September 25, 2021

Spring is in the air

September 25, 2021/ Julie Long

Welcome to my monthly update on all things to do with creating homes with classic charm and relaxed appeal.

I love August because you always get a sense of spring being just around the corner. But then August plays that trick of a cold snap just to keep you on your toes and realise it is still Winter. I also love August as it is our eldest son’s birthday so it always brings me back to the joy of becoming a mum and our family growing from the two of us to three then four.

I feel that this spring could be a bit like a new birth, as we have been tucked up under our donnas in lockdown, but hopefully we will get to come out soon and enjoy the warmer weather. We will be able to smell the roses without a mask on and enjoy each other’s company at a picnic in the park.

So, with spring now just a day away, let’s brighten up the mood with some great spring decorating tips.

DESIGN IDEAS

1. TABLE DECORATION

Give your dining table a lift with a light textured table runner and vase of flowers.

2. PLAY WITH THE LIGHT

Stock up on mirrors and use them to bounce light around your room. You can display them in groups to make them decorative. This will help you fake the illusion of a brighter space.

3. BRING IN THE GREENERY
Spring blooms add a lovely touch to the home in a gorgeous vase as does any greenery from the garden. Use an indoor planter with green succulents. Mix these in amongst books or décor items. You can also add greenery through your décor, ie green cushions, vases, even art etc.

4. UPDATE YOUR BOOKSHELVES
Remove any clutter, give them a good clean and keep items that work with a spring time palette.

5. BRING SPRING TO THE BEDROOM
Give the bedside table a cull. Get rid of the pile of books from those wintery sessions under the doona. Add a lovely vase with flowers next to your lamp and a candle. Gorgeous!

6. BRIGHTEN UP THE WORKSPACE
With a lot of us now working from home, it is important to keep these spaces light and airy to lift your mood. So have a go at bringing spring to your desk through a few colourful accessories.

3 THINGS I’VE LOVED RECENTLY

Who doesn’t love a good moulding. This new moulding from Intrim Concave CC60 is so versatile and on trend. It creates lovely texture on walls or cabinetry.

Three Birds Renovations H13 house kitchen/bar

I was flicking through Instagram a few nights ago and came across these lights from Mondoluce. They would certainly encourage you outside on a spring night.

Talking about adding green to your rooms to lift your spirit and welcome in spring, isn’t this green just gorgeous. It has just gone up on the wall of my client’s daughter’s room – it is called Dulux Camouflage Green. I think it is such a lovely pop of colour!

PROJECT UPDATE

For those who have been following along with our new home build, here is the latest update. The frame is up and it is always a good idea at this stage to mention to your builder any fixtures or fittings that may need extra support. We are adding some feature pendants so they can put in extra timber to support these larger pendants.

I do hope this month’s blog post inspires you to add in a little spring cheer to your home. Until next month, bye for now.

Take care

Jules xx

August 03, 2021

Project planning

August 03, 2021/ Julie Long

Welcome to my monthly update on all things to do with creating homes with classic charm and relaxed appeal.

Well here we are in lockdown, with the Olympics on, home schooling and all three boys in my life wanting to know constantly what there is to eat!!!

We are, however, very lucky as this last 12 months have given people time to reassess the value of their home and as such a boom in home renovation has happened. I have been fortunate enough to help some wonderful clients through their renovation journey in what otherwise could have been a stressful time. So here are some tips that helped us get through the last year and may help you if you are considering a home renovation during Covid.

DESIGN IDEAS

1. PLANNING

Give yourself a little extra time to source fixtures and fittings as there are quite a few items with longer lead times now. Design and sourcing usually take 3 months but I know some items are taking 6 months. Crazy isn’t it!

2. PATIENCE

Patience is also certainly something we have all had to have over the last 12 months of building. We have managed to get jobs done but the install may have taken longer due to trade or material availability. All the trades are very busy at the moment so patience is a big learning.

3. FLEXIBILITY

I also found that we have had to be flexible with the design solutions presented. One moment a tile may be available then the next it may be out of stock. I will always try to have a design that allows flexibility in this situation so we can choose another option to keep a project moving along. Or consider purchasing when you find a material you love and storing if you have the room.

3 THINGS I’VE LOVED RECENTLY

I’m in the process of finishing off the selections for our new build and am looking for kitchen lights for over the bench. I’m torn between these three beautiful lights from Montauk Lights in WA. What do you think? I need to place an order soon as these can take 6 months to come in from America.

PROJECT UPDATE

Here are a few sneak pics from the design concept phase I have been doing on our own build. The kitchen image below, shows where I need to hang the pendants that I mentioned above.

This month has been a little focused on home as I haven’t been able to get out to sites or suppliers. I do hope today’s blog inspires you to start planning your project no matter how big or small. Until next month, bye for now.

Take care

Jules xx

July 06, 2021

Winter Warmth

July 06, 2021/ Kath Marshall

Welcome to my monthly update on all things to do with creating homes with classic charm and relaxed appeal.

This month, I have been busily finishing off two new homes for clients to move into last week, juggling end of financial year and kids at home for school holidays during lockdown in Sydney. They just seem to be always asking for food!

As we are in the middle of winter and I am in the middle of finalising selections for our new build, I am going to be talking about how you can add warmth to your home not just through the heater or the fire place being on, but through colour of fixtures and fittings, colour of paint on the walls and through colour in décor.

DESIGN IDEAS

If you have been following me lately you will know that my husband and I are building a new place and I am just finishing off the selections. Dame and I are creating a home that is based around a modern take on a traditional ‘Arts and Crafts’ home. It is going to have a striking palette of black and white but needs warming up with touches of bronze. This idea of warming a place up through fixtures, fittings and décor is what I want to share with you today.

1. WARMTH THROUGH FIXTURES & FITTINGS

Firstly, what do I mean by fixtures and fittings – things like tiles, tap ware and handles.

Our tiles in the kitchen and bathrooms are going to be black and white so the rooms could come across as quite cold so how do I add warmth to these rooms? Well you can do this with your tap ware, handles and rails.

Dame and I were at Astra Walker last week and we chose their lovely Old English range of tapware. We have used this in the past in chrome but look below and see what a difference the finish of the tap ware can bring to the feeling of warmth.

Chrome v’s Tuscan Bronze – It’s only subtle but I do believe that the aged bronze here feels warmer than the chrome. — *Chrome v’s Tuscan Bronze – It’s only subtle but I do believe that the aged bronze here feels warmer than the chrome.*

2. WARMTH THROUGH WALL COLOURS

Warm colours on the wall can also give you a wonderful sense of warmth. I do love the greys of Dulux Grey Pebble, Heifer and Calf skin for creating warmth as they have an undertone of yellow. This gives these grey tonnes warm qualities. But I hear you ask what if I want a white home, how can I make it feel warm. I know my husband thinks white is white when you are painting but alas no. He couldn’t understand that I need a day to decide on which white to use on our new place. There is a whole page dedicated to white in the Dulux atlas and that is just one brand. Then these whites are divided into “warm whites and “cool whites”. Depending on what else is going on in the room, how you want to feel in the room and the light aspect of the room, these things will drive what white you wish to paint.

Dulux have a great explanation of how warm and cool whites can work in different situations. Follow the link below to read further about this.

dulux.com.au/colour/whites-and-neutrals/popular-whites

3. WARMTH THROUGH DÉCOR

Well I discussed changing your cushions and throws when we were looking at spring and yes things like cushions and soft furnishings can add warmth to a room. Check out these great Etro Velvet cushions by L&M Home. The colours are certainly warming and who doesn’t enjoy snuggling up to velvet in winter. L&M Home also have some beautiful Cashmere Mix Throws to cuddle up with whilst sipping your hot chocolate. This one below in Eucalyptus Gum is just beautiful.

You can also add warmth through warm coloured vases in a matt finish like these wonderful Mona vases in Umber also by L&M Home. Add some warm foliage and bingo!

So, if you’re feeling a little cold this winter and have time on your hands for a little project, look around your home for ways in which you can add a little warmth to your life without turning on the heater.

3 THINGS I’VE LOVED RECENTLY

I’ve given away a few of them above but let me share the colour ways that the Mona vases come in from L&M Home. They are made of Iron with a matt finish and come in a stunning range of shapes and sizes, just gorgeous.

I’ve been talking about how to add warmth to a room through décor well this new lamp from Canvass & Sasoon is certainly a good example of this. I love the ticking stripe on such a textural shaped base. https://store.canvasandsasson.com.au/lamps/ticking-lamp

If you love reading about interiors the following website has a great range of articles. https://theinteriorsaddict.com/

PROJECT UPDATE

Here are a few sneak peeks from one of the jobs that I have been busily finishing off. I love the vaulted ceiling in the family room, the warm tiles in the powder room, the double herringbone tiles in the ensuite, the black fire place and the lights in both the bathroom and bedroom. Better shots to come.