Has there ever been a better time for a bit of home office inspo? The Three Birds Renovations team recently made over their office, and although they’re not currently able to work from it (they’re #safeathome like the rest of us), it’s a great example of how much difference the look and feel of your office can make.
Being creative types, working somewhere beautiful was always going to be important to them. “We are inspired by beautiful interiors so it only makes sense that our own workplace is beautiful and inspirational too,” says Lana Taylor.
Now, their ‘old’ office was hardly plain, but two years on from moving into their first Three Birds HQ, the girls felt it needed some loving. “It was looking a little tired and didn’t really reflect how our design style and business had grown in that time. With a growing team of gorgeous girls, we wanted to create a luxe, feminine space where everyone loves coming to work each day.”
With busy work days, they wanted the office to have a calming vibe and to be full of pretty things to make it an enjoyable place to spend each day.
“We called our vision board the #dirtyblushcrush! It was all about gritty pretty: feminine pink tones with a bit of grunt, so that it doesn’t look like Barbie’s office! Our vision was for lots of detail like panelled walls, patterned wallpapers, many different complementary textures and a mixture of natural and plush materials.”
What you won’t see is a bunch of individual desks. “We prefer collaborative workspaces so we can sit around the tables together to roll out some floorplans, or grab a coffee and sit back on in the lounge area for a creative brainstorming session. Our creative juices really flow best in a relaxed and inspiring environment,” Lana adds.
In terms of what made the biggest difference, the Intrim moulding on the walls is right up there. “This feature really takes the space from corporate office to elegant lounge room, which is how we wanted it to feel. The beauty of Intrim mouldings is that they’re custom-sized so we could choose how we used them.
“We have a full wall of panelling at one end of the office, which frames our huge Jai Vasicek artwork. Around the rest of the walls we just ran the moulding one third of the way up, to make way for the beautiful wallpaper which Grace Garrett made for us.”
The girls have generously shared their vision board for this project, and they recommend this as the best way to start any design project.
“This should help people pick out the key elements they’ll need to recreate this style at home: a dirty pink colour palette, lots of Intrim moulding on the walls, patterned wallpaper and natural rattan furniture with pops of gold. Voila!”
I don’t think I’m alone in thinking home has never been more important. And it’s not just because we have no choice but to be spending a lot more time at home now, but because living somewhere that feels safe, comforting, cosy, and perhaps organised and with a sense of flow, is great for our mental health in uncertain times.
And while many are pressing pause on major renovations, for obvious reasons, there’s a whole world of DIY home improvements we can all be getting stuck into with more time on our hands. My friends have always told me the little things about my own place bother me more than most because I work here and notice them all the time. And I think they’re right! When you notice the same things day in, and day out, they get irritating and the sense of urgency to finish them ramps up!
This home is an amazing example of the difference the little things can make. The owner of this project home has taken it to a next level, expensive looking, character filled, unique residence. And much of that is due to simple timber moulding and paint (as well as a good splash of marble!). Expanses of blank white walls are not exactly cocooning, but panelled walls in contrasting colours, are a game changer, don’t you think?
BEFORE panellingAFTER panelling (paint and marble!)
Wall panelling has been gaining popularity for quite a while now, whether that’s wainscoting, whole walls of VJ or super impactful, detailed, more traditional Hamptons looks. I can’t get enough and I personally installed (well, my carpenter did) wainscoting in our dining room when we renovated. It’s actually pretty easy to do these things yourself though, and the video below from Intrim shows you just how. If you don’t believe me, there’s also more of a guide here.
https://youtu.be/ZJqV4e1GXy8
Bear in mind there are two kinds of wainscoting you can install: recessed panel and raised panel. And it’s the latter that’s a plausible (and very cost-effective) DIY job. Raised panel wainscoting is where the inlay mould is fixed directly to the wall to create a multi ‘picture frame’ across the wall look. It’s relatively simple and excellent for homes where you are looking to add some more subtle detailing without a heavy, traditional Hamptons or American style influence. The video above explains it much better!
Intrim are an Australian-owned business so they’re not experiencing any issues with supply. You can get free samples sent to your door and they can even offer virtual meetings to make sure you’re making the right decisions, measuring up correctly, and to answer all your design questions.
The understated glamour of the Art Deco period has never been more popular in interiors and, perhaps because the look was so ahead of its time when it began, it just hasn’t dated. Increasingly, people are adding Art Deco touches to their modern, as well as period homes, and let us tell you, it looks good! Really good!
Noticing this trend, Intrim have been smart enough to start 2020 by adding new Modern Art Deco profiles to their timber mouldings range, with the power to transform even the most blank of canvases. Recently, celebrity PR agent Roxy Jacenko chose to use this profile in her renovations, to great effect.
Roxy Jacenko’s recent kitchen reno using Intrim mouldings. Pic: Inhaus Media
Intrim’s Candace Brigden says Art Deco has enduring appeal because it exudes glamour and class without being over the top. “Its traditional use of rich colours, daring geometric patterns and features, as well as intricate details and finesse, mean it can work with many personal tastes and blend well with other styles. It’s both elegant and bold, intricate and striking and always an impressive display of artistry and design.”
Many homes can use elements of Art Deco, according to Candace. “If your home is modern, you can draw from the clean lines and large spaces on skirting for a modern, edgy appeal. Edwardian homes suit the period particularly well, and we are even seeing Art Deco inspired skirting appear in more relaxed, coastal Hamptons homes.”
We are big believers that architectural mouldings can make a huge difference to your home. The devil’s in the detail, as they say! There’s a plain blank canvas and then there’s a beautifully finished, consistently detailed blank canvas. We know which we prefer!
So, how can you incorporate them in your home? It could be as simple as just replacing your skirting and architraves or you might want to go the whole hog and install wall panelling, as shown above.
We love this Art Deco mouldings look when a skirting block is used where the architrave and skirting meet.
“Timber mouldings add a depth of character to an interior you cannot replicate in any other way,” Candace adds. “They create a personality for the home and add a level of luxury. Wall panelling, for instance, can be applied differently according to the style looking to be achieved without taking up valuable floor space (which is particularly important in smaller homes).”
Located inside a 1970’s apartment building in Sydney’s inner-west, this petite abode underwent an incredible makeover recently and its success can be largely attributed to the very clever use of Intrim mouldings. “I was going for a feminine Hamptons-style luxe vibe. The key elements were wainscotting and lots of white, so those two things were high on my list,” says Sam McDonald of The Curated Life who designed the renovation herself drawing on Pinterest and Three Birds Renovations for inspiration.
BEFORE front doorAFTER front door
“I had been a follower of the Three Birds Renovations YouTube show for a long time before we purchased our apartment and it was actually on their show that I first heard of Intrim. Bonnie was talking about how selecting the right skirting boards can transform your room and that you don’t need to settle for the run-of-the-mill, boring skirtings,” says Sam who clearly followed Bonnie’s advice.
But before the mouldings could be installed, Sam made a couple of significant changes; namely the installation of a false ceiling and down lights together with new flooring throughout. “When we purchased the apartment, there were only three really dull, old ceiling light fans that threw next to no light. This combined with dark grey and navy carpet and grey walls made the space really dark and feel quite small. So the ceiling, new electrical and flooring were the first things we did,” says Sam.
BEFORE dining roomAFTER dining room
As for the new mouldings, 185mm skirting boards were installed throughout the whole apartment, a chair rail was installed in the living and dining spaces and a combination of half and full wainscoting rounded out the mix. New cornices and architraves were installed throughout the whole apartment too with Jason at Living Walls Joinery working on the job.
The renovation also included a floor to ceiling custom bookshelf with cupboards at the bottom that was built by Jason early on in the project and rather paradoxically, the lowered ceiling and extra cabinetry haven’t made the space feel smaller. “Despite the statement bookcase and mantle taking floor space and the false ceiling reducing head height, it’s actually made the space feel much bigger and brighter. It’s a complete optical illusion but it’s exactly what I was hoping for!” says Sam.
BEFORE Hallway and balcony
The lounge room is also sporting a new custom-made fireplace. “I was browsing home decor stores and spotted an electric fireplace mantle and almost fell over a lounge in front of me trying to get over to it for a better look! I knew instantly that I wanted one and asked Jason to make it,” says Sam.
AFTER New custom cabinetry
As for the dining area, it was a formerly unused square nook at the end of the living area but Sam had better plans for it. “I knew it would fit our round dining table perfectly. It was also quite a dark space so I knew I wanted to brighten it up and make it a space that had the wow-factor,” says Sam of the room the that now features floor to ceiling wainscoting and a pendant light.
AFTER Cabinetry detail
And while Sam is very much enjoying her new home she believes the renovation was a sound financial decision too. “These changes have significantly increased the value of our property, well beyond the cost of materials and installation. It’s given the space new life and transformed it into something warm, inviting, charming and exciting. The reaction when people walk in is ‘WOW’ and when a space has that kind of impact on people, it’s definitely worth the cost. I’m still wowed every time I come home!”
Anyone familiar with my renovating projects knows just how much I love timber, whether it’s gleaming polished floorboards, wood panelled walls, or outdoor rooms awash in timber. It just has such a warming effect and never goes out of fashion.
Here are just some of the ways to incorporate timber into your next renovating project.
Cover all bases
Cladding can be the answer to a whole raft of issues, from remedial problems you want to cover up to just pure decorative indulgence.
In this inner city courtyard, timber panelling deftly acts as both a privacy shield and as cladding on an ugly wall. The pinkish tones of merbau work beautifully with the old brick pavers. And built-in timber seating completes the cosy setting.
BEFOREAFTER
This next studio was in an old converted warehouse, so I wanted rustic finishes that mirrored the old bones of the building. Recycled floorboards for a feature wall and old sleepers for the steps and office nook definitely hit the right note.
BEFOREAFTER
Make an entrance
We all know the importance of first impressions, especially when it comes to street appeal. And whether you have a brick, weatherboard or plain old fibro house, a lavish spread of timber can certainly dress up a bland entrance.
BEFOREAFTER
This is something you could easily pull off in a weekend. It was a matter of removing the old rusted iron railing and pillars, centring the new timber stairs in front of the entry door, adding timber frames around the windows and new planter beds. Together with the new exterior colour, it completely transforms the façade of this suburban home.
Lastly, a much more ambitious (and luxurious) project, here I’ve used extensive merbau decking to create a whole new outdoor living area – at the front of the house. It’s something to keep in mind if you have a generous front yard and a passion for outdoor entertaining.
BEFOREAFTERAFTER
–Cherie Barber is the director of Renovating for Profit, a company that teaches everyday people how to buy and renovate properties for a profit.
We all love a house tour but I think we particularly like a look behind the front door of an interior designer’s home, don’t we?! Well, I have a treat for you today with Ioanna Lennox’s 1879 Inner West Sydney terrace.
Ioanna Lennox
While it’s still a work in progress (aren’t all homes, really?), Ioanna, who left her corporate job to follow her passion and work in interiors, has done plenty to transform it. The painted striped runner on the staircase was a project she had been dying to attempt and thought she’d better try it out on her home before attempting the look for clients! She is thrilled with the result and we agree it looks spectacular.
Being her own client was an interesting experience: “The brief kept changing but some things remained the same: it had to be classic, beautiful and elegant, without being over the top; glamorous but in a modern, contemporary way; respectful of the terrace’s original features such as the high ceilings, cornices and fireplaces, but make these work in today’s living environment.
“I started out resonating with the modern French style, then switched to Hollywood Regency, where for a while, everything that I gravitated towards was shiny, shimmery, plush or mirrored! I think the end end result will end up being a nice mix of the two. The colours changed too. Initially, it was going to be all black and white – I wanted drama, lots of contrast and typical Parisian chic. I remember doing a concept board with the “client” being very happy, but six months later, it went out of the window.
“I came across my favourite Bromley nude at an art auction and I begged, begged, begged my husband for us to get it. When we found ourselves the last ones to hold up the little auction card, I almost screamed! I’ve loved and admired David Bromley’s nudes for years and to finally own one was a dream come true. When we brought ‘Chayenne’ home with her striking aqua blue palette, I fell in love with blue. So started my blue phase, which I have to say I’m still in. This meant the formal lounge and dining rooms now had to have an injection of blues.”
Somewhere in all this, Ioanna had to consider her husband, although he was generally happy to leave her to it, so long as it wasn’t too frou-frou or feminine. “I started coming up with the original concept for the front terrace at least three years ago. Finances, Bromley purchases, leaving the corporate world and my mum’s death all played a part in the snail’s pace that things have progressed at.
“To be your own client as an interior designer has be the hardest job ever – I found it frustrating, painful and creatively thwarting. As the designer, I often had days when I just wanted to kill my client! As the client, I just thought the designer was too out there at times for this regular, Inner West family of four. I feel like we got there in the end and even though we’re not yet finished, every detail is nutted out, all the fabric has been bought for the sofa and soft furnishings so nothing else is changing!”
The French wall panelling, which makes such an impact, was at times a nightmare. “I decided to take this on myself just after my mum died. I had my cousin here from Germany, who’s a tradesman but not a carpenter. He called my bluff and said if I was serious about panelling the front rooms, he’d help me. I measured everything up and drew detailed diagrams of the panels to the millimetre, then ordered over 150 metres of timber for the chair rails and panels. Over the next week, my cousin and I worked around the clock.
“When we started putting up the chair rail, we realised there wasn’t one straight wall in the house! This made it all the more entertaining as we couldn’t always rely on the trusted spirit level to hang the panels. In the middle of our little project, my cousin had to return home, so that left me with a very unfinished project. Out of sheer pity or insanity, my husband eventually stepped in and helped. That put him in my awesome husband books for at least 6 months!”
Ioanna selected a duck egg blue/green for the inside of the panels (Dulux Georgian Silver), which interplays with the soft grey background . “I’m beyond thrilled with the results, but knowing what I know now, I’m not so sure I’d take it all on again.”
The entire front of the terrace — formal living and dining rooms, hallway and stairs – have been overhauled. The existing traditional yellow wallpaper, which had over the years become one with the render, was removed, parts of the rooms had to be re-rendered, and the cracked ceiling and ceiling roses reconditioned. Ioanna then chose a warm grey throughout and a dark charcoal above the fireplaces to turn these into a feature.
She kept some of the original furniture (“I had our old mango wood dining table stained a dark walnut with a French polish finish. So too with the dining chairs – I had them reupholstered in a soft blue velvet with nail trim detail. This kept the budget down and it looks like a whole new dining setting anyway.”) Keeping the budget under control meant she could splash out on a Moooi chandelier for the dining room.
Every visitor comments on the wall panelling, which is Ioanna’s favourite element. “It gives the room such presence and grandness, pushes the 3.5-metre ceilings even higher and makes the decorating effortless. Between that and the Bromley hanging on the wall, there’s not much else the room needs – ok, maybe just a nice comfy chair to sip a cocktail in!
“So, is the client content? Yes, she’s happy. But I’d probably never want to work with her again!”
See more of Ioanna’s interior design work on her website. Photography by Stan Ngo and Susan Papazian.
