Inside Out - 05.2018

Darren Palmer

Interior designer, author

and The Block judge

Dutch-born Franky and his fiancée Josephine have recently moved

into their newly built four-bedroom house near Romsey, Victoria, with

their five-month-old daughter Victoria. Franky’s four-year-old daughter

Zoe from his previous marriage also lives with them sometimes. While

the couple found the process of choosing the fixtures and finishes

for their home quite enjoyable, Josephine admits there was “a bit of

arguing and a lot of compromise” as they have diferent tastes when

it comes to interiors. Franky has a fondness for Dutch/Scandinavian

design with the odd retro or vintage piece and a splash of colour,

while she prefers a French provincial look with a muted palette of

whites and creams. “Now we’ve moved into the house, we’d like to

know how we can successfully combine our tastes to create a home

that works for us both,” says Franky. They’ve decided to ditch some

of their “IKEA/hand-me-down” furniture and buy some new pieces

but would also like some advice on how to make the layout – and the

things in it – work for their family. They also need storage solutions

for Franky’s vast book and music collection and the girls’ toys, and

the garden needs landscaping from scratch. “We’re very open to

inspiration on how we can create our dream family home,” says Franky.

the story so far

$200k, an in-home consultation

with Darren Palmer and one

year of Allianz insurance

Josephine, Franky

and baby Victoria.

We need

inspiration to

get started

“

”

THE PROBLEM:

WORDS JOANNE HAWKINS PHOTOGRAPHY SAM McADAM-COOPER

the expert

the prize

the family

With a newly built house and

$200k from Allianz’s ‘Be Inspired

To Win’ competition, this family

needs expert advice to create

their dream home