the generous floor plan, the mass of natural light and the spot-on finishes. What we need to realise, though, is that unfortunately the perfect forever home can take a while to come around, and even then you are very lucky if you manage to nab a property that ticks all your boxes. Stamping your personality on the home and making it your own is important for your wellbeing and sense of connectedness, whether you are renting or you have moved into your not-quite-perfect forever home and renovations are a costly pipe dream.

Ideas to help make a rental yours

Mix up the layout to work for you
Rooms are defined by the furniture that goes in them—a bed belongs in the bedroom, while a dining table fits in the dining room. The real estate agent may tell you that the room at the front of the house is a lounge room, but that doesn’t mean you have to keep it that way. Take note of where you are drawn to at different times of the day and the conditions you need for certain activities. In Adam and Nick’s home, the bedroom was in a dark cave of a room, so the sun-loving couple converted the bright sunroom into their bedroom; the old bedroom then became a workroom and storage space. They love rising with the sun and starting their weekends with coffee and the papers in bed, soaking up the light.

Use rugs to downplay unattractive flooring
Laying down a rug is the quickest way to hide floors that are looking a little worse for wear or may be finished in a way you don’t like. I am a believer in rugs laid on top of carpet—as long as the pile of each isn’t too thick. Make sure you get the size right using the Goldilocks approach—a rug that is too small will look dinky, while a rug that is too big will suffocate the space. You need to find one that is just right.

Display art without hacking into the walls
Landlords aren’t very fond of holes in the walls, which makes it hard for renters to display their loved art and framed works. Sticky hooks can be useful for hanging things that are lightweight, but they aren’t so reliable for heavier pieces—and cheaper brands will pull paint off the walls, anyway. Large-scale art can look great casually leaning against a wall, whether it sits atop a sideboard or is placed on the ground. Shadow box frames can nestle onto shelves among your books and hold favourite items. For unframed prints on paper, washi tape and coloured painter’s tape will temporarily affix the art to the wall. Work slowly and carefully when you need to remove the tape, though, so that the paint remains intact.

Change up the lighting
My least favourite thing when it comes to homes is cold, harsh fluorescent lighting. If you are stuck with a temperature of overhead lighting that you don’t love, fill your rooms with lamplight for a cosy and comfortable ambience. If you don’t mind the temperature of the light but aren’t a fan of the fittings, get up close to see if you can swap out the shades without the need for complicated rewiring.

The other option is to talk to your landlord. If you would like to paint or make other minor alterations, there is a good chance that they will give you permission to do so. Especially if you mention that the changes may add value to the property!

–Images and text from Individual by Jessica Bellef, photography by Sue Stubbs, Murdoch Books RRP $49.99.  Out now. Buy online.  

Renovate a rental property on a budget: a case study | 10 DIY updates for your rental kitchen | How to: restyle your home with what you already own

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House Tours Kitchens RENO ADDICT The Block

The Block’s Darren Palmer shares his own kitchen reno

When The Block judge Darren Palmer renovated his former home in Sydney’s Edgecliff, he faced all sorts of challenges. You’d never know it to look at the beautiful finished space though, which perfectly suits the character-filled home. He shares how he made it work…

Kitchens sell houses. That’s the real estate gospel that has been adjusted recently to ‘Kitchens and bathrooms sell houses.’ The reason is that they’re expensive, and when they’re terrible they make the house feel terrible. On the other hand, when they’re beautiful, functional, well designed and comfortable, the house feels that way too. They’re expensive to replace when they’re done wrong and a massive gift when done well.

Before I realised that council requirements meant I couldn’t move the kitchen window, I had designed a cracking kitchen with butler’s pantry, big island bench and all the modern inclusions that you’d want. I’d had it quoted and check measured, but unfortunately for me it wouldn’t work unless I changed the window.

It was back to the drawing board – several times.

The interesting thing about design, and perhaps anything, is that the more you succeed, the more confident you become in your ability to succeed. The more you fail, the more you think you’ll fail. In my mind I was failing. I wanted to create the perfect kitchen to suit the house, one that would function as a family kitchen and work with the atrium without blowing the budget.

Time was ticking along, and I was really feeling the pressure to deliver. The reno was waiting to start, but I needed to crack the kitchen design to be able to brief the builders on plumbing and electrical points. I even showed a very talented designer friend, thinking she could help. Just having someone to share the problem with generally works, but in this instance it didn’t.

Fortunately for me, at the last minute I was able to find a simple galley kitchen solution with 900 mm deep benches (50 per cent deeper than usual) to help bring the benchtops closer together, and therefore make them a workable distance apart. I created two sets of three big wide drawers, overhead cabinets that were twice as deep as normal, and finishes and inclusions that functioned perfectly and were a little bit luxurious to boot.

The appliances are integrated, so there are no visible signs of modern technology that might throw off the classic heritage look I was aiming for. Exposed fridges and dishwashers are a bit clunky, so you’re usually better off to hide them away and streamline the look of your kitchen.

The overhead cabinets are glazed with diamond wire safety glass, which might remind some people of school days; it’s the glass they used to use in fire doors. I love the look of it as it feels old but is also a little bit different from the fluted glass I’d used in the bathroom window upstairs. Both these materials are interesting options for a contemporary, classic heritage look, but the diamond wire glass is a little bit more edgy, which I felt the kitchen needed as everything else was so simple, grey and white. The shaker door profile is also a lovely detail to add to the cabinetry, as is the grey grout with the white tiles.

–Images and extract from HomeSpace by Darren Palmer (Murdoch Books, RRP $39.99). Photography by Felix Forest. Available online and from all good book stores.

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Designers The Block

Photos: Our Easy Luxury event with Darren Palmer at West Elm

Photography by Alex Jackson

We had a lovely time at our latest reader event with Darren Palmer at West Elm Bondi last week. Please click on the below images to see them larger.

There was a large queue of people getting The Block judge’s book, Easy Luxury, signed by the author himself. Some kept theirs while others put them aside for Christmas presents! We then had our usual vignette styling challenge, with one reader, Jess, winning a box of goodies from West Elm.

Huge thanks to Darren and Murdoch Books, the team at West Elm, Williams-Sonoma for the catering (especially the legendary peppermint bark and chilled mulled wine!) and all the readers who attended.

To be first to know about our next event, please make sure you’re signed up to our newsletter. The next 7 Vignettes Instagram challenge starts on Monday 1 December. We’re giving away a $50 voucher every day for seven days, as well as one overall winner prize of $250, thanks to our sponsor Domayne.

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Designers Interviews The Block

Interview: Darren Palmer on his new book, Easy Luxury

Darren Palmer’s first book is out on Monday. I got my hands on a preview copy of Easy Luxury and let me tell you, I am seriously impressed. I asked Darren about the story and inspiration behind the book and how on earth he managed to juggle writing it with being a judge on The Block, a dad and an interior designer! Keeping it real as ever, he reveals how he lost it when he got his hands on the first copy, how some of his best ideas came to him in the shower and how his hectic diary looks a little like a game of Tetris…

Easy_Lux_Cover

The title seems a good place to start. Does luxury have to mean expensive? “No way! It has nothing to do with spending a lot of money. Luxury to me is about having something that fits me perfectly — something that suits me better than anything else would because it’s been created in response to my particular needs and desires,” he says. “The other luxuries for me are choice and time. Time with family, time to unwind and time to see new and inspiring things. Money does buy you more choices but you need to understand how to filter those choices so that the things you choose work for you.”

Jennifer Hawkins' home, from Easy Luxury
Jennifer Hawkins’ home, from Easy Luxury

Darren has spent the last couple of years contributing to magazines like GQ and Grand Designs Australia and words have always come quite easily to him. “I started to feel like I had a good tone and something of worth to say. As my experience has grown, so too has my desire to share some of my knowledge. I started checking with publishers early last year and was grateful to have Murdoch pick up the book.”

I believe he has achieved his desire to write a comprehensive book that demystifies the design process, explaining things in easy terms that everyone can understand, while also sharing some advanced ideas and concepts. “I don’t use jargon or over-complicate things and there is no single correct answer given to design and decoration challenges in the book. I wanted to deliver foundations and fundamentals to anyone who would like to understand why good design is good, so they can create beautiful and functional spaces for themselves, to suit their own lives and families.”

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Understanding these principles can help everyone have the luxury of good design. “When you understand the principles behind great design, you can interpret how it can fit and assist you in the creation of your perfect home. Living in a beautiful space has an effect on your mental and physical wellbeing, and your sense of prosperity increases when you consider your own home as a prosperous space. It’s not based on how much you spend, it’s based on how considered and appropriate and consistent your result it. How well it suits you and what the finished result looks like is the focus and Easy Luxury gives as much straightforward information as I could contain in one book.”

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Darren, who has big plans to renovate his own Sydney home if he ever gets the time, says the book came easily as he was simply talking from experience. “The words weren’t always there, and they don’t always come in the most convenient places. I had bursts of creativity in the shower, on the plane or sitting at home with my laptop on my lap with no other distractions. But I also found when I’d earmarked time to write I didn’t have much to say! It’s a funny thing but it was very enjoyable writing the book. I probably rewrote it four times in the process, changing the structure and organising things in response to conversations with Murdoch and the brilliant editorial team working with me. But proudly, every word in the book is my own and I loved almost every minute of producing it.”

When it came to getting his hands on the first hard copy from his manager, he was way too excited to play it cool: “I was beside myself. I was trying to keep a lid on it but pretty much had to leave and take it to my car and just let the excitement out. It’s an amazing feeling. I immediately called a few people who would get my excitement but not one of them answered! So I was sat in my car on my own looking like a kid in a candy store. Must’ve been quite some sight!”

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Being as busy as he is calls for some serious organisation and Darren’s diary is colour-coded and separated into different calendars. “I tend to just organise and slot in time for everything like a Tetris game. The diary looks like a Rubik’s Cube from day to day with so many things layered on top of each other but it works and I’m really grateful to be working on what I love.”

So, after a couple of crazy years and impressive success, what’s next for Mr Palmer? “You called it years ago. I recall you mentioning in our first interview you thought I was the next big thing! (Well yes, and I was right! Jen). I don’t feel that’s the case but it is a really amazing place to be, to have a lot of the things that I’d always desired and been working really hard towards finally come to fruition. It’s funny though as the more I work and the more things I’m able to tick off the list, the more things get added to that list. It’s harder to stop and celebrate those victories as the next thing is underway and takes a lot of energy and focus but it’s a really brilliant place to be.

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“There’s so many wonderful opportunities that are in front of me and I’m truly grateful for all of the things that have so far come to pass. It’s more important for me now to spend time with the people I love and prioritise the most important as well as beneficial things in my life. I’m learning I can’t do everything so I need to choose wisely and keep my feet on the ground. My family won’t ever let it be any other way though so I’m a very lucky man.”

All photography of Darren’s work shot by Felix Forest, from the book Easy Luxury, published by Murdoch. Available in all good book stores from Monday 1 September.

I’ll be writing a proper review of Easy Luxury when I’ve had more of a chance to read it.