The Painted Hive Entryway

At only 1.1 meters deep x 1.6 meters wide (3.5 x 5.2 feet) my tiny entryway doesn't even rate a mention on the floor plan! An inch either side of the photo below and you're straight into the living room or hallway.

Sorry, I don't have a before pic though if you can imagine a little undressed space with worn beige berber carpet, timber toned trim and a dirty apple green wall that's pretty much it!

I knew early on that I wanted wallpaper somewhere in my house and this space seemed the perfect candidate - its location is discreet enough not to dictate the tone for the entire house though perfectly positioned to create a nice impression.

I took Mum along to help choose and am so glad I did. I was drooling over all the bold metallics and colourful patterns though practical Mum thankfully steered me in a more neutral direction. Don't get me wrong, I love the statement a strikingly 'dressed' wall can make though my fickle self would have been bored with it in five minutes (while I do still admire the vintage tones and subtle print of my chosen 'outfit' - and it doesn't strictly govern any near-by decor).

We painted the trim white and re-carpeted then waited for an appropriately priced and proportioned piece of furniture to come along. You see, when the front door is opened it leaves a clearance of only 30cm (12 inches) so whatever I chose needed to be accordingly narrow. Eventually, a lovely weathered cedar console showed up - perfect! I had envisioned all white against the wallpaper though the tone in this table seemed just right as is.

I must confess, I change the decor around in my home ALL THE TIME (much to hubby's annoyance) though currently have the console adorned with clearance and thrift store finds, fresh lavendar and rosemary, some re-purposed knick-knacks and a few special pieces.

 Hope you like it!


You can check out the item origins and price breakdown in this post. Of course, it's all been done on a budget!

A Thrifty Guest Bedroom

Here's my parent's guest bedroom (my old 'boudoir') which I styled for them a while back now.

The whole room was completed on a teeny-tiny budget.

My Mum has more traditional taste than me and wanted a serene, french influence.
This particular project came in at under $150.
Here's how I did it and how you can do it too:

Bed - FREE
Found at the tip, yes, the tip. It was black wrought iron which we painted enamel ivory.
End of Bed Stool - $20
Found on the side of the road. It was originally an old telephone table which we took the top off, painted and upholstered - you can read the post about it here.
Chair - FREE
My Great Grandma's old kitchen chair.
Side Table - $20
It's a butler's tray purchased from a warehouse clearance centre. We painted it black and gave it a light distress. You can't see it in the pic though we lined the top with script wrapping paper (which is also in the frame above the bed).
Window Furnishings - $30
Mum made them from fabric found at a haberdashery clearance store.
Artwork - $10
The large frame was found at a local second-hand store. We painted it white then lined it with the script wrapping paper as mentioned previously. Mum already had the two little prints.
Cushions and Throw - $20
Mum made them to co-ordinate with the stool out of left-over fabric and some inexpensive new fleece.
Bedding - $30
The quilt cover and pillow cases were all found at a manchester clearance centre.
Decor - $15
The charming little birdcage was purchased at a clearance store (you can't get them anymore, I wish I'd bought 100!) and the topiary was found when I shopped the house.

TOTAL - $145

Yay!!!

What have you thrifted the pants off? I'd love to hear.

A Magazine Feature!

Turn the March/April issue of Australian Country Collections magazine to page 72 and you'll be welcomed into what might be a familiar toile papered entryway....

Yep, it's my little ol' hive! A nine page spread of it! Including some little sneak peeks of spaces I haven't even managed to blog about yet!
Here's just a sample:

Thanks to writer and editor Kirsty McKenzie and photographer Ken Brass.

They showed up on my doorstep as arranged a few months back now, walked in and pretty much shot my house as it was. If I hadda known I would have done a bit more tizzying-up though I think the resulting article reflects the relaxed and unpretentious nature of the process which is in keeping with the honest premise of the magazine.

Australian Country Collections is a boutique bi-monthly country lifestyles publication.

The magazine itself (you know, 'member those, they're the things you need more than a mere finger swipe or mouse click to turn the pages of) is available in Australian newsagents.

For international readers, the digital version can be found on-line here through Zinio.

An Industrial Edge

I love the depth, eclectic appeal and slightly masculine feel a piece of industrial furniture or decor can add to a space.
From antique timber filing cabinets to retro steel lockers, done right, this style of interior decoration can really make a room pop.

Monique Keegan

Unknown courtesy of Brown Button

The Drawing Room

House Beautiful

Monique Keegan

Brinson

Country Living

Country Living

Monique Keegan

Country Living

Monique Keegan

I could look at these images all day - except they give me such bad cravings I just have to get away from the computer and head straight down to all the local thriftstores and junkyards I can think of to hunt down some industrial goodness of my own. 
I'm actually working on a little industrial project at the moment. 
(You can now check out the finished results here).

Beautifully Subtle...

Sanganer is a place in Rajasthan that is famous for it's traditional hand block printing. Sanganeri prints usually consists of floral motifs and the colours used are natural dyes derived from Turmeric, Indigo plants, banana leaves and so on.
The colours are usually bright & vibrant which is synonymous with the colourful Rajasthan, hence it was a pleasant surprise when I saw these prints in subdued and in single colour in the Toast Catalogue Online. Check out their Quilts, Blankets & Throws in subtle colours. They have some lovely pillow and cushion covers too.

( images from Toast Catalogue)

Welcome to My Hive

Firstly, I have to say, my home is a major work in progress.
When we moved in around three years ago, we had virtually NOTHING! We lived that way for a while, content in just having our own little parcel on earth. During this time we also learned from the bare-bones of the house what was needed in terms of function, liveability and aesthetics before imprinting any misguided ideas of our own.

Here's the floorplan.


The entire house is only 12 meters (39 feet) front to back and a mini 10 meters (32 feet) wide.
Sorry, I don't have many before photos though I had no idea I'd be blogging about this in the future! 

The kitchen, living and dining rooms just prior to us moving in.

Apologies for the poor quality though I took these from the original real estate brochure.

After living in our hollow little cave for a while, I decided I had to simplify and streamline as much as I could to create the most neutral as possible blank canvas. Every ceiling got a fresh coat of paint, every wall a bath in Dulux Chalk USA and every single bit of brown timber trim was dressed in glossy white....it was a breath of fresh air (and I'm NEVER painting again!).
The badly soiled berber carpet was replaced with a complex deep greyey-brown plush pile to contrast with the light paint, making the ceilings appear taller. All of the door hardware and window furnishings were replaced along with the more obtrusive of the light fixtures. Our "neutral as possible" blank canvas was born - at last, we had a starting point.


Stay tuned for detailed room-by-room posts covering what we did next. There'll be lots of thrifty hints and tips, pretty images and some funny DIY anecdotes. You'll also hear about all the new projects we have on the horizon!

Awesome Printables....and a little message

Hey chickadees.

Just dropping in for a quick one today.

I don't know about you, though I'm always on the look-out for awesome (and FREE!) online graphics resources. About a year ago I came across Vintage Printables. If you've not visited their site before then you need to stop by. Sure, it's a little hard to navigate though they have thousands of FREE HIGH RESOLUTION images perfect for interior decor projects.

Because their images are high res you can use them to create large scale projects.

If you have an image editing program (like Photoshop) then you can download and manipulate them anyway you like. Don't have an editing program? You can get paint.net for free.

At the moment I'm working on a little series of vintage shell lithographs for my parent's holiday home at the beach.

What are your favourite online graphics resources?

And now, on a different note, apologies in advance if I'm not around much over the next couple of weeks.

For the past seven years I've worked full time in the events sector though in just two weeks time I finish-up to begin some extended leave (baby due early July).

I really can't wait to kick off my work shoes and hide the corporate wear in a deep dark corner of my wardrobe though first there are a tonne of loose ends to tie up so it's gonna be super busy.

Starting this blog a year ago was awesome - one of the best things I've ever done - though I gotta admit that I have struggled a bit to keep up with it, furniture refurbs, design consultations, my own personal projects and just plain old life (both the fun and boring sides - seriously, my dirt brown car is supposed to be ice blue) whilst working full time.
Though I'm under no illusions that motherhood is a gazillion times more demanding than working full time, hopefully once I'm home regularly there'll be a bit more time for blogging - I just gotta get through the next few weeks first then take it as it comes I guess :-)

Sooo, to all the bloggers out there who do it all; I takes me hat off to ya.
You truly AMAZE me!