“Meet in the
middle and
personalise
each space
”
the layout
Darren: “In an open-plan kitchen/
living/dining area, it’s important
to create separate zones. Franky
and Josephine already have
a large rectangular dining table
that will work here, but as
Josephine isn’t keen on the
dated high-back chairs, I say
get rid of them and start again
with something more modern.
A substantial piece of art on the
blank wall adjacent to the table
will introduce a pop of colour- much to Franky’s delight – and
also anchor the dining space
along with a pendant light above.
The couple are struggling with
furniture placement in the living
area as they don’t want it to be
too cluttered, and also need to
consider that it’s a transitional
space to other rooms. I would
suggest a wipeable three-seater
tan leather sofa placed opposite
a wall-mounted TV surrounded
by built-in storage, which could
also serve as overflow space for
the kids’ toys. As it would be nice
for Franky and Josephine to also
be able to look at the garden,
I’d suggest an additional
upholstered ottoman with the
flexibility to be used close to
the sofa in a chaise longue style
or pushed away as separate
seating. One must-have is a large
rug – no smaller than three
metres by two metres – which
will visually separate the living
space from the kitchen.”the playroom
Darren: “You need as much
storage as humanly possible
in a playroom, so I’d start with
shelving in the existing niche
in the wall, adding big pull-out
baskets or drawers for the girls’
toys. This means they can easily
access and hopefully put away
their things, leaving lots of open
floor space for them to play on.
Franky and Josephine’s existing
modular sofa will also find a new
home in here, so I would team
that with an upholstered cofee
table, which could also double
as more storage underneath.
Another idea might be to attach
a big roll of brown paper to a
bracket on the wall that the
girls could then pull down and
draw on. You could paint a wall
in blackboard paint, but the
playroom is adjacent to the
living space so I wouldn’t go
crazy in here – save wallpaper,
if you fancy that, for their
bedrooms – but think of it more
as an extension of the living
space and introduce colour
through their toys rather than
with fixed wall coverings. And
keep in mind that the girls are
going to grow and evolve, so
you need the space to be flexible
enough to change with that.”THE SOLUTION:
Franky and Josephine have a spectacular
gift in this brand new house because
it’s a blank canvas with the opportunity
to create something completely new.
They’ve picked a lovely neutral palette- the hard flooring with the grey timber tones is very elegant, in
particular – which is the perfect backdrop to do anything they want
to make it their own. But a blank canvas can also be a little daunting - when faced with myriad choices, ‘analysis paralysis’ can set in. The
best thing Josephine and Franky can do now is define a brief on
how they want their home to function and feel, who will be using the
diferent spaces and for what, and so on. With a well-planned brief,
you don’t have endless choices. Instead, you narrow the field by
separating things that don’t fit the mood, style or desired functionality
until you’re left with just a handful of choices, and everyone is capable
of making good decisions from a handful of choices! Franky and
Josephine are a typical couple in that they have their own likes and
dislikes. We have two very diferent styles, preferred eras and takes
on colour, so the key is to create spaces to suit diferent people
within the house, where both of them can feel like they belong.
Darren’s assessment
the advice
Darren Palmer
Interior designer,
author and
The Block judge
(darrenpalmer.com)- Entry
- Master
bedroom - Walk-in robe
- Ensuite
- Walk-in robe
6. Dining area
7. Alfresco
8. Living area
9. Powder room
10. Playroom
11. Bedroom
12. Walk-in robe
13. Laundry
14. Bedroom
15. Bathroom
16. Study
17. Guest room
18. Walk-in robe
19. Kitchen
20. Butler’s
pantry
21. Garage
107
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1986124 3517(^16182021)
104 / Inside Out
ADVICE PROVIDED IS OF A GENERAL NATURE AND SHOULD BE TREATED AS A STARTING POINT. LOOK INTO YOUR LOCAL COUNCIL REQUIREMENTS AND
REGULATIONS BEFORE
STARTING ANY RENOVATION WORK. PHOTOGRAPHY: (PLAYROOM) ERENA TE PAA @ERENATEPAA, (STUDY) AMORFO PHOTOGRAPHY, (LIVING AREA) DEREK SWALWELL. STYLING: (STUDY) KIMBERLEY WIEDERMANN, (LIVING AREA) MIKAYLA ROSE. DESIGN: (STUDY) WATTS STUDIO, WATTSSTUDIO.COM.AU, (LIVING AREA) HEART
LY, HEARTLY.COM.AU. STUDIO
ROLLER (IN PLAYROOM), GEORGE & WILLY, GEORGEANDWILLY.COM. BUILD: (LIVING AREA) BEN THOMAS, BENTHOMASBUILDER.COM.AU