Blogs

Toilets and What are the Differences

The Essential Element in Your Forever Home  Toilets are a crucial part of any home, but they’re often not given much thought. With so many different types of toilets on…

How to Choose the Right Floor

Getting your flooring right the first time around is crucial to the overall look and feel of your home. Flooring covers large areas of your space and interconnects different zones…

Pantry Designs and Ideas

As kitchens have evolved over time, the humble kitchen pantry has now become an almost indispensable addition and turned into a Walk-in or Butler’s pantry. There are several types of kitchen pantries available and the right one for…

Kitchen Design Layouts

More than any room in the house, the kitchen needs to be practical and functional. So getting your kitchen layout right is the most important factor when designing your dream kitchen. Whether your space is…

Bathroom Design Ideas

If you’re renovating or building a new bathroom anytime soon, you may be interested in what’s coming up in bathroom trends in 2021. Even though I’m a strong believer in following your heart, and not following trends. However, sometimes, what you’ve loved for…

Laundry Design Fundamentals

Laundries are an important part of all homes, even if they are not on display, they still need to work hard in terms of being able to store, wash, dry…

3 Ways to Future Proof your Home

Future proofing is essential when building your Forever Home as your needs will change as your family grows. To ensure your home can adapt to your changing needs over time,…

A Quiet Life with Noise Mitigation

Unwanted noise in your home can interfere with daily life, and your ability to feel relaxed and calm is affected, let alone being able to sleep or have a normal…
table-with-vase-and-furniture

Injecting New Life Into Your Home

Over the last few months I’ve been presenting at various Rotary Clubs across Melbourne and Victoria discussing sustainability and downsizing. I have frequently been sharing my views on using what…
amsterdam-design-surrounding-buildings

Amsterdam Influences

A recent trip to Europe allowed me to retrace the steps of my family history in Amsterdam, as well as retrace my own steps of living in London and Amsterdam…
coffee-and-table

Trend Predictions for 2019

It’s been trade show mania over the last couple of months. Two of the largest interior design trade shows, Denfair and Décor & Design, open their doors in the winter…
how-to-decorate-a-console-table

How to Decorate a Console Table

It’s so lovely to walk into a home and be welcomed by a decorative piece that is inviting and sets the scene for the rest of the home. Not only…
how-a-interior-designer-can-mitigate-mistakes

How an Interior Designer can Mitigate Mistakes

There are many benefits to speaking to different consultants early on in the process of building or renovating your home to mitigate mistakes. Think landscape designers, sustainability consultants, and also…
3-steps-to-creating-a-home-you-love

3 Steps to Creating a Home You Love

We often move into a new home, or have the same feeling in our current home – that is – it doesn’t quite feel right. It’s not that comfortable, inviting,…
how-to-choose-bench-tops

How to Choose the Right Benchtop

There are many things to consider when choosing a benchtop for your kitchen or bathroom. There’s obvious thoughts about aesthetics, yet you also need to think about functionality. Expectations have…
the-five-building-stages

The Five Building Stages

Building a new home? Are you aware that there are many stages in the build process that are signed off by a building surveyor throughout the build phase? I work…
what-you-need-to-know-before-building

What You Need to Know Before You Build

There are lots of things to consider before actually starting your build process. In fact, the research component should be factored in to ensure you’re going to end up with…
christmas-decorating

Christmas Decorating

It’s that time of year again when Christmas will be upon us in a matter of weeks, so with that I thought I’d run through some decorating tips. Work out…
room-with-furnitures-interior-design

Why Engage An Interior Designer Early?

An interior designer will look at key areas of your home for functionality as well as aesthetics. Here are some examples of what an interior designer will review early on,…
modern-comfortable-home

Want to Create a Comfortable Home?

I’m hearing more and more from clients about wanting to create homes that perform well energy- wise. When we opened our home for Sustainable House Day this year, it was…
designing-with-sustainability

Designing with Sustainable Materials

When you are building a new home, it’s also the best time to consider what materials you are using, as many things are unable to be retro-fitted, replaced easily, or…
build-new-or-renovate

Build new or Renovate?

You may have a current home, or plan on buying something that you intend to renovate, or you may desire a new home so that you can start afresh and…
dining-area-downsizing-effectively

Downsizing Effectively

There comes a time when we may need to downsize. Our current home is too large, or we just need less. So what’s the best way to do this? Look…
decorating-for-winter

Decorating for Winter

It’s that time of year again when we need extra layers, and it’s also when I feel like I need extra comfort in my living spaces. I decided to incorporate…
book-launch-new

Book Launch Fever

The last few weeks have been one incredible ride, to say the least. I officially launched my book ‘Your Forever Home’ at Domo Furniture on the 3rd May and I…
My-Plan

Briefing Made Easy

Creating a brief is not something that everyone thinks of when about to build a home or engage any number of experts they may need to create the home of…
future-proofing-your-home

Future proofing your home

When you’re building a home that you anticipate being in for 15 year or more, you can expect that your requirements will change as your family changes and grows, and…
front-yard-with-pool

Sustainable Money Savers

With the cost of energy constantly increasing, it makes sense to build a home that will use less energy, yet be comfortable year-round, which is exactly what a sustainable home…
things-to-consider-before-you-build

Things to Consider Before You Build

When thinking about building a new home, or renovating or extending, there are plenty of things you can do to prepare yourself for the journey. Frequently I have clients come…
sustainable-pool

Sustainable House Day – Giving Back

We had great privilege to open our home, the White Pebble House, to the public on Sustainable House Day on September 11 2016. Sustainable House Day is run across Australia…
winter-jewel-tones-interior-design

Bringing the outside in

Varying the colour palette in your home as we move into a different season is a lovely way to ‘prepare’ for winter. It’s common in Northern European countries to have…
winter-cushions

Decorating in Autumn

Autumn is a great time to reinvent your living and bedroom spaces as the cooler months settle in. Consider using different scatter cushions, heavier weight throws, perhaps even changing your…
christmas-themes

Christmas themes

It’s that time of year again when Christmas will be upon us in a matter of weeks (did I really write that!) and we wonder where the year has gone.…
picture-with-frames-in-wall

Top 5 tips for hanging artwork

Avoid hanging in direct light – sunlight can fade photos & artwork really quickly, so hang out of direct sunlight – particularly harsh afternoon sunlight. Hang similar styles together –…
rear-lounge-modern-design

Top 5 tips for decorating to sell

Use Lamps – Table and floor lamps create mood lighting, add additional light where required and create balance with other items in a room. Move the TV – Left or…
Kitchen-bench-close-up

Top 5 tips for selecting benchtops

Think budget and investigate options – natural stone Vs composite stone Vs laminate Vs solid acrylic. Composite stone will not always be cheaper than natural stone, but it may require…
furniture-cabinet-and-vase

Top 5 tips for lighting

Avoid casting shadows – downlights create shadow if not placed in the right location. It’s best not to rely on downlights alone but also use additional lighting. Think about task…
living-room-with-chairs-and-TV

Top 5 tips for selecting a floor

Budget – Always buy the best you can avoid. A floor is difficult to replace & generally one of the most costly items in your home. It has the most…
bedroom-with-sheer-panel-blinds

Top 5 tips for window treatments

What’s the objective – to create privacy, insulation or blackout for sleeping? The best way to achieve all three is with curtains, which have made a great comeback as people…
Engineer-woman-on-phone

Top 5 Tips for Renovating

Spend money where it counts – hire an expert if you need to for advice on where best to splurge and where to save. There are plenty of ways to…