Former Block twins, and interior designers, Alisa and Lysandra Fraser are back with the second season of their online series The Design Duo. The six-part series is based on a multi-million-dollar newly built home in Queensland’s Paradise Point. It’s just kicked off and it’s a great pervy insight into the sisters’ design process as they curate the bespoke waterfront residence. Today we’re bringing you a few pics of the home’s incredible master bedroom, ensuite and dressing area.
Bedroom
Dressing area
“This is our biggest ever project to date and we couldn’t be happier with the finished product. We have worked on this build for two and a half years and have put our blood, sweat and tears into this project, but seeing the homeowner’s reaction to the finished result made it all worth it – this is what reminds us why we do what we do,” says Lysandra. I think it’s safe to say that we would be pretty thrilled if this was our home too!
BathroomBathroom
A local couple engaged the twins to create a timelessly designed, four-bedroom beachfront home for them and they appear to have nailed the brief. The online series documents the entire build process and gives viewers the opportunity to tune in and discover some of the twins’ best tricks of the trade along the way.
Inside the master bedroom’s dreamy walk-in-robe
Walk-in-robe
Showcasing the duo’s refined eye for detail, the high-end custom build features bespoke details and luxe fixtures and key suppliers include Reece Bathrooms, Beaumont Tiles, CDK Stone, Godfrey Hirst, Neolith, Taubmans Paint, Zip Tap, PGH, Bradford & Bosch and Luxaflex window coverings.
Alisa and Lysandra Fraser
New episodes will run weekly, and the series is set to wrap up on March 6, 2023. Tune into The Design Duo.
Ex Blockheads Alisa & Lysandra’s latest super luxe reno
Former Block luminaries and twins Alisa and Lysandra have been busy of late working on a gorgeous renovation and extension in…
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Located on the Sunshine Coast hinterland, this original Queenslander was built in 1940 and while it’s been renovated over the years its latest makeover is arguably its grandest, with its strong Hamptons style and bold use of texture and colour.
BEFORE front elevation. The property sits on two lush acres of land.AFTER front elevation
Overhauled by Claire Lawrence-Smart, of Plantation Collective Homes, the home’s nineties renovation was recently revamped with a budget of around $300,000. “I wanted to bring back character to the home and a breath of fresh air through colour. I also wanted to embrace the original character and redesign the expansive verandahs for a timeless effect,” says Claire who lives in the home with her husband and three children.
BEFORE bedroomAFTER bedroom
While the home had already been extended, a lot of the the elements added by the previous owner didn’t suit the original part of the home. From the stairs to the exterior balustrade and barn doors, cross details were added as well as VJ panels to match the existing features of the original Queenslander.
BEFORE bathroomAFTER bathroom. “I bought the Carrara marble in bulk online which was one of my best finds,” says Claire.
Other standout design features include new flooring in the entrance (with herringbone and marble inlay) as well as wallpapers, grass cloth, shaker style joinery and vibrant blue paint. “It’s a large house and I wanted to make it feel homely with textures, wallpapers, paint and panelling. And the home’s three-metre-high ceilings were ideal for a darker paint colour,” says Claire.
AFTER lounge
“My favourite part of the home is the kitchen, which was a labour of love as I hand painted all the cabinets myself,” says Claire of the bold blue cupboard fronts. That DIY element was necessary to offset the cost of the nearby stone benchtops. “The benchtops were the biggest splurge because the kitchen is huge – the island alone is nearly four metres long,” says Claire.
BEFORE kitchenAFTER kitchen. Vibrant blue subway tiles complement the joinery.AFTER dining
With its enduring appeal in Australia, the Hamptons style is showing no signs of going anywhere fast – something that Claire attributes to its versatility and timelessness. “It’s a classic style and can be interpreted in many different ways – there’s Coastal Hamptons or American Hamptons and the style lends itself well to the classic Queenslander too.”
This renovated Queenslander is giving us all the feels
You know you’re looking at something special when a property has its own name. ‘Pen Y Llechwedd’ is a stately 104-year-old Queenslander, located in Ipswich, that was renovated recently resulting…
Recognising excellence and innovation in design across Australia and New Zealand, the Eat Drink Design Awards just released its shortlisted venues for 2019 and the ‘Best Hotel Design’ category is full of some absolute beauties. From our beloved Calile Hotel to some gorgeous rural retreats, you don’t have to venture too far to find a world-class interior on your next local trip. And with three of the six shortlisted hotels in Tasmania, yet again the island state proves it punches above its weight on the design front.
The Calile Hotel (Fortitude Valley, QLD) We featured this stunner soon after it opened and it’s no surprise to see the urban resort on the shortlist. Its neutral (but not boring) colour palette looks like a cool drink on a summer’s day – the perfect antidote to the Brisbane heat. We cannot wait to stay there.
Calile Hotel. Photography by Sean Fennessy
“A podium level pool terrace transports guests to holiday mode, hotel corridors continue the outdoor experience naturally – ventilated with ceiling fans via customised breeze block screens and significant planting extends across the project, a verdant overlay linking streets to rooms,” says Richards and Spence, the firm behind the design.
Calile Hotel. Photography by Sean Fennessy
Denison Rivulet (Denison Rivulet, TAS) As mentioned, Tasmania is a design mecca but it’s rather impressive to see three of the shortlisted hotels are from the island state – the Denison Rivulet being one. Designed to take in its bucolic landscape, we love the unexpected gold flourishes that feature throughout – a bit of luxe in the bush is always a good idea!
Denison Rivulet. Photography by Adam Gibson.
“The cabins are spatially compact but high in amenity – as a continuation of the tradition of Tasmanian coastal shacks which provide both prospect within a large landscape, as well as a sense of intense enclosure,” say the project’s designers Taylor and Hinds Architects.
Denison Rivulet. Photography by Adam Gibson.
Stillwater Seven (Launceston, TAS) Another of the Tassie hotels shortlisted, this project involved major alterations and additions to the first and second floor of an 1830’s flour mill.
Stillwater Seven. Photography by Anjie Blair
“Weathered corrugated iron, heritage sandstone and giant Oregon trusses are highlighted and enhanced throughout the redefined interior. Each new space is filled with tactile patterns and finishes – raw edges, steel thresholds, burnt timbers and textured paintwork yearning to be touched,” says Cumulus Studio, the firm responsible for the design.
Stillwater Seven. Photography by Anjie Blair
krakani lumi (Wukalina Mount William National Park, TAS) Another Tassie hotel, this unique venue is the result of a collaboration between Taylor and Hinds Architects (who feature again!) and the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania. Located in the Mount William National Park, the venue serves as accommodation for a guided walk through the cultural landscape, from wukalina (Mt William) to larapuna (Eddystone Point).
krakani lumi. Photography by Adam Gibson.
“The language of the project is derived from the siting, form and qualities of the traditional seasonal shelters of Tasmania’s first peoples. This context and the notion of the story-telling interior is an important conceptual foundation for the work. The telling of the creation is an initiation into the spiritual and cultural interior of the landscape,” says the team behind the project.
krakani lumi. Photography by Adam Gibson.
Drifthouse (Port Fairy, VIC) Two holiday apartments located within a period home, this project is located in the south-western Victorian coastal town of Port Fairy and represents boutique regional accommodation at its best. We love its relaxed, understated interiors.
Drifthouse. Photography by Martina Gemmola.
“Fundamental to the brief was to work with the clients’ relaxed aesthetic and to ensure that the new work sat comfortably within its garden setting, juxtaposed by not jarring with the heritage buildings, the past omnipresent and pivotal,” says Multiplicity, the firm behind the project.
Drifthouse. Photography by Martina Gemmola.
United Places Botanic Gardens (South Yarra, VIC) Comprised of three two-bedroom and nine one-bedroom suites, this minimalist yet luxe boutique hotel is located in Melbourne’s South Yarra.
United Places. Photography by Sharyn Cairns.
“We were briefed to create an immersive environment for discerning guests in a category dominated by ever-expanding art hotels. Our approach was to employ cross-disciplinary collaboration to celebrate exceptional local creatives. From the Laura Woodward kinetic sculpture in the foyer to the digital Community Guide created by the hotelier, spirit of place is at the heart of our approach” says Carr, the firm behind the project.
Sunshine Coast based abstract artist Ian Gunn draws inspiration from the Australian landscape and, in my mind, his work recalls some of Ken Done’s softer more pastel creations. And with works sporting titles such as ‘Summertime,’ ‘Poolside,’ and ‘Harbourside,’ Ian’s latest collection is an unabashed celebration of high summer.
“Winter has now finished and with summer on its way, colours change in the landscape and we all want to be near the water. As with all my work, the starting point is always the landscape or seascape and with this new series I am exploring a softer palette of colour, although there are small areas of high colour to catch the eye. So you will see in the new paintings soft varied blues of swimming pools, soft greens of fresh lawns and splashes of bright colours too,” says Ian.
One of his more colourful works, ‘Sunrise’ is a self-described “colour bomb!” “I put in every favourite colour I had in the studio and there are so many layers and so many areas of detail that as a painting it shouldn’t work, but it does. It makes me so happy to look at it each day and of course it was a painting I did after seeing the most beautiful sunrise so it’s reminder of a special moment,” says Ian.
‘Sunrise’
By contrast, “Harbourside” is a more subdued affair and takes an aerial view of the water. “The painting ‘Harbourside’ has a totally different feel. The colours are softer and you are seeing a harbour and all the activity in a big space. But what I love about that piece is that those small areas dotted across the painting have really beautiful marks and colours in them. You may not be able to see them all on screen but in the flesh there is a lot to discover,” says Ian.
‘Harbourside’
It would seem that one of Ian’s strength is in painting small details that reveal themselves upon closer inspection. “With my work, it’s not just the overall picture you see online before you buy a piece but also the close up details. I love art that you can live with for a long time yet delight in the discovery of something new each day. I love it when you see a detail, mark or area you hadn’t really noticed initially. I am trying to make paintings that do this for art lovers as there is so much pleasure in something that keeps giving you more happiness each time you look at it,” says Ian.
Ian with one of his works
Photography: Mindy Cooke | Styling: Noël Coughlan for Greenhouse Interiors
Located in Mooloolaba, in the heart of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, this average suburban home got a serious makeover recently by the team at Black and White Projects, making it fit for sale.
Dining BEFORE
Dining AFTER
“The home is located minutes from the beach and situated in a quiet cul-de-sac. The house was a long term rental in need of a renovation and we presented it to the market so it was ready to move in,” says Black and White Projects design director Maria Baron who finished the renovation in under six weeks before selling the house.
Master bedroom BEFORE
Master bedroom AFTER
“We renovated this one for selling. The brief was to renovate what needed updating as the home is a solid brick house with good bones in a good area. We also had to be smart about budget whilst achieving a premium look with quality finishes. We made some bold design choices,” says Maria.
Main bathroom BEFORE
Main bathroom AFTER
Main bathroom AFTER
“The reno had to appeal to a broad audience but was clearly designed with a working family in mind. We added a little cubby house out the back for the kids. We love adding little custom touches and small features that the whole family will love. We also made sure the parents had a nice master bedroom, ensuite and walk-in robe to enjoy,” says Maria who reworked the floorplan to allow this.
Guest bedroom BEFORE
Guest bedroom AFTER
Other floorplan changes included adding a pantry in what used to be hallway space. “It was such a minimal change but it made a massive difference whist still keeping the bedrooms and laundry private from the main house,” says Maria.
Kitchen BEFORE
Kitchen AFTER – the new pantry is located opposite
Kitchen AFTER
The front of the home still features original brown brick, but it’s an aspect that Maria was focussed on retaining. “Instead of hiding what the house was about we love to embrace features, such as the brick. The right colour palette made the original brick shine,” says Maria who used the paint colour ‘Monument’ in Taubmans Endure for the exterior trims, gutters and roof.
Exterior BEFORE
Exterior AFTER
Two highlights of the home are the gorgeous bathrooms, something of a Black and White Projects specialty. “We love doing bathrooms. We saved on cabinetry by getting a good quality off the shelf ‘shell’ before adding custom bench tops and good quality fixtures and fittings. We also like to splurge on tiles plus we only use the best tilers to ensure an impeccable finish,” says Maria.
Ensuite BEFORE
Ensuite AFTER
Ensuite AFTER
Ensuite AFTER
Maria’s top reno tips:
– Don’t compromise on your tradies! Final finishes is what can make a house average or exceptional. Really good tradies can make a huge difference to the end product.
– Invest in a project manager, A good project manager should be able to save you lots on everything. They should know who to call in and when. They should also have access to competitive rates with suppliers.
– Assess and rework the floor plan. This is a crucial part of any job and a lot of work goes into it. if you are going to change your plan yourself, ask yourself Is this something that will improve my day to day life living in the house? Does it fit the house/space and is it worth the investment?
You know you’re looking at something special when a property has its own name. ‘Pen Y Llechwedd’ is a stately 104-year-old Queenslander, located in Ipswich, that was renovated recently resulting in a much more light-filled space that, while modern, remains sensitive to the building’s provenance. It’s a real beauty.
‘Pen Y Llechwedd’ is one of Ipswich’s most iconic Queenslanders
Originally commissioned by the then mayor Fredrick Goleby, the original home is the work of renowned architect George Brockwell Gill who designed an extensive array of heritage properties in the Ipswich area. “Initially the home consisted of five bedrooms with the kitchen on the verandah, however a renovation in the 1930’s saw the kitchen built in to create a breakfast room, with the gorgeous coloured glass still in place today,” says owner Nicole Cox, who completed the renovation with her husband Adam, a builder.
BEFORE: Dining and lounge room
AFTER: Lounge room
Aside from the 1930’s modifications (which included the addition of several window seats and pressed metal), the home was renovated again in the 1980’s which saw the addition of a deck and additional bedrooms.
BEFORE: Master bedroom
AFTER: Master bedroom
When Nicole and Adam bought the property in 2014, they commenced bringing the old home back to life, reconfiguring the spaces, and adding more bedrooms for their large combined family that includes five children who are all teenagers or young adults.
AFTER: Dining room
“The brief was simply to create a comfortable family home to fit our large family, without impacting any of the home’s original design features and with a view to enhance as many as possible. To do this we needed to add two bedrooms, a bathroom and completely renovate the original part of the home,” says Nicole of the property that now boasts five bedrooms, a library, formal lounge, formal dining, sitting room and three bathrooms all set on a landscaped 1200 square metre block that even has its own stream!
AFTER: Kitchen
With high ceilings, timber floors, VJ walls and expansive verandahs there’s a reason the Queenslander is so loved. “Queenslanders have such a romance to them, with their iconic style of wide hallways, decorative fretwork and large verandahs, perfectly built to capture the summer breeze. Queenslanders are easy homes for families to live in as they’re strong and hardy, have stood the test of time, and will survive your family well,” says Nicole.
AFTER: Lounge room
“As the home itself is a little bit of a mixed bag when it comes to design periods, we were careful to maximise its original character while bringing our own classical touch. Traditional Queenslanders can be quite dark with raw timbers and heavy drapes so we intentionally brought in elements to ensure a lit though warm feeling home, maximising the natural light wherever possible.”
AFTER: Lounge room
As for Nicole’s favourite part of the transformation, she is rather taken with her new ensuite. “A blend of classic style, it references the time in which the home was built but with all the modern conveniences. This room is a dream to use daily,” says Nicole.
BEFORE: Ensuite
AFTER: Ensuite
AFTER: Ensuite
“I also love the library as it’s a stunning example of a modern working office integrated with a formal library space. This room was to echo the smoking rooms or parlours of the time, but still needed to be practical and functional,” says Nicole.
BEFORE: Library
AFTER: Library and combined study
An experienced renovator, Nicole works alongside her husband in their family business. “We spent seven years working in residential construction, mostly focusing on Queenslander renovations, steadily growing before downsizing last year back to a simplified business model that works for our family,” says Nicole who started a blog called The Builder’s Wife to document the renovation.
AFTER: Entry
“My blog came about from an interest in our home and I have enjoyed sharing our renovation with our readers, however it grew into the perfect platform to engage with other women within the construction industry. Working in a traditionally male field comes with its own set of challenges. My blog has given me the opportunity to support and educate women in all aspects of the construction industry and those looking to build or renovate their own homes,” says Nicole.
AFTER: Verandah
Sadly, Nicole and Adam are selling the home because they’ve outgrown it. “The home is regrettably being sold to take our extended family back to acreage living. With a house full of busy teenagers, acreage gives space for the lifestyle our children enjoy.”
When Aaron and Sarah Waters purchased a tired 1970’s brick and tile home with the intention of giving it a quick flip, little did they know they’d found their next passion project. “The original thought was to do it up and sell it – not spend much and basically put it straight back on the market. However, we fell in love with the area and once we started we fell more and more in love with the house too,” says Aaron of the home that is referred to as the Bilinga Beach Abode.
Before and after: What a transformation!
Set in the seaside town of Bilinga on Queensland’s Gold Coast, the original 1970’s build was comprised of red brick, a yellow Colorbond roof with black gutters, asbestos walls and an asbestos fence around the perimeter. The home also had three bedrooms and one car space but has since been transformed into a comfortable 5 x 2 – the expansion driven by Aaron and Sarah’s expanding brood. The couple have a six-year-old boy Brax, three-year-old girl Frankie and a baby girl due next month.
A seamless transition from inside to outside
The home takes design cues from its coastal location combined with a smattering of Palm Springs inspo and features plenty of white – Dulux Vivid White to be exact. “We found a house in Cape Town, South Africa that inspired the feel we wanted. I think that once you have found a style you just have stick to it and for us, it was a coastal Palm Springs vibe,” says Aaron. The home certainly has aesthetic consistency throughout (the white paint for one) and it’s something that Aaron is focussed on. “Once you transition, or your mind wanders, you will find yourself lost and the home can lose its soul,” says Aaron.
The pool
A prominent design feature, the home’s breeze blocks were brought in from Sydney and are multi-purpose. “The breeze blocks are not original. The idea behind them was, of course, some breeze but foremost their style. Another benefit is the shadows that they form at different times of the day,” says Aaron.
The gorgeous breeze blocks
As for renovating with young children, Aaron saw the challenge as an opportunity and got them involved too. “It was hard at the start but the children love it now. Our children watched Dad work and they wanted to work. Out came a plastic kid’s tool belt and I would hand them a small, soft piece of wood so they felt part of it,” says Aaron.
Alfresco lounge
The eldest child, Brax, is no doubt the envy of his school friends given he has his very own skateboard ramp at home. “The skate ramp came about because we took Brax to the local concrete skate park and it was crazy. There were kids everywhere and it was just so dangerous that an accident was bound to happen, but Brax just loved it. We didn’t want our little boy to get hurt, and we didn’t want to take something he enjoys off him, so we built a ramp at home,” says Aaron.
Skate ramp
And unlike most children’s toys, the ramp only seems to add to the relaxed beachy vibe of the place – Venice Beach anyone? “We wanted it to tie into our house and basically blend in. We built it from scratch and have to regularly maintain the painting to give it life, but the kids absolutely love it,” says Aaron.
Another fabulous feature is the home’s pool – it sits adjacent to the property and is lined with patterned concrete encaustic tiles. “It was designed to have all day sun and face north west to take in the amazing sunsets. The kids love it and so do we. You basically step out of the lounge room and into the pool and you can see it from our kitchen so there aren’t too many blind spots. We also have an outdoor chimney fireplace that looks over the pool,” says Aaron.
Three years ago, snakes were regular yard guests at Nikki and Luke Hobbs’ newly purchased five-acre Gold Coast Hinterland property. The overgrown yard, once towering in lantarna and tobacco trees, had been ‘let go’ by previous tenants.
Rather than start with the interior of their new home, the couple decided to tackle outside first. And they had a great incentive; wanting to get married in their own (substantial) back yard!
After watching back-to-back episodes of River Cottage Australia, three years and a lot of hard yard work passed, and the couple– a builder and a stylist– were ready to unveil their landscaping while they said ‘I do’ from the comfort of their home.
Here, Nikki shares theirtop five ‘River Cottage’ makeover tips:
Work with the unique shapes, contours and quirks of the existing parcel of land (ours was once a hydroponic tomato and strawberry farm boasting flat paddocks).
BEFORE Veggie garden
AFTER Veggie garden
2. Hire in the heavy machinery to do the grunt work (ours included countless excavator bookings and eight semi-trailer loads of forest mulch).
BEFORE Back yard
AFTER Back yard
3. Plan your landscaping for success by considering the types of plants currently thriving in your surrounds. (We also opted to hire Ryan from nearby Canopy Wholesale Nursery for expert advice and a killer yard map).
4. Naturally humans are drawn to water including creeks, dams and man-made features and therefore it was important to us to create a space we could enjoy daily (think sunset vino, morning yoga rituals and a wedding ceremony deck).
5. Highlight the natural assets such as river rocks and large established trees. For example, our two DIY rock pillars (now filled with white annual blooms) draw the eye from our house to the backyard creek.
BEFORE Creek
AFTER Creek
“Learning the ropes of acreage living including operating septic systems, petrol generators and large machinery has been incredibly rewarding,” Nikki says. “Our landscaping and renovation plans for Platypus Valley Homestead will continue to evolve as we now kick off our interior renovation.”
–Country stylist Nikki Hobbs and builder husband Luke, run Hobbs Building & Interiors, an award-winning sustainable home builder located in the heart of the Scenic Rim, Queensland.
With a 40-year career as an artist and art teacher, Queensland’s Venus Ganis always made sure to provide a creative environment for her six children when they were growing up – an upbringing that paved the way for the family’s latest venture. After tinkering with ceramics with her two daughters, Ria and Cleo, the design trio decided to make a legitimate business out of their gorgeous wares called Leaf & Co.
Tidal series
“We were initially making ceramic Christmas gifts to give to friends and family, and the feedback was overwhelming, everyone loved how unique our pieces were. We realised that our passion for ceramics could be transformed from a hobby to a business that we love,” says Cleo, who is a qualified interior designer. The third member of the team is Cleo’s sister Ria who initially worked in fashion but is now a photographer.
Sketch series
With a strong connection to nature, the family are based out of Mt Glorious, an hour outside of Brisbane. “Growing up at Mt Glorious we’ve always been inspired by nature at its best and I believe our core inspiration comes from the connection we have to our environment. All our ceramics are based on the natural environment, like the curves of a wave and the lines of a landscape. Nature is our main and only inspiration,” says Cleo.
Pure series
The family work out of the brand’s Mt Glorious studio which looks onto a series of overlapping mountains. “Our working environment is important to us as it continually inspires and keeps us in touch with who we are. It’s such a lovely feeling being immersed in an environment that we can use as a reference for our creations,” says Cleo.
Nest series
Working primarily with ceramics, the Leaf & Co pieces are handmade using Australian sourced clay, natural minerals and oxides. “Each piece is handmade through every step of the creation process. We roll the clay and imprint the pattern by hand which is then moulded and dried before the pieces are fired. Depending on the series, we would underglaze with colour and also add a final top glaze making the pieces food-safe and resistant to staining,” says Cleo.
Venus, Ria and Cleo Ganis
The Pebble series is the latest addition to the range. “We experimented with mixing up black stained clay and pressing it with white clay. This series is quite a surprise as you don’t know what the pattern or mix of black and white will be until you press the merged clays. This has been a very exciting process because each piece is quite different in pattern, colouration and shape,” says Cleo of the pieces that are available in three different sizes and can be displayed stacked or separately.
Pebble series
The ceramics certainly have a modern Australian feel with their earthy textures and inspiration, “I believe Australians tend to approach design a little differently than the rest of the world, because of our geographical location, climate and our multicultural mix. I think our design style across many creative outlets, whether it be fashion, design or even architecture is quiet laid back and relaxed, as it encompasses the outdoors and surrounding landscapes.”
We won our laundry week on The Block so the expectations for our own home laundry will be pretty high! I love to clean and to be organised. I hate to cook believe it or not, Kingi is the cook in our household so when kitchen week comes around, I might get him to blog for us!
Caro & Kingi’s winning laundry on The Block
In the last two properties we have owned as a family, the laundries were outside. Growing up in my family home, our laundry was always inside. So the great debate begins! Kingi likes the outside laundry whereas I prefer one inside. I think having an outside laundry actually creates more dirt on the clothes and can damage them, whereas Kingi thinks an outside laundry is great for ventilation and less noise. But again I ask…who does the laundry in your house anyway? My point exactly! ME! So after months of arguing I finally won this round! Inside laundry it is!
This laundry had to go!
Now when planning the new position of the laundry, where do you put it? Near the bedrooms so you can access the rooms quickly to put clothes away? Or will that be too noisy? These are the questions you need to discuss when renovating your family home. We want to position it somewhere that’s going to be close to the outside clothes line and also in an area that isn’t wasting space.
When planning a laundry just like I did on The Block, my main goal was to be practical. Think about what you need to do in a laundry. What do you want to store? Will you have a washer and a dryer? In our new renovation, we won’t be having a dryer as we live in North Queensland so that’s our dryer! But we will be having two washing machines. With Kingi’s uniforms always being covered in render, I knew from the start of these renovations that we would be having two!
Kingi gets to work
I want to make sure that there is enough storage for everything: brooms, mops and buckets! This space is purely practical. It isn’t a space the whole family will be spending a lot of time in so don’t overdo it. The laundry shouldn’t take a big chunk out of your budget either. Pick some cheaper tiles than what you would use in your bathroom. Your guests won’t be using your laundry so you don’t need to impress anyone here! But the one component I would spend a bit more money on would be your cabinetry. I would recommend storage with doors, you want to hide all those cleaning bottles! Our laundry will also include a massive sink. We got big points for this on The Block! You need to be able to wash a small dog in there and to be able to soak any sheets (mums, I know you hear me on this one!)
If you’re about to tackle some renovations at home, I would always suggest starting in the laundry. It’s a great area to learn and make any little mistakes in. No one will really see this area too much so if you make a bad choice then it’s really not going to affect the whole house. Doing a laundry first will also teach you the process of what’s involved in a “wet area” and this will be a great learning experience before you tackle your bathrooms!
Caro and Kingi’s top tips this week:
Plan your storage solutions – Think about what you have in your laundry now and how you want to store it better.
Pick cheaper tiles – I would recommend neutral colours as they are normally cheaper.
Having bought her three-bedroom brick home in Eimeo, Queensland as an investment property, Debbie Goodwin had been renting it out for some 15 years. So when the idea to sell came to mind, it was time to get the hard hat on and the tool belt out, because it was in serious need of a revamp!
Before: bathroom
After: bathroom
“It had good bones but it had to have a massive facelift on the interior. So we completely gutted the whole inside of the house and put in a brand new kitchen, bathroom, laundry, toilet, painted the whole interior, put in new blinds, fans and aircon, timber boards in all the living spaces and tiles in all the wet areas.”
Before: Living
After: living
After: living
Costing $50,000, it took approximately 10 months, with Debbie and her husband doing a lot of the reno themselves, after work and on the weekend. “The biggest challenge was definitely the time factor as we have three small boys and a business that operates seven days a week.”
Before: kitchen
After: kitchen
After: kitchen
With the new kitchen, living and bathroom making the biggest difference to the home, as a seasoned renovator, Debbie made some smart moves, knowing when to spend big and when to rein it in. “The freestanding bath was the best bargain product that will really add value to the home. As was repainting, especially in the living room, as it is now so fresh and inviting. Definitely worth the money.”
Before: main bedroom
After: main bedroom
As well as budgeting, another of Debbie key’s considerations is choosing the right people for the job, thinking it’s best to get the experts in first time round and save the time and money of re-do jobs “My advice for would-be renovators is to source good tradies. Be organised and always be prepared for unexpected costs to crop up.”
Here at Interiors Addict there are two things we’ve always been big on: style without the snobbery (so your home doesn’t have to be full of designer or expensive pieces to look fabulous) and your home being a reflection of the people who live in it, with real personality. So stylist Tahn Scoon’s latest book, The Thoughtful Home, really appeals.
“Basically, the idea behind the book was to show people how to create fresh, simple and pretty interiors, even on a tight budget – it includes heaps of insider advice and a handful of super easy how-to projects,” she says.
The Queensland interior stylist and decorator, who also wrote New Vintage, shares all her insider tips and tricks on how to create thoughtful, authentic and beautiful interiors – homes that are kind to the purse, kind to the planet and a pleasure to live in.
Insider tips include how to achieve bespoke style cabinetry at a fraction of the cost, how to give children’s rooms the vintage treatment and how to professionally style your home so it’s magazine shoot ready!
How-to projects include a designer fabric cutting cushion, crystal decanter light fitting and ‘chalk’ painted vintage frame.
While being a mum doesn’t give me much time to read at the moment, I’ve flicked through my copy and found it a lovely browse.
Gravity, a luxury members only coworking environment, launched in Sydney early last year. Located in the much sought-after CBD building 50 Carrington, the space was designed by interior designer Jacqui Esdaile of Valmont.
Sydney’s Gravity
Here, home-style furniture in rich tones and textures contrasts against a minimalist interior with polished concrete floors and minted grey walls. Floor to ceiling glass panels conceal private meeting rooms, while a central break-out area homes a high-end mess hall/brassiere.
Sydney’s Gravity
And now Gravity has opened its second office in the heart of Brisbane’s CBD at 140 Creek Street. Recognising the need for a local narrative for Gravity’s second space, Jacqui has echoed the design cues from the Sydney predecessor, whilst subtlety referencing the Queensland culture — that being inherently bright, bold and welcoming.
Brisbane’s Gravity
The aspirational work environment, which features a bright open plan formal reception area, dedicated team meeting rooms and a central break-out kitchen and dining room — all finished with high-specification materials, drop pendant lighting and local Queensland plant foliage — is the first of its kind for the Brisbane market.
Brisbane’s Gravity
Next, Jacqui will be applying the finishing touches to renderings for a Melbourne site, aiming to have each address have its own identity, the way each of our states have.
Apart from the obvious, that this book will seriously brighten up any coffee table it graces, Anna Spiro’s first book, Absolutely Beautiful Things, is a delight. I read it over two days because I didn’t want to put it down. Not only is full of photos of wonderful colourful, delightfully (perfectly) mis-matching real homes, it’s also packed with great advice.
And if you want to create this unique look in your own home, there’s nobody more qualified to offer up their advice, so read up, take it all in and make notes!
Anna’s profile isn’t, in my opinion, as big as it should be. She isn’t a self-publicist like many other top interior designers and decorators (rightly or wrongly) but regardless, she has a cult following. I wasn’t, for example, sent a review copy or even a press release about this book, but I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it!
Anna’s look is full on colour and pattern, which is not for everyone, and is perhaps much better suited to Queensland, where she lives, then here in Sydney, for example. But whether you love it or not, Anna’s look is so different and so very her, it is really interesting to study how she puts things together and learn from it. What I love most about Anna’s philosophy is only having things that really mean something to you in your home, as well as how warm and cheerful her work is. It really does make me smile.
I won’t say that since reading Anna’s book I could pull off this kind of look anything like she does (she makes it look effortless but it’s only easy when you know how!) but I did pick up a few pointers which I think will make all the difference to my new home.
Of course, being published by Lantern, the book itself is beautifully designed. The cover was painted by Anna’s sister-in-law Pip Spiro (formerly Boydell).
I thoroughly recommend this book. The best price I found online was through Booktopia.
It was five years ago that husband and wife team Steve and Helena Trupp, decided to make a plan for their future. Their goals were few but challenging: to work from home, to be able to travel and to design while still staying close as a family. Today though, they can tick all three boxes, successfully running their own homewares brand, Empirical Style. Many of the most on-trend items you see in Australian interiors started with this pair.
With a mix of sourced vintage finds and products they have designed themselves, Empirical Style has everything from vintage maps, zoological and botanical charts and the now famous and often copied Empirical Pendant. “The Empirical Pendant was designed by us and came from wanting to modernise the vintage trouble light that workmen used,” explains Helena. “We have quite literally started the design trend with them and see them in so many homes. Australians were desperate to be able to design their own lighting that could be added to the home without an electrician, thus their popularity. You can choose between cage colour and shape, cord colour and length, lamp fitting and any extras. Having seen literally thousands of lights I am still amazed and inspired by some of the designs our customers request.”
However the Empirical Pendant is not the only trend that the duo have started, selling the largest online collection of vintage maps in the world and being one of the first businesses to start importing the increasingly popular Edison bulbs to Australia. “My favourites are our Edison bulbs,” says Helena. “Honestly, I can’t go past them! They are very popular in New York and we were frustrated we couldn’t get them back home. So we became one of the first businesses to start importing these to Australia. Australia’s definitely having a love affair with them right now, as seen in every new cafe!”
With a strong inspiration found in travel, Steve, Helena and their kids are constantly on the road or in the air; with the duo finding their designs are created from seeing the world, not by sitting in the office with a sketch pad. If they find something they like on their travels they will try to source the product and if that fails, they simply design their own! “Also, we don’t sell anything that we wouldn’t have in our own home and you can be assured that all our products have met the toddler test! For us, our designs just come down to our love of an adventure. For with every new place and person you are exposed to, you find a new way of seeing the world.”
For your chance to win one of the famous Empirical Pendants in your choice of colours, worth $147, simply complete the form below by midnight on Wednesday 13 August 2014. Open to Australian residents only.
Visit Empirical Style’s Brisbane showroom or shop online here.
Last night’s episode of House Rules definitely got the waterworks going. I’d be lying if I said a tear didn’t escape my eye. Reality TV shows are emotional, people!
Maddi and Lloyd
But with my favourites Adam and Lisa not just taking out the top spot on the leaderboard for their kitchen and guest bedroom, but also getting 10/10 from both the judges and the homeowners Maddi and Lloyd, you were bound to see some emotion (from contestants and viewers alike)!
“As soon as I walked through the house and got a glimpse of that kitchen I was speechless,” says Lloyd. “How good it was, the location, everything, I just couldn’t fault it. The kitchen’s definitely my favourite part and that lounge room just compliments it really nicely.”
Adam and Lisa’s winning kitchen
With this being the first perfect score from the judges and the homeowners, Maddi and Lloyd’s scoring was in complete opposition to last week’s more strategic style, which didn’t win Brooke and Grant many fans.
“We never wanted to be strategic,” explains Lloyd. “We told ourselves we were going to mark with our hearts and our initial reaction, because for us, we wanted to walk in and get an amazing feeling from each of the rooms. The kitchen and the guest bedroom were a 10/10 and that was exactly what it deserved. We would have felt like we would have let down the team who did it if we scored them any less than that.”
The kitchen before the renovation
However, the whole house wasn’t a success, with Brooke and Grant’s master bedroom, walk in wardrobe, linen closet and deck being a miss in the eyes of the homeowners. They received a score of six.
“It was definitely not what Maddi and I wanted,” says Lloyd. “We like things open and light and the hessian ceiling and external paneling on the walls made the whole thing quite claustrophobic.”
Brooke and Grant’s master bedroom
Yet that said, Maddi and Lloyd are still both ecstatic with the final result and have only had to make minor changes since moving back into their home post-show. “We were very lucky we were towards the end and not the front of the competition,” says Lloyd. “Because a few of the houses at the beginning were just practices for ours!”
Having lived in their Queensland home for a year prior to the show beginning, they had bought it with the intention of renovating. “We saw the potential in our house, but the amount of work that needed to be done, it would have taken us years and years,” explains Lloyd. “We were in a position where we could apply and thought what’s the worse that can happen?”
Tune in tonight at 7.30pm as the teams begin their last interior renovation in South Australia.
I was delighted to discover this Australian ceramics brand by a talented and well travelled Queenslander with a very impressive fashion background.
It comes as no surprise to me that Chela Edmunds’ work is being stocked by Sydney’s Koskela,which is a serious stamp of approval for anyone! Takeawei is a range of beautiful and useful objects in clay, covering a handful of trends with its ombre, animal print and neon designs, while still offering something very unique and endearingly imperfect. I particularly like the diversity of her pieces.
Chela says: “I’m so happy to be in Koskela! Being that I can only make a limited amount of pieces each month I knew I couldn’t supply everyone. Koskela was at the top of my list. They have such a refreshing approach to retail as a lifestyle experience.”
Ever since I’ve written this blog, I’ve wished Anna Spiro had a website. Because I can’t get enough of her gorgeous work. And last night it finally happened! What has been a holding page, ‘coming soon’ for far too long, became a wonderful thing!
Looking at images of Anna’s work always makes me feel happy. It’s a riot of colour and pattern and she is undoubtedly the QUEEN of mixing and matching. She makes it look so easy! One of the things I like about her is that she’s not much of a self publicist (not that there’s anything wrong with being one). She lets her work speak for itself. There’s her popular blog Absolutely Beautiful Things of course, but the fact she hasn’t had a website for years and has still remained so busy and well known is testament to her talent. The Queensland designer is also a great reminder that not all fabulous design happens in Sydney and Melbourne!
Perhaps even more exciting is the news Anna is working on a book with Penguin. Cannot wait for that one! And she’s also onto her second wallpaper range with Porter’s Paints (I love the first one so much that samples of it cover my fridge!). Hooray!
